South Putnam’s Brooke Boetjer, who will be a freshman on the Indiana University softball team next spring, was named the 2012 Indiana Miss Softball last month between games at the North/South All-Star games in Carmel.
Boetjer led South Putnam to a 31-0 record this season and its second consecutive Class 2A state championship and has won 56 games in a row. She picked up the win in the title game, going the distance and allowing one run on five hits in seven innings while striking out nine to improve her record in the circle to 22-0. Not only did she get it done in the circle, but she also had two hits, including a double, and an RBI as South Putnam defeated Adams Central, 3-1.
For the season, Boetjer posted a 0.15 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 137 innings pitched. At the plate, she hit .547 with five home runs and 41 RBI on the year. For her career she was 72-4 as a pitcher with two saves and an ERA of 0.39.
In addition to Miss Softball, Boetjer has been named First Team All-State and was the 2012 Gatorade Indiana Softball Player of the Year.
• Weatherford on watch list — Eastern Illinois junior punter Scott Weatherford has been named to the College Football Performance Awards preseason punters watch list.
Weatherford took over the punter duties last fall, averaging 37.6 yards per punt. He pinned a quarter of his punt attempts (12-of-48) inside the 20-yard line. Weatherford had three punts of more than 50 yards with a long of 62 against Tennessee State. He also had a 60-yard punt against Tennessee Tech.
• Bridge to Ancilla — Rockville grad Aaron Bridge will resume his athletic career on the basketball team at Ancilla College next school year.
The 6-4 forward averaged 12 points per game during his senior year and helped the Rox win two sectional titles.
Bridge chose Ancilla for the smaller class sizes, caring faculty and great coaching staff that was willing to give him an opportunity.
“Aaron will give us some toughness and maturity,” Ancilla Coach Greg Neeley said. “We’re excited to have him join our program.”
• VU adds more locals — Vincennes University volleyball coach Brittany Harry has announced her 2012-13 recruiting class, which includes two more Wabash Valley products in Sullivan’s April Webb and Terre Haute North’s Kinzi Kiefer.
They will join North’s Katlyn Anderson, Northview’s Kaylee Clark and Clay City’s Lynsey Higgins on the Trailblazer team this fall.
Webb is a 5-10 left-handed hitter who earned two varsity letters and was named to the All-Western Indiana Conference team.
“April is one of those kids who doesn’t even realize how much talent she really has,” Harry noted. “Her jumping ability alone is something Division I coaches look for right off the bat with potential recruits. We expect April to come in and contribute right away on the court since we graduated a two-year starter on the right side last season.”
Kiefer is a 5-10 outside hitter who was named to the All-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference squad her senior year. She was also awarded the gold medal award, led her team in aces in a season, digs in a season and kills in a match and season.
“Kinzi is a local student-athlete that we are excited to have join our program in the fall,” Harry said. “She adds depth to the outside position and could definitely vie for some playing time. She comes from a good program and has good experience on the court.”
• Pair honored for academics — Vincennes University sophomore cross country runner Gabrielle Kuhn of Marshall and Olney Central sophomore softball player Emily Phillips were recently honored for their academic performances last year.
Kuhn was recently named to the list of 2011-12 NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Award winners after having a 3.73 grade point average for the past school year to earn Exemplary Academic Achievement status.
For the fourth consecutive year the Lady Blue Knights softball team has been named an Academic All-America team by having a team GPA above 3.0. The Knights finished the spring 2012 season with a team GPA of 3.13, to go along with 3.17 in 2009, 3.39 in 2010, and 3.35 in 2011.
Phillips was named to the Pinnacle All-American team with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 during her time at OCC. The Knights finished the 2012 season with a 30-26 record.
• Olney stats — Statistics from the Olney Central baseball team were not available on the team’s website for an earlier column, but have now been posted there.
Area players competing for the Blue Knights were Northview grads Zac Niehaus and Caleb Mason, Shakamak grad T.J. Hill, West Vigo’s Zach Kent and Terre Haute North’s John Robert Patterson.
Niehaus had a .319 batting average with two doubles, one triple, 14 RBI and six runs scored. Mason hit .313 with one double, four RBI and three runs scored.
On the mound, Hill had a 7-2 record with one save and a 1.50 ERA. He had 36 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. Kent had a 2-0 record with a 2.31 ERA and eight strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched. Patterson saw action in three games, going 1-0 with a 1.16 ERA.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
Sports Columns
COLLEGE REPORT: SP’s Boetjer is Indiana’s Miss Softball
- Sports Columns
-
-
RAMBLIN' RECK: Sunday promises to be big day in Indy
Sunday promises to be a super day in Indianapolis.
It’s the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 followed by Indiana vs. Miami in the third game of the National Basketball Association playoffs. -
TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
In its rich 43-year history, the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic has long carried on a strong local racing tradition.
From its early beginnings starting in 1971, the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned event has been the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar at the Terre Haute Action Track as well as a key stop on the USAC sprint schedule and one of the most sought after wins in big league sprint-car racing. -
Shooters compete to fight cancer
A team of employees at Taghleef, formally A.E.T, would like to give a personal invite for you to join in on a lot of fun while helping save lives.
Cindy and Mark Wilguess are the inspiration behind the Taghleef Team. Cindy herself fought this battle with cancer and won. Last year she led her team to be the No. 1 fundraisers in the Relay for Life. -
TILL IT'S OVER: Terre Haute Triathlon's new race director seeks more events for his hometown
Today is the day for the Thunder in the Valley, and the Terre Haute Triathlon is under new leadership in 2013, the 28th year for the event at Hawthorn Park.
A former Terre Haute North track and cross country standout, Ethan Page is the race director as the race falls under the reign of Page’s new company, Crossroads Events. -
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
-
TRACKSIDE: Terre Haute's Carmichael enjoying strong spring in modifieds, stocks
It might have been cold and blustery at Charleston Speedway on Saturday night, but for Terre Haute driver Kenny Carmichael the evening couldn’t have been more pleasant.
-
From Terre Haute to the major leagues: Phegley's play could earn him promotion to Chicago
Josh Phegley's debut in the Major Leagues could be coming to a ballpark near you.
-
There's an expert at Parker's Archery
As I was driving the winding roadways of southern Indiana, a rustic building caught my attention and the sign on the front revealed it to be an archery shop called Parkers Archery.
-
TRACKSIDE: Rain still a pain for Wabash Valley racing organizers
Soggy weather conditions, which have rightfully drawn the ire of Wabash Valley race fans and crews in recent days, continue to plague promoters where it hurts the most — their pocketbooks.
-
RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers having a ‘Garden Party’
The Indiana Pacers are back in form and looking good.
-
KENNY BAYLESS: Sponsors sought for 'Ladies Only' event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays
Sponsors are being sought at the Ladies Only event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays on Saturday at 10 a.m. Sponsors should be willing to donate $1 or more for every broken bird. Each lady is allowed 25 shots. Flat donations are gladly accepted. Also, organizers are looking for more ladies to participate. Ammo, clay birds, and guns (if needed) will be furnished.
-
College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
RAMBLIN' RECK: It’s May … a time for horses and horsepower
It’s the first day of May, a great month for sports.
It begins with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. My Old Kentucky Home is played before the start of the race on which hundreds of bets will be placed by folks who ordinarily don’t bet on thoroughbred horse racing.
A week later, practice begins for the Indianapolis 500.
-
Terre Haute runner sets up race to help Boston
Having competed in the Boston Marathon once before in 2003, 35-year-old Majel Wells of Terre Haute thought she should give it another try in 2013.
“My goal was just to finish and enjoy Boston,” she reflected this week. “I had an injury [runner’s knee] beforehand, so I wasn’t too worried about beating my time from 2003 [4 hours, 10.20 seconds].
“But nobody cares about what your time is at Boston anyway.”
From what I’ve heard over the years, she’s right. Unless you’re a super-serious runner, the Boston Marathon has been more about taking in the atmosphere and having fun than placing in the top 50, although Wells was pleased that she beat her previous time by finishing in 3:55.19 on April 15.
Obviously, her race time wasn’t the most vivid memory that Wells took away from her 2013 Boston experience. -
Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs to put TVs to good use
If Jenny had known, she probably wouldn’t have bought that TV.
But four or five years ago, my Fathers Day present — for those unfamiliar with Amey family traditions, the Fathers Day one is “let’s get something we all really want and pretend it’s a gift for Dad” — was a 42-inch Vizio. It’s been used even more than the cell phone I never would have bought for myself, or the TomTom that disappeared since Jenny’s smartphone arrived.
And it came with high-def.
I’m not going to insult you by telling you how great high-def is, because to do so would be to imply that you are even farther behind the technological curve than I am. I’m guessing, however, that not all of you have yet discovered what it does for hockey. -
Foot Notes: ISU track athletes looking to keep improving at Drake Relays
Indiana State’s track schedule has helped its men’s and women’s teams escape the glacial Wabash Valley weather and enjoy warm days in Auburn, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn.
With the Sycamores’ track facility basically laid to rest for competition and construction on a new one planned near the Wabash River to begin in 2014, major kudos go to everyone involved for continuing to produce athletes that are NCAA contenders who race with some of the world’s best.
Some of ISU’s current athletes are hoping for season-best performances this weekend against strong competition in the Drake Relays.
Former Sycamore NCAA pole-vault champion Kylie Hutson, who competes professionally for Nike and trains in her hometown of Terre Haute, also has been in Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Pole Vault in the Mall on Wednesday night. -
REDNECK QUAKER: Variety of birds to search for in turkey hunting
My father-in-law, Donnell Dunn of Jacksonville, Fla., is a retired engineer from J.I. Case and an avid reader and loves information on anything he takes interest in. He has five patents under his belt during his career.
Donnell took great interest in the Turkey World Slam display at Gander Mountain and thought each bird needed some info to help people understand more about them. -
TRACKSIDE: USAC racing picking up, including Sunday's stop in Terre Haute
With a break in the weather, U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned racing will kick into high gear on the area motorsports scene this weekend with events scheduled at three Indiana ovals.
-
Ramblin’ Reck: Sato first Foyt winner since 2002
Takuma Sato made Izod IndyCar Series history Sunday when he won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
-
Former South players to play in Saylor benefit game
I had my first phone conversation with Mike Saylor since mid-February on Thursday and he sounded good.
The former Terre Haute South High School boys basketball coach, who’s been battling cancer this year, has been traveling back and forth to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for chemotherapy treatments. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.
-
RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers closing out a nice season
In case you hadn’t noticed, the final games of the regular season will be played this week in the National Basketball Association.
-
Amey Takes Aim: Can’t bottle the joy of Amey vacations
The first bad sign was the Gatorade bottle.
In the Bataan-Death-March drive to Orlando that got the Amey family spring break vacation off to a bad start, seeing it between lanes of I-24 — as we zipped along at a 100-miles-in-five-hours clip — filled with an ominous yellow liquid was a little bit scary. And although we didn't stop to check for sure, I'm fairly certain I knew about its contents.
And the person stuck in the same traffic jam with us, the one with the existential license plate YMIHR4, couldn’t have asked a more pertinent question.
But, after seeing a lot more of Oak Grove, Ky., than we’d planned, and after enduring more traffic slowdowns in Nashville, we were on our way. Even some rain in the dark in the Smokies didn’t slow us down much, so you would think our first-day troubles were over.
You would be wrong. -
Redneck Quaker: Mascari gets thrills from turkey hunting
Annie Mascari is a beautiful, vibrant, 26-year-old lady that loves the outdoors.
She comes from a large family of four brothers and a sister and lives the teachings of good family values.
Olivia Rightly let me know that I “should talk to my teacher at St. Pats School, Ms. Mascari, because she’s taken a turkey.”
As I shook Annie’s hand, I could feel the energy she has for life. As proof, the first time she went up in an airplane, she jumped out of it!
She’s also quite the hunter. Mascari picked up a used PSE bow for $30, one for a left-hander because her left eye is dominate for shooting. The Page Arrows are her choice for broadheads. -
RAMBLIN’ RECK: Louisville gets two shots at NCAA title
Louisville met Michigan in the championship game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Monday. Louisville faces Connecticut in the title tilt of the women’s tournament tonight.
-
REDNECK QUAKER: Learning to shoot clays a great experience
Tom Mitchell from Burnett is an all-around outdoor enthusiast. His passions are motorcycles, cars, and most of all, shooting sports. When he sights in on metal target shooting with a hand gun or rifle you will hear a lot of “clang” noises, he can shoot very quiet also, because he is licensed to own suppressers.
-
TRACKSIDE: Racing season picking up speed
With several tracks already open and others scheduled to get underway this weekend it’s a sure sign the area motorsports campaign has taken the green flag for the 2013 season.
-
RAMBLIN’ RECK: Out with the hoops, in with the bats
It’s a super week for sports fans — college basketball comes to a close and the first baseball games are played in the major leagues.
-
COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players
Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
-
FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress
It all happened so fast in June 2010.
One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff. - More Sports Columns Headlines
-
RAMBLIN' RECK: Sunday promises to be big day in Indy
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Today in History May 25
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Britain Braces for Possible Copycat Attacks
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Today in History May 24
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
ShowBiz Minute: Shelton, King, Lopez
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
ShowBiz Minute: Pickler, Franklin, Potter
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Young protestor goes viral on Youtube
Toronto Mayor says he's not a crack head
Maine island offers lighthouse getaway
Should We Prepare for Quakes?
Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
Congressional gold medal awarded to civil rights heroes
Charles Ramsey visits Kentucky
Unique Display Greets Guests At Revel Casino
Cape Cod Train Service Worries Residents
BASE jumper rides snowmobile off cliff to honor dead friend
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
SHOCKING: School Guard Throws Girl Down Stairs
Star Wars X-Wing Star Fighter Made of Legos
Actress Amanda Bynes Arrested in New York
Singer Psy Has An Imposter
President Obama Heckled at National Security Speech
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
