The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Area commitments

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Wesley Chapel High School senior defensive end Chaz Neal has verbally committed to play football at Florida State University, a Division I FBS (Football Subdivision School). The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Neal chose FSU over offers from South Carolina, Oregon, South Florida and Maryland universities, among others. Neal, a three-star prospect, is ranked among the nation’s top 50 defensive end recruits for the 2018 recruiting class. Neal, a former Armwood High Standout, recently transferred to Wesley Chapel.

Gaither High School senior catcher Danny Gutcher has verbally committed to play baseball at the University of South Florida, a Division I program. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Gutcher posted a .361 batting average with 19 RBIs last season. He was a 2017 All-Western Conference First Team selection.

Gaither High School senior linebacker Matthew Wood has verbally committed to play football at College of Holy Cross, a Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) program in Worcester, Massachusetts. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Wood tallied a team-leading 112 total tackles in 2016. He also added 17 tackles for loss and six sacks.

Steinbrenner High School senior forward Haley Hernandez has verbally committed to play soccer at Troy University, a Division I program in Troy, Alabama. Hernandez is expected to play for Troy head coach Ged O’ Connor, who spent the past 11 seasons at Saint Leo University.

State basketball tournaments to stay in Lakeland

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The Florida High School Athletic Association and RP Funding Center (formerly The Lakeland Center) have announced a two-year extension for the 2018 and 2019 Boys and Girls State Basketball Championships.

“We are thrilled to return to Lakeland as we continue our goal of providing our student-athletes with a quality championship experience,” FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn said, in a release. “The current renovations and new partnership with the Orlando Magic make the RP Funding Center an even stronger venue for our basketball state championships.”

The Florida High School Athletic Association and RP Funding Center (formerly The Lakeland Center) have announced a two-year extension for the 2018 and 2019 Boys and Girls State Basketball Championships. (Courtesy of RP Funding Center)

The tournament will now run Monday through Saturday. The format will remain the same with four-team single-elimination tournaments conducted in each of the nine classifications for both the girls and boys events, as well as the Special Olympics Unified Sports State Championships.

“We’re very excited about continuing our relationship with the FHSAA,” said Tony Camarillo, executive director of the RP Funding Center. “We look forward to providing a top-notch facility for the student athletes of the State of Florida, and providing a great event for our community and visiting guests to come out and support Florida Basketball.”

Currently undergoing $14 million in renovations, the RP Funding Center is home to the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic’s NBA G-League team set to begin play in November.

Dates for the 2018 girls basketball state finals are Feb. 26 through March 3, and the boys tournament runs March 5 through March 10. The girls 2019 tournament is slated Feb. 25 through March 2 and the boys tournament is slated to take place March 4 through March 9.

Coors named SSC Woman of the Year

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The awards keep piling up for Marie Coors, who graduated from Saint Leo University.

Most recently, Coors was named the 2016-17 Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Woman of the Year.

Marie Coors, who graduated from Saint Leo University, has been named the Sunshine State Conference Woman of the Year. (File)

She is the first athlete in SSC history to claim all three of the conference’s major awards for women: Woman of the Year, Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.

Coors, who is a native of Gross-Zimmern, Germany, is just the second Saint Leo student-athlete to receive the SSC Woman of the Year award, joining former women’s soccer standout Virginia Davenport, who earned the accolade in 2007-08.

The conference’s athletics directors, senior woman administrators, athletics communications directors, and faculty athletics representatives took part in the voting. Candidates were scored based on the NCAA Woman of the Year award criteria.

Coors, the 2017 Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Division II Golfer of the Year and a First Team All-American, captured the individual championship at the 2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship in May after carding a seven-over 295 over 72 holes. She finished the season with a 72.16 stroke average over 32 rounds — the lowest stroke average of any Division II women’s golfer and 22nd-lowest among all collegiate women’s golfers regardless of division.

Sunlake standout commits to College of Central Florida

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Riley Baxter, a rising senior at Sunlake High School, has verbally committed to play softball at College of Central Florida, a junior college in Ocala. The versatile infielder, a 2017 Sunshine Athletic Conference Second Team All-Conference selection, is coming off a highly productive 2017 season, where she posted a .400 batting average and .519 on-base percentage, with three home runs and 14 RBIs.

Baxter returns to a Sunlake squad that finished 18-7 and reached the Class 7A regional quarterfinals.

Track club finishes strong at national event

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A trio of athletes from a Tampa-based track club has qualified for the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics, after top-eight finishes in their respective events.

Trailblazers Youth Athletic Ministry recently competed at the 21st Annual AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Club National Championships, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

Tre Rivers, a rising junior at Wharton High School, placed fifth in the 1,500 meters (4:20.49) for the 15-16 age group, while club teammate Josue Reyes, a rising junior at Tampa Bay Tech, finished eighth in the same event.

Meanwhile, Zach Godbold, a rising sophomore at Wharton, placed third in the javelin throw (151 feet) in the 15-16 age group.

Other club runners with strong showings at the meet include:

  • Wharton High sophomore Nia Rivers —13th place in the 800 (2:28.34) for 15-16 age group
  • Wharton High junior Anthony Stephens — 21st place in the 1500 (4:38.24) for 15-16 age group
  • Wharton High senior Frankie Godbold — 31st place in the 1500 (4:46.33) for 17-18 age group

Softball standout commits to Nova Southeastern

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Tia Williams

Shortstop Tia Williams, a rising senior at Land O’ Lakes High School, has committed to play softball at Nova Southeastern University, a Division II program in Fort Lauderdale. Williams, a three-year varsity player, has developed into one of the top hitters in Pasco County. She has a career .436 batting average, posting five home runs, 14 doubles, 58 RBIs and 73 runs total. She’s also racked up 27 career stolen bases.

Audra Leipold commits to Samford University

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Audra Leipold
(File)

Former Academy at the Lakes hoops standout Audra Leipold, now a rising senior at Seffner Christian Academy, has committed to Samford University, a Division I program in Homewood, Alabama.

Leipold, a 5-foot-7 combo guard, also held college offers from University of Tampa, Saint Leo University and Furman University in South Carolina.

Leipold was a four-year starter at Academy at the Lakes, until she transferred to Seffner Christian last July.

Regarded as one of the top hoopers in Tampa, ESPN.com ranks Leipold among the nation’s top 80 guards based on her dribbling and passing skills, and mid-range shooting ability.

She averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game last season.

Saint Leo names new women’s lacrosse head coach

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Caitlin Hansen is Saint Leo University’s new head women’s lacrosse coach.

Most recently, Hansen served as head women’s lacrosse coach at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she posted a 50-23 (.685) overall record in four seasons, including a 16-5 mark in 2017.

Saint Leo University has hired Caitlin Hansen to lead its women’s lacrosse program.
Hansen spent the past four seasons at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. (Courtesy of Johnson & Wales University)

She replaces Leslie Graham, who resigned in May to “pursue other career opportunities.”

During her six seasons of coaching Saint Leo, Graham compiled a 41-54 record.

Besides leading Johnson & Wales, Hansen has served as a coach with the Team Elevate New England club women’s lacrosse program since 2013. Based out of Providence, Team Elevate is one of the nation’s top club lacrosse organizations.

She previously served as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Bryant University, for the 2009 through 2011 seasons, where she was responsible for on- and off-campus recruiting, practice preparation, game film breakdown and opponent scouting reports, and travel logistics.

“We are excited to welcome Caitlin Hansen to our Saint Leo athletic community,” Saint Leo athletic director Francis X. Reidy said, in a statement. “We had a profile heading into this search, and Coach Hansen checked off each of the qualities we were looking for in impressive fashion. I know our women’s lacrosse team will be excited to be coached, work with, and be developed by Coach Hansen.”

 

Softball pitcher earns national recognition

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Callie Turner, a rising junior at Land O’ Lakes High School, was recently selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region First-Team.

Land O’ Lakes High pitcher Callie Turner was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region First-Team. (Courtesy of Edwin Rodriguez)

The NFCA awards honor softball student-athletes from the association’s five regions with first- and second-team recognition; member coaches from each region’s respective committees selected the honorees.

Turner, a University of Tennessee softball commit, is one of 160 student-athletes representing 93 programs to receive 2017 NFCA High School All-Region accolades.

Besides Turner, just two other players from Florida received honors— Canterbury’s Danielle Romanello and Taylor Bump.

Turner, the Miracle Sports Class 6A Pitcher of the Year and one of the state’s most dominant aces, helped guide Land O’ Lakes (29-3) to its first fastpitch title in May.

She won 17 games, posting a 0.21 ERA and 249 strikeouts in 132.2 innings pitched.

In her 20 starts, Turner tallied 18 complete games, 10 shutouts and four no-hitters.

Also a standout hitter, she batted .319 with 14 RBIs.

Steinbrenner High baseball standout signs pro contract

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Patrick Morris, a 2017 Steinbrenner High School graduate, has inked a professional baseball contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, netting a signing bonus of $206,500.

Shortly after agreeing to terms, Morris was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in Dunedin, the club’s rookie-level minor league affiliate.

Steinbrenner High’s Patrick Morris has signed a professional baseball contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s been assigned to the club’s rookie-level minor league affiliate in Dunedin. (File)

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound power-hitting left-handed first baseman was drafted by Toronto in the 14th round of last month’s MLB Draft — the primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players, from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs.

Morris was ranked by Baseball America as the the state’s 89th best draft prospect.

Over the past two seasons at Steinbrenner, he displayed extra-base and home run power, tallying eight home runs, 17 doubles and 43 RBIs cumulatively. Also a solid pitcher, he posted a career 2.71 ERA, with 82 strikeouts in 95.2 innings.

Besides Morris, other draft picks from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area who have signed pro baseball contracts include: Nate Pearson (Odessa/Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School/Florida International University/College of Central Florida), who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays; Kevin Merrell (Steinbrenner High School/University of South Florida), who signed with the Oakland Athletics; and, Josh Falk (Steinbrenner High School/Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School/University of Pittsburgh), who signed with the Oakland Athletics.