at College of Wooster
Sean Karpen of Venetia has the College of Wooster poised to contend for a baseball championship in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
The tournament got under way last weekened with Wooster hosting Ohio Wesleyan in a best-of-three series consisting of three nine-inning games while Denison hosts the East's number two seed. The two winners of the first round will advance to the tournament championships, to be held at Denison on Thursday and Friday, May 8-9.
The two teams that advance to the championships will determine first and second place in the NCAC standings. The tournament winner is the NCAC champion and will also receive the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The two semifinal losers will share third place.
Heading into the April 30 game against John Carroll and the May 1 contest with Ohio Northern, the Fighting Scots boasted a 31-7 overall mark and 14-2 record in the NCAC East's division thanks to Karpen.
The Peters Township High School product leads the team with a .444 batting average. He has tagged 14 doubles and five home runs. Karpen has scored 40 and drive in 41 runs. With 15 walks, he maintains a .500 on-base percentage.
The junior first baseman is the son of Jay and Fradelle Karpen. A biology major, he holds a black belt in karate.
In high school though, Karpen played shortstop where he helped the Indians to the state finals. A three-year varsity letterwinner, he batted around .400 for his career.
Holy Child team
wins title
The Holy Child Catholic School varsity boys' basketball team won the South 2B section title of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. In addition to posting an unbeaten 8-0 record in league play, the Chargers placed second in the Bishop Canevin Basketball Classic and third in the JFK Catholic School Classic. The team also participated in the inaugural Duquesne March Madness Jamboree at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
Seeded third in the Diocese of Pittsburgh tournament, the Chargers finished 20-13 overall.
Team members included Sean Egan, Zach Rose, Josh Merlino, Nick Brown, Joey Murrer, Michael Tambellini, Vinnie Flanagan, Chris Leonard; AJ Puchany, Max Dormer, Tom Kalnas, Lucas Russell, Michael Rumancik and Tommy Reddy.
Mike Rose coached the club with his assistants Pat Egan and John Tambellini.
Dudas moves on from South Fayette post
Jim Dudas coached South Fayette to two WPIAL appearances the past two seasons but he'll go for his third trip with another school.
Oakland Catholic hired the Lady Lions' leader as it new floor boss. Dudas posted a 32-20 record while at South Fayette.
South Fayette
wrestling duo wins
Grant Fetchet and Tyler Manion captured titles during the United States Youth Wrestling Association's annual elementary & middle school national championships.
Approximately 1,000 wrestlers from grades 1 through 8 competed in the event held at the Mountaineer Resort & Casino in West Virginia.
Fetchet won 95-pound weight class in the the fifth and sixth grade division while. Manion finished first at 100 pounds in the seventh and eighth grade bracket.
Additionally, Mike Fetchet finished fourth place in the 100-pound class for fifth and sixth grade.
Manion and Mike Fetchet co-captained the South Fayette Junior High team this past season.