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Alyssa Hayman, 10, of Lutz, collected a trio of medals at the 2019 USATF Florida Association Junior Olympic Track Championships last month in Winter Park. In the 11-12 girls division, Hayman placed first in the 1,500-meter racewalk, second in the 100-meter dash, and fourth in aero javelin.

The placings qualify Hayman for USATF Region 4 Junior Olympics Championships in South Carolina next month and a chance to earn a spot at the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Championships in Sacramento, California.

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School has announced Marc Eskew will be the school’s  new head varsity baseball coach.

Eskew has served as an assistant baseball coach at Bishop McLaughlin for the past three seasons, primarily serving as a hitting instructor and infield coach. He’s also worked as the school’s information technology director since 2016.

Before that, Eskew was head baseball coach at Sickles High for a year, going 7-16 during the 2015-2016 season.

Eskew takes over for Jeff Swymer, who resigned after serving six seasons as Bishop’s baseball coach and another two as the school’s athletic director.

The Hurricanes baseball program went a combined 126-43 under Swymer’s watch. That included a state tournament appearance in 2015 and a region semifinals appearance this past season.

In addition to his coaching duties at Bishop, Eskew works in the Baseball University travel baseball organization as a head coach and recruiting coordinator in the upper class division.

Matt Norris, left, and Tim Grimes teamed to win first place at the South Pasco Bassmasters’ (SPBM) June tournament, hauling in five bass for a total weight of 16 pounds on the Harris Chain of Lakes, in Tavares. The duo caught their haul flipping plastic worms in grass and pads. The next SPBM team tournament is set for July 20 at Lake Tarpon, in Tarpon Springs. For information, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com.

The Saint Leo University men’s basketball program will be guided by a familiar face, as the school announced it has tabbed Lance Randall its next head coach.

Randall retakes a Lions program he led from 2011-2015, where he posted a 78-44 mark, which included back-to-back 20-plus win seasons, three straight NCAA Division II regional appearances and a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) title.

Randall replaces Vance Alexander, who exited Saint Leo to accept an assistant coaching position at Division I Rice University (Houston, Texas). Alexander posted a 56-63 record in four seasons at Saint Leo, including a 13-16 mark last season.

Randall, meanwhile, spent the last four seasons as head coach for the Division II Lindenwood University, where he registered  a 69-55 mark and four consecutive conference tournament appearances.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lance and the Randall family back to Saint Leo,” Saint Leo athletic director Fran Reidy said, in a release.

“Coach Randall has proven that he can win in the SSC and do this at Saint Leo,” he added.

Reidy continued: “With a veteran team returning, a smooth transition in the leadership of the program, we are looking forward to an exciting year in the Bowman Center.”

Prior to his first stint at Saint Leo, Randall was an associate head coach on the Wisconsin-Stevens Point team that won the 2010 NCAA Division III national championship. He also was a head coach at Division III Webster University and served as an assistant at Division I Saint Louis University, among other stops.

Roy Woodhouse, left, and Rick Schueller teamed to win first place at the South Pasco Bassmasters’ (SPBM) May tournament, hauling in five fish for a total weight of 17.24 pounds on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Their haul also included the biggest bass of the tournament, weighing 7.28 pounds. The pair used flipping plastic worms in grass to make their catch. The next tournament is scheduled for June 15 on the Lake Harris Chain in Tavares. For information, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com.

A pair of local youth softball players will showcase their skills on the national stage this summer. Wesley Chapel’s Lilly Bridges, left, and Land O’ Lakes’ Madison Callaghan will participate in the USA Softball All-American Games in June in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Bridges and Callaghan will be members of the 12-under Florida region team, becoming two of only 360 girls nationwide selected to participate in the event. Bridges and Callaghan also play travel ball for Team Tampa Gold Merola.

The 2019 Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region selections were recently released and The Laker/Lutz News coverage area is well-represented.

Led by Steinbrenner’s Daniel Bautista and Gaither’s Derek Crum and Roy Peguero — who were named All-Florida second teamers — several other local players earned Florida region honorable mention.

Bautista, Crum and Peguero were among just 100 Florida high school senior baseball players selected to either the first or second team.

The Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All-Region teams are made up of top players from nine regions around the country. Florida, along with California and Texas, each have their own region.

Perfect Game is considered the elite amateur baseball scouting organization in existence, producing more than 100 tournaments and showcases each year across the country.

Below is a listing of players from local schools and communities.

Each is listed by name, school and position; college commitment listed in parenthesis.

Florida Region All High School Senior Second Team
Daniel Bautista, Steinbrenner, shortstop
Derek Crum, Gaither, outfielder (Wake Forest University commit)
Roy Peguero, Gaither, pitcher (Bethune-Cookman University)

Florida Region Honorable mention
Ryan Andrews, Steinbrenner, outfielder (Adrian College)
Dillon Baker, Carrollwood Day, shortstop
Kyle Benedict, Carrollwood Day, outfielder
Jaydon Bishop, Zephyrhills, pitcher (Hillsborough Community College)
Christian Bradshaw, Steinbrenner, shortstop
Bryce Carroll, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic (Land O’ Lakes native), pitcher
Adison Dubin, Gaither, first baseman
Jeff Figueroa, Home School (Odessa native), pitcher
Will Grisack, Carrollwood Day, pitcher (Lehigh University)
Garrett Hester, Pasco, pitcher (University of (Alabama)
Blake Hooker, Carrollwood Day, second baseman
Nick Jennings, Land O’ Lakes, pitcher (Saint Leo University)
Bryce Leonhardt, Steinbrenner, pitcher (Flagler College)
Michael Leroy, Freedom, pitcher (Hillsborough Community College)
Anthony Mannarino, Sunlake, pitcher (Flagler College)
Michael Mullins, Steinbrenner, outfielder
Dawson Place, Sunlake, pitcher (High Point University)
Matt Roberts, Steinbrenner, shortstop
Mike Rodriguez, Home School (Odessa native), first baseman
Derick Stager, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic (Odessa native), catcher (Chipola College)
Justin Turk, Sickles (Keystone native), outfielder
Charlie Vari, Tampa Prep (Wesley Chapel native), catcher (High Point University)
Nicholas Watts, Carrollwood Day, pitcher
Dylan Wood, Zephyrhills, catcher

Wharton High School senior Tre Rivers signed to run track and cross-country at NCAA Division I University of Illinois at Chicago. In the fall, Rivers finished third overall in the 2018 FHSAA Class 4A state cross-country championship meet, clocking a 15:52.17. He holds the school’s 5K cross-country record, with time of 15:45. In track, Rivers holds the school record in the 3200 meter run (9:17.22) and currently ranks as one of the state’s top distance runners in that race.