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Odessa native/Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School product Nate Pearson made his MLB (Major League Baseball) debut for the Toronto Blue Jays late last month.

On July 29, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound hard-throwing righthander pitched five scoreless innings against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals at National Park, striking out five batters, while allowing two hits and two walks in a 4-0 loss.

The 23-year-old has been regarded as one of baseball’s top prospects since becoming a first round draft pick in 2017, out of Ocala’s College of Central Florida.

Pearson rose through the minor league ranks over the past three seasons, posting a combined 2.17 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 146 strikeouts in 123.1 innings from rookie ball through Triple-A.

Pearson is regarded for a fastball that touches 100 mph, along with a slider, changeup and curveball.

Pearson graduated from Bishop McLaughlin in 2015, where he guided the program to the Class 3A state semifinals.

He spent a portion of the leaguewide COVID-19 shutdown in Tampa, training with other professional athletes at Yo Murphy Performance.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) postponed the start date of fall sports until Aug 24, after FHSAA Board of Directors last month voted 11-4 to do so.

The move comes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FHSAA supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. Head­quartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.

The association’s staff is working to come up with alternate plans for the 2020-2021 school year and will present such a plan to the board during the week of Aug. 10.

In corresponding action, the Pasco County school district has gone a step further — announcing it has pushed back the beginning of all fall sports to Sept. 7, meaning tryouts for all middle school and high school sports won’t begin until then.

The Hillsborough County school district moved the start of its fall sports season to Aug. 10.

Fall sports affected include bowling, cross-country, football, golf, swimming and diving, and volleyball.

Saint Leo University men’s basketball recent graduate Kyran McLure has signed an overseas professional contract with Omladinski Kosarkaski Klub (OKK) Novi Pazar, a Serbia-based basketball club.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard led Saint Leo in scoring the last two seasons, including averaging 20.8 points per game in 2019-2020 and 17.1 in 2018-2019.

McClure, a two-time All-Sunshine State Conference selection, ranks inside the top 10 in Lions history in three career categories — free throws made (second, 451), three-point field goals made (fourth, 193), and assists (ninth, 276), while sitting in 11th all-time in points scored (1,374). He also holds two program records for a single season mark, including free throws (207) and three-pointers made (96), both set during his senior season.

McClure played three seasons for Saint Leo, transferring from Navy after his freshman year. He is a native of Concord, North Carolina.

McClure joins an overseas club that is coming off a 17-9 record Basketball League of Serbia, along with an 8-14 mark in ABA (Adriatic Basketball Association) League 2 play.

Saint Leo University’s member athletic conference — the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) — announced it has postponed all scheduled competitions in the fall sports season, due to COVID-19.

The decision, made by the SSC Presidents Council, affects men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s cross-country, women’s cross-country, and women’s volleyball.

It also affects any fall schedules for the spring sports of men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s golf, women’s golf, baseball, softball, and women’s rowing.

A news release says another decision will be made no later than Oct. 1 regarding whether the winter sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s swimming, and women’s swimming can compete in the fall 2020 semester.
As of now, the conference is planning to conduct competition for the fall sports and the spring sports in the spring 2021 semester.

During postponement of competition, student-athletes will be able to do conditioning, strength training, and have other practice opportunities in all sports during the fall 2020 semester — as long as health and safety conditions allow such activities.

Saint Leo is one of 11 member institutions in the NCAA Division II Florida-based conference. Other Tampa Bay area schools in the SSC include Eckerd College (St. Petersburg), Florida Southern College (Lakeland) and the University of Tampa.

Sunlake High graduate Ludcheel Colas signed a track and field athletic scholarship with Southern Wesleyan University, an NCAA Division II program in Central, South Carolina. Colas helped set two school track records at Sunlake, as a leg of the boys 4 x 400- and 4 x 800-meter relay squads. He also was a member of the school’s varsity football team, playing running back and outside linebacker.

The Saint Leo University men’s basketball program saw two of its student-athletes earn National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court recognition for the 2019-20 season —  senior guard Isaiah Hill and junior guard Gintaras Bartaskas.

Hill and Bartaskas were two of just 23 Sunshine State Conference players among the 2019-20 NABC Honors Court. Nationwide, 1,350 men’s collegiate basketball players made the list.

To be a part of the Honors Court, a student-athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. The qualifications are, academically a junior or senior and a varsity player; cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2019-20 academic year; matriculated at least one year at their current institution; and, member of a NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach.

Hill, a computer information systems major, concluded his athletic eligibility in 2020 after three years on the Lions squad. The Richmond Hill, Georgia, native concluded his career 19th all-time in program history in scoring, with 1,091 points. He also etched his name into the record book in career assists (276) and steals (138).

Bartaskas, a business management major, wrapped up his second year on the squad this past season. The junior from Utena, Lithuania, played in 28 games on the year, averaging 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game

Former Wiregrass Ranch football star Chris Faddoul, now a rising senior punter at Florida A&M University (FAMU), has garnered preseason All-American honors from the College Sports Journal Preseason FCS (Football Championship Series) All-America Team.

The Wesley Chapel native averaged 46 yards a punt in 2019, and led the nation in total punt yardage last season, with 1,841, placing 19 balls inside the 20. He received BOXTOROW, Associated Press, STATS FCS, AFCA and Black College All-American honors last season.

At Wiregrass Ranch, Faddoul was a multi-sport standout, playing football, soccer, tennis, and also competing in track & field. As a senior in the 2016 season, Faddoul guided the Bulls to a state playoff appearance, as the team’s starting quarterback, kicker and punter.

It is unclear when Faddoul will see his first action because of changing fall football schedules due to COVID-19.