College notebook: Pitt duo named first team All-ACC
Giogiana Zeremenko
Olivia Gray
Kassie Kesneck
Bobby Finn
Four years ago, Giorgiana Zeremenko and Olivia Gray were part of a memorable local high school softball season while playing for Canon-McMillan and Trinity, respectively.
This year, Zeremenko and Gray helped Pitt’s softball team to a historic season, leading the Panthers to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship game and the cusp of the NCAA tournament. As a result of their big seasons, Zeremenko and Gray each were named All-ACC first team.
Zeremenko, a senior catcher, led Pitt at the plate as she ranked first in batting average (.340), on-base percentage (.464), slugging percentage (.714), hits (50), walks (34), home runs (15) and doubles (10). Zeremenko had 13 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games.
Zeremenko’s 15 home runs ranked second in the ACC. She became Pitt’s all-time home run leader and finished her career with 46. She was named Thursday to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Mid-Atlantic Region first team.
Gray, a junior shortstop, was second to Zermenko with a .311 batting average and tied her Washington County teammate in hits with 50. Gray shared the team lead with six stolen bases and committed only nine errors, finishing the season with a .966 fielding percentage.
In baseball
Jonathan Spina, a junior outfielder for La Roche and a Washington graduate, was recently named first team All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
Spina made the first team after being a third-team selection as a sophomore. This season, Spina was among the conference’s elite players as he led the AMCC in plate appearances, at-bats, hit and triples. He also ranked second in stolen bases, third in runs and four in batting average during the regular season.
Spina, who is currently batting .414 with 10 doubles, six triples and 23 stolen bases in 28 attempts, helped La Roche to the AMCC championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional that began Thursday in Adrian, Mich. Spina went 1-for-5 with a double and a run in the Red Hawks’ 5-1 victory over Ithaca in the first round.
Mount Union junior starting pitcher Phil Mary was named to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference team.
Mary, a Venetia native and Peters Township graduate, received honorable mention status and was named to the all-league team for the second time in his career. Last year, he was a first-team selection. Mary started a team-high 12 games and had a 5-5 record with a 3.62 ERA over 82 innings. The senior right-hander led the Purple Raiders with 82 strikeouts along with throwing six complete games.
Saint Vincent junior first baseman Bobby Finn of Venetia was named first team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
Finn put together a breakout season. The Peters Township graduate led the conference in home runs (9) and slugging percentage (.701), while also ranking among the top five in batting average (.383), RBI (38) and two-out RBI (16). Finn was eighth in the PAC in total bases (82) and was the Bearcats’ team leader in doubles (9) and on-base percentage (.425).
Finn tied the single-game school record with three home runs in a game, including two in one inning in a 16-11 win over Waynesburg April 14. He recorded 16 multi-hit games and was also strong defensively with a .996 fielding percentage. Finn also was named to PAC All-Tournament Team.
Dylan Coyle, a freshman from Canonsburg, had a strong freshman season for Mount Aloysius.
Coyle finished with a 2-0 record and 4.05 ERA in seven outings for the Mounties. He threw a nine-inning complete game April 30 as Mount Aloysius defeated Medaille 9-4.
Matt Mish, a sophomore pitcher and Canon-McMillan graduate, saved his best outing of the season for his final game of the year for Pitt-Greensburg.
In the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference tournament, Mish threw a nine-inning complete game seven-hitter as UPG defeated Penn State Behrend, 8-3.
Mish allowed three runs (zero earned) and one walk. He struck out 11 and threw 127 pitches.
The win improved Mish’s record to 4-2. He ended the year with a 4.71 ERA and walked only 10 batters in 49 2/3 innings.
In softball
Katie Tarr, a sophomore pitcher from Burgettstown, was one of four Point Park players named to the All-River States Conference team.
Tarr led Point Park’s pitching staff with a 7-3 record, three saves and 1.89 ERA. She amassed 120 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings and walked only 23 batters. She led the conference in strikeouts and strikeouts per game, and was third in ERA.
Kassie Kesneck, a sophomore from Houston and a Chartiers-Houston graduate, had another outstanding season for Indiana in the PSAC’s Central Division.
Kesneck batted .328, which ranked fourth on the team. She also had nine doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI. Kesneck finished second on the team with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
Perhaps Kesneck’s best day for IUP was in a doubleheader sweep of Pitt-Johnstown that clinched a spot in the PSAC tournament for the Crimson Hawks. Kesneck, batting leadoff, went 5-for-8, smacked three doubles and one triple, and scored five runs. She had four three-hit games and helped IUP to a 20-17 record.
In basketball
Youngstown State sophomore Mary Dunn, a Washington native and Trinity graduate, was voted to the Horizon League Women’s Basketball All-Academic team for her success on the court and in the classroom.
Dunn was a key part of the Penguins’ success down the stretch as they won nine of their last 11 games in the regular season. YSU advanced to the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons and hosted a first round game in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
Dunn averaged 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while ranking third in the Horizon League with a .547 field-goal percentage. That percentage led the team. She also paced the Penguins with 27 blocked shots.
“I’m extremely proud of Mary for garnering Academic All-Horizon League honors,” YSU head coach John Barnes said. “She works very hard in the classroom and on the court, so for her to be recognized by the league for both is outstanding. She is a model student-athlete.”
Dunn has a perfect 4.0 grade-point average as a communications studies major. A three-time Horizon League Academic Honor Roll selection, Dunn helped YSU rank in the WBCA Academic Top 25 last year.
In track and field
Point Park’s Sean Hilverding, a junior from Spraggs and a Waynesburg graduate, earned all-conference honors at the River States Conference Championships held at the RMU island Sports Center.
Hilverding placed third in the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:45 and helped the Pioneers to a second-place finish in the team standings.