Briefs
Cal places 10
on All-PSAC football
The California University football team placed 10 players on the All-PSAC West Division teams that were announced by the conference Wednesday.
The Vulcans tied for the most in the division with seven honorees on the first team, including senior defensive lineman Justin Baker, senior kicker Will Brazill, senior linebacker Luke Hrapchak, sophomore offensive tackle Craig McCorkle, sophomore defensive back Lamont McPhatter II, senior center Taylor Nikithser and senior linebacker Cameron Tarver.
The trio of Brazill, Hrapchak and Nikithser all received All-PSAC first team status for the second consecutive season. Brazill leads all kickers in the PSAC with 100 points with a league-leading 19 field goals while also converting all 43 PAT attempts. Hrapchak sits fourth in the conference with a career-high 104 tackles. Nikithser is All-PSAC West for the third time in his career. He has started at center for 33-consecutive games before starting at left tackle in the final week of the regular season.
Baker, McCorkle and Tarver were second team selections last year. Baker is fourth on the team with a career-high 56 tackles. McCorkle started the initial eight games of the year at right tackle before missing the rest of the regular season because of an injury. Tarver leads the Vulcans and is fourth in the PSAC with 15.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
In his first year with the program, McPhatter is tied for fifth in the PSAC with a five interceptions.
Junior defensive lineman Malik Akins, senior wide receiver Tom Greene and senior linebacker DeVonte Suber each were named to the second team.
Wild Things
re-sign closer
The Washington Wild Things have re-signed relief pitcher Zach Strecker for the 2018 Frontier League season.
Strecker joins catcher Kyle Pollock and pitcher Chase Cunningham as East Division all-stars who will return to Washington next season, and is the seventh Wild Things player to re-sign.
“Zach was an absolute workhorse for us last season and accepted the role as one of our core players. He has the perfect demeanor on the mound with the game on the line,” said Wild Things general manager Steve Zavacky. “We appreciate his efforts to battle through some nagging ailments down the stretch solely to push this team to the playoffs. Competing is what he loves to do and I know he is focused on a championship season. We discussed exploring Zach’s versatility in 2018, so it will be interesting to see how his role gets defined.”
Strecker, a 2016 graduate of the University of Kentucky, played one season in the Minnesota Twins organization before joining the Wild Things last year. He had a 5-5 record with Washington and 20 saves, which ranked third in the league. He pitched a scoreless inning in the Frontier League All-Star Game.
“As an individual, the 2017 season was by far my favorite and I attribute that to being able to relax and have fun on the mound. … Washington was a one-of-a-kind experience that I’ll always cherish.”
Former Cal coach fired by Lenoir-Rhyne
Former California University football coach Mike Kellar has been fired after two seasons as the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University, school officials announced Wednesday.
Kellar had a 6-15 in his two years at Lenoir-Rhyne, which included a 5-9 record in South Atlantic Conference games. The Bears finished this season 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the SAC.
At California, Kellar had a 31-12 record in four years as head coach. He was a member of the Vulcans’ coaching staff for 10 years.