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Saint Leo University has selected Anthony Crocitto as the college’s new head women’s basketball coach.

Crocitto most recently coached at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where he served as the Bears’ head women’s basketball coach for seven seasons. Under Crocitto’s guidance, NYIT logged three 20-win campaigns over the last four years.

“We were looking for a coach with a proven record of success in Division II women’s basketball, and out of an incredibly deep pool of applicants we found an ideal fit in Anthony Crocitto,” Saint Leo athletic director Francis X. Reidy said in a release. “I believe that Coach Crocitto’s passion for the game coupled with his experience at identifying, recruiting, and developing talent at this level, will quickly lead to greater success for Saint Leo women’s basketball,” Reidy added.

Before coaching at NYIT, Crocitto, a native of Amityville, New York, served as an assistant coach at Longwood University (2007-09), the University of Central Florida (2006-07), Hofstra University (2004-06), and Fairleigh Dickinson University (2002-04).

Crocitto replaces Missy West, who resigned from Saint Leo in March. In two seasons, West’s teams went a combined 14-40.

Land O’ Lakes senior ace pitcher Shannon Saile notched her 500th career strikeout in a 1-0 victory over Springstead High in the Class 6A FHSAA Regional Finals. Saile ranks highly in several of the state’s pitching categories. She is fourth in strikeouts (260), 15th in wins (18) and 7th in no-hitters (4). Additionally, her 0.55 ERA is the 10th lowest mark in the state. Saile is a Florida International University (FIU) softball commit.

The Saint Leo men’s tennis team finished the regular season with a 20-1 overall record, and found themselves ranked as the No. 1 Division II team in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. It’s the first time in school history the Lions have ranked tops in the poll.

“What this ranking means for our team is that we have the talent and the work ethic,” head coach Chris Frusci said in a press release. “We know that the final ranking period is what matters the most, but it is nice for us to see our program on the top for the first time ever.”

The Lions recently wrapped up regular season play on April 23, finishing with a 6-0 record in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) to earn a regular season SSC title.

In individual rankings, freshman Alberto Barroso-Campos was the highest ranked player for the Lions at No. 4, while senior Alex Theiler came in at No. 15 nationally. Fellow senior Egor Panyushkin, the most recent winner of the SSC tennis athlete of the week honor, rounded out Lions players ranked in the top-20, coming in at No. 19.

In doubles rankings, Theiler and Barroso-Campos earned themselves the nation’s No. 1 ranking in doubles pairs. The duo of Panyushkin and Jaime ranks No. 20.

The Florida Athletic Coaches Association released its 2016 District 15 (Hillsborough County) softball players and coaches of the year. Gaither High senior catcher Elizabeth Mason was named Class 7A Player of the Year. The Florida State University signee batted .585 with four home runs and 28 RBIs this season. Wharton High sophomore Ysabella Dominguez was chosen as the Class 8A Player of the Year, while Wharton softball coach Brittany Ewing was named Class 8A Coach of the Year.

The 2016 All-Western Conference baseball teams were recently announced, and several players from our coverage area were chosen. The teams are selected by Hillsborough County’s public school head baseball coaches. Only players from public school programs are eligible for the teams.

American Division

Coach of the Year – John Crumbley, Steinbrenner

First Team

Pitcher – Gavin Gillespie, Senior, Gaither

Pitcher – CJ Van Eyk, Junior, Steinbrenner

Utility/Designated Hitter – Ryan Russell, Senior, Steinbrenner

 

Second Team

First Base – Patrick Morris, Junior., Steinbrenner

Infielder – Chipper Holland, Junior, Gaither

Infielder – Bradley Hession, Senio., Steinbrenner

Outfielder – Jose Cadenas, Junior, Gaither

Outfielder – Kenny Rodriguez, Junior, Gaither

 

National Division

First Team

Pitcher – Jonathan Baughman, Senior, Wharton

Infielder – Drew Ehrhard, Junior, Wharton

Outfielder – Dalton Smith, Senior, Freedom

 

Second Team

Catcher – Scotty McGuire, Senior, Wharton

 

 

The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) inter-collegiate athletics department hosted its annual Student Athletics Awards Banquet on April 21 at the West Campus in New Port Richey.

Each year, one female and one male PHSC student athlete who demonstrate excellence in the classroom, on the fields and courts, in leadership on campus, and with service in the community are selected by the PHSC coaching staff to receive the Dr. Debra J. Hay Outstanding Student Athlete Award. Hay was a former dean of student services and an advocate for student athletes who encouraged excellence. The 2016 Dr. Debra J. Hay Outstanding Student Athlete Award winners are:

• Female student-athlete winner Rachel Gardner, a sophomore from Gulf High School in New Port Richey. Gardner, a third baseman on the women’s softball team, holds a 3.78 grade point average. She is currently batting .298 this past season. Gardner’s community service has included collecting gifts for All Children’s Outpatient Hospital in New Port Richey and working a softball clinic for West Pasco Little League.

 

Male student-athlete winner Michael Faul, a sophomore from Bullitt East High School in Mount Washington, Kentucky. Faul, a first baseman on the baseball team, has a 3.26 grade point average. Faul is currently batting .368 with 9 doubles and 28 RBIs. His community service has included volunteering at the Forest Lakes Park cleanup and assisting with the PHSC 5K race each of his two years at the college. He will graduate with his Associate in Arts degree in May.

Former Wharton High cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III was drafted No. 11 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2016 NFL Draft on April 28. Hargreaves, a 2013 graduate of Wharton, played three years at the University of Florida before declaring for the NFL draft at the end of last season. The 5-foot-10, 204-pound corner was a three-time All-SEC player at Florida, and two-time All-American. While at Wharton, Hargreaves was a consensus five-star recruit, and widely viewed as one of the nation’s top five players in the 2013 recruiting class.

The Steinbrenner High baseball team defeated Plant High 9-7 in the Class 8A, District 5 baseball championship game on April 20. The Warriors (22-5) enter the regional playoffs — which begin on April 27— on a nine-game win streak. Junior two-way player (starting pitcher, shortstop) CJ Van Eyk has helped pace the Warriors this season. Through 63 innings pitched, 6-foot-1, 190-pound righty is sporting a 1.00 ERA with 95 strikeouts. At the plate, Van Eyk is batting .344 and leads the team in hits (31).

Carrollwood Day School debuted the Hayes Family Gymnasium on April 13. The $3.5 million gymnasium seats about 400, has three courts for volleyball and basketball, and features a weight room. The facility is named after Tim and Sharilyn Hayes, who have donated nearly $1 million to the school. The gym’s completion is Phase I of the private school’s capital campaign program known as Patriot Pride. Phase II of the program will include a multi-use athletic complex for the school’s football, baseball and soccer teams. That project is slated to be complete on Aug. 1.

After four stints as the Zephyrhills Bulldogs’ head basketball coach, Alan Reed, 68, is calling it quits. Reed started coaching at Zephyrhills in 1975, and had three more stints (1981-1986, 2006-2010 and 2015-2016) with the school in between. This past season, Reed guided the Bulldogs to their first district title since 1998. The Bulldogs (27-5) reached the Class 5A state semifinals, before losing to eventual state champion Poinciana High 70-52 on Feb. 25.