Alvelo ends college career on a high note at WCWS
Perhaps the most accomplished softball player to hail from central Ohio, Taran Alvelo of Bloom-carroll capped a sensational career by carrying Washington to the Women’s College World Series Final Four.
Alvelo, a senior pitcher, went 26-6 with three saves and a 1.55 ERA. She struck out 300 and walked 43 in 203 and innings pitched. The Huskies were ousted by eventual champion UCLA 3-0 in 10 innings in the semifinals.
Alvelo capped her career with a 102-27 record and 895 strikeouts (second in program history) in 798 innings pitched. She made thirdteam All-america.
Alvelo is now playing for the Florida-based USSSA Pride of National Pro Fastpitch.
In other softball news: • Marshall sophomore Aly Harrell of Gahanna made second-team All-mideast Region after batting .338 with 14 homers, 40 RBIS and 35 runs scored for a 42-22 team. She led the nation in walks.
• Another Gahanna product, Alyson Shaw, departs Otterbein as one of its most decorated players ever. After a senior season in which she made secondteam all-region and helped the Cardinals win a fourth straight Ohio Athletic Conference tournament, Shaw established program records in career games played (163) and hits (220).
Shaw, who also made first-team Academic Allamerica with a 4.0 GPA, has been hired as a teacher at Goshen Lane Elementary in Gahanna. First, she will spend the summer playing professionally with the Alabama-based E1 Pro Ballers of the American Softball Association.
• Hartley grad Sidney Melton played an integral role in helping Louisville (3523) reach an NCAA regional final. A second-team Allatlantic Coast Conference choice, Melton led the Cardinals in batting average (.338), RBIS (37), runs (47) and stolen bases (35).
• Ball State junior pitcher Alyssa Rothwell of Teays Valley led the nation with 14 saves. She went 4-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 32 innings pitched.
Baseball
Former Gahanna standout Cael Baker has been named Spalding national JUCO player of the year after a stellar sophomore season at Wabash Valley.
Baker, a Mississippi signee, batted .506 with 25 homers, 101 RBI, 80 runs, 21 doubles, 46 extra-base hits and a 1.051 slugging percentage for a 55-4 team. He led the nation in six major offensive categories and was in the top three of three others.
• Josh Shapiro of Bexley capped his senior season at Marshall by being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. The left-handed pitcher went 5-3 with a 3.61 ERA and 80 strikeouts this spring. He finished No. 3 on the Thundering Herd career list in strikeouts (233) and No. 4 in innings pitched (270).
• Junior right-handed relief pitcher Collin Hoffman of Olentangy was named first-team All-ohio Athletic Conference and second-team All-midwest Region after going 6-1 with seven saves and a 2.49 ERA for Otterbein. He struck out 51 and walked seven.
Sophomore teammate Luke Barber of Desales made second-team ALL-OAC after batting .320 with a leagueleading nine homers and 35 RBI.
Track and field
Columbus Academy grad Jack Lint, a fifth-year grad student at Michigan, capped his career by taking fourth in the decathlon at the NCAA championships. He scored a career-best 7,738 points, setting personal marks in five of the 10 events. He was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year.
• Junior Sade Olatoye of Dublin Coffman placed third in the shot put (58 feet, 8 inches) and fourth in the hammer throw (222-7) for Ohio State in the NCAA championships.
• Pickerington North grad Annette Echikunowke placed ninth in the shot put (55-0¾) for Cincinnati at the NCAA championships. She also qualified in the hammer throw, where she won a third straight American Athletic Conference title with a conference record toss of 204-7. Echikunowke, who was selected outstanding performer in the AAC meet with 20 points, owns UC records in both events.
• Akron senior Curtis Richardson of Licking Heights, qualified to the NCAA championships in the high jump. A four-time Mid-american Conference indoor champ, Richardson had a career-best effort of 7-2¼.
• New Albany grad Max Frye won an Ivy League championship in the 400-meter hurdles for Dartmouth. His time was 51.92 seconds. The sophomore ran a career-best 51.44 to qualify for the NCAA East Regional.
Lacrosse
Four area players made firstteam ALL-OAC: Midfielder Joe Sanfillipo of Delaware and defensive specialist Adam Grumman of Pickerington Central, both of Otterbein; John Carroll attack Skyler Blake of Dublin Jerome; and Capital defender Chris Yeager of Hilliard Darby.
Sanfillipo capped his career with 33 goals and 29 assists. He ranks No. 2 in career scoring (206) and assists (114). Grumman forced 26 turnovers and had 32 ground balls. Blake had 64 goals and 34 assists. Yeager totaled 16 forced turnovers and 37 ground balls for the OAC’S stingiest defense.
Women’s tennis
After skipping her final season at Centennial and enrolling early at Washington, Zoey Weil won the No. 2 doubles spot and went 9-10 for a 21-5 team that reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Basketball
Newly hired Otterbein men’s basketball coach Andy Winters has infused a central Ohio flavor into his coaching staff. Winters is a Watterson and Ohio Wesleyan grad with coaching experience at Capital and Ohio Dominican.
His top assistant will be his brother Matt, who played at Watterson and Ohio Dominican before coaching stints at Ohio Northern, Rhodes (Tenn.), Denison and Hartley. Also hired were former Dublin Coffman and Ohio Wesleyan standout Nate Axelrod and AJ Dixon of Hilliard Bradley and Capital. Dixon most recently was a Gahanna assistant.
“I am excited for both myself and our players to operate with this group of coaches who are young, energetic and hard-working,” Andy Winters said.