Savannah Toth (Daniel Boone) >> It took 14 months of hard work and determination but sophomore Savannah Toth is back on the field with the Lebanon Valley softball team. And, she’s not just playing, she’s doing an outstanding job at the plate and catching for the Dutchwomen.
Toth (Daniel Boone) missed all of last season with a knee injury, but in her first 10 games this season, she leads the team with a .517 average with 15 hits in 29 at-bats with three doubles, two home runs, 12 runs scored and 14 RBIs. She hit a home run and single good for three RBIs in the team’s first game, an 11-5 loss to Elizabethtown on Feb. 24 in Clermont, Fla. and she was three-for-three with two runs scored and three RBIs in a 13-1 victory over Drew on March 10.
And, if that’s not enough, Toth has committed just on error on 61 chances (.984) as the team’s catcher.
“Rehab kept Sav from participating in most of the fall season activities but it was clear how determined she was by her willingness to show up every day and help her teammates in any way she could and learn as much about the game as possible,” coach Joey Lye said. “She studied our team’s pitchers even though she couldn’t catch them and took swings sitting on a bucket to keep her knee out of harm’s way. Her strong start is a testament of all the hard work she’s put in.”
Lebanon Valley posted a 7-3 record in Florida and, weather permitting, will get on the field up north next weekend.
“Sav is a leader both on and off the field,” Lye said. “She shows up focused every single day and always brings a smile to the field.”
John Catchmark (Governor Mifflin) >> The sophomore right-hander is off to a flying start pitching for the 9-0 Alvernia baseball team. He’s 3-0 after earning victories over New Paltz (12-4) on Feb. 25, Elms (15-1) on March 5 and Defiance (7-1) on March 10 during the Crusaders swing through the southern states. In 17 innings, Catchmark has given up 12 hits and three runs, one earned, with seven walks and 22 strikeouts. And, he’s hitting .636 (7-for-11) with a double, triple, four runs scored and six RBIs.
Tommy DePaul (Governor Mifflin) >> The senior outfielder is hitting .333 (14-for-42) for the DeSales baseball team. He has a double, triple, a team-high two home runs, a team-high 13 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He had a three-run home run and an RBI single in a 15-1 victory over Penn State-Abington during the team’s spring break trip to Winter Haven, Fla. on March 8. DePaul had a two-run home run and two RBI singles in a 12-5 loss to Methodist on Feb. 18 in Fayetteville, N.C.
Xavier Smith (Daniel Boone) >> The Penn State junior competed in one event at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track Championships March 10-11 in College Station, Texas. Smith ran the second leg on the 4×400 relay which finished 10th in the final event of the championship. The group finished with a time of 3:07.43 to earn All-American second team honors. Smith did his part finishing with the best split (45.72). The same team captured the Big Ten title on Feb. 25 in Geneva, OH with a time of 3:04.80.
Katie Raab (Governor Mifflin) >> The sophomore attack has started all four games for the Misericordia women’s lacrosse team. She has four goals, two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Raab kicked off the season by scoring three goals in a 14-11 home loss to Albright on Feb. 21 in Dallas. She had a goal, two grounds balls and a caused turnover in a 9-6 victory over Susquehanna on Feb. 25 also in Dallas. The Cougars are 2-2 after a 10-8 victory over Marywood on March 6 in Scranton.
Rachel Perry (Boyertown) >> The senior midfielder has scored five goals for the 0-5 Chestnut Hill women’s lacrosse team. She had two goals in a 13-12 loss to Kutztown on Feb. 25, two goals in a 21-9 loss to Southern New Hampshire on March 1 and a goal in an 11-6 loss to Bridgeport on March 13. She also has nine ground balls and five caused turnovers. Perry has now scored 36 goals for the Griffins and had 17 goals and five assists last season. Freshman Mary Kroppe (Berks Catholic) has played in all five games off the bench.
Nick Distasio (Oley Valley) >> The junior right-hander is the closer for the 6-8 Penn State baseball team. He’s pitched in five games and is 1-0 with three saves. In 12.1 innings, he’s given up eight hits and three runs, all earned, with three walks and 14 strikeouts. Distasio picked up his victory in a 6-1 victory over Xavier on Feb. 26 in Cary, N.C. working 3.1 innings and giving up three hits, an earned run, a walk and striking out five. On March 9 in a 4-2 victory at Sacramento State, he worked 3.1 innings and gave up a hit, no runs and struck out three.
Kyle Graver (Boyertown) >> The freshman attack has three goals and five assists for the Montclair women’s lacrosse team and she scored all of her points in two games. Graver had three goals and an assist in a 10-7 victory over RPI on March 9 in Troy, N.Y. In her first college game, she had three assists to help the Red Hawks defeat Drew 15-4 in a home game in Montclair, N.J.
Tanner Lee (Boyertown) >> The freshman scored his first collegiate goal for the 1-6 Georgian Court men’s lacrosse team in an 8-5 victory over Dominican, N.Y. on Feb. 26. He followed that up by scoring a three-goal hat trick in an 18-11 loss to District of Columbia on March 1 and then collecting two goals in an 18-5 loss to Pace on March 3. Lee has a team-high eight goals and three assists to share the scoring lead on the Lions with 11 points. He also has 10 ground balls.
Kaitlyn DeHaven (Boyertown) >> The senior has scored two goals for the 2-3 Duquesne women’s lacrosse team. The 5-foot-10 midfielder also has five ground balls, seven draw controls and three caused turnovers. She had a goal in a 23-12 loss to Canisius on March 8 and had the 10th goal in an 11-10 victory over Detroit on March 6. She also had two ground balls and two caused turnovers in the Detroit game. DeHaven didn’t score but had two ground balls, a draw control and a caused turnover in a 15-11 triumph over St. Francis on March 16.
Marquis Marshall (Berks Catholic) >> The Alvernia senior was named to the D3Hoops.com Mid-Atlantic All-Region team it was announced on March 16. It was his third honor of the season after being named MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year and a ECAC first-team choice. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward from Reading averaged 21.9 points and 9.4 rebounds with 56 blocked shots, 42 assists and 27 steals for the 15-11 Crusaders. He had 15 double-doubles, 15 games over 20 points and three games over 30.
Hannah Miravich (Berks Catholic) >> The sophomore is pitching in relief for the Holy Family softball team which posted a 4-6 record in its spring trip to Clermont, Fla. March 5-10. The 5-foot-4 right-hander from Reading pitched in five games and posted a 1.75 earned run average. In eight innings she gave up 11 hits and seven runs, just two earned, with three walks and five strikeouts. Miravich’s best effort came in a 7-1 loss to Minnesota-Duluth when she worked 3.1 innings and gave up six hits and four runs, one earned, with a walk and three strikeouts.
Courtney Stump (Kutztown) >> The 5-foot-5 freshman is doing it at the plate and in the field for the West Chester softball team. She’s hitting .317 (15-for-47) with two doubles, three runs scored and five RBIs. And, at third base, Stump has made just two errors on 53 chances (.962). She had two hits and a run scored in her first college game, a 6-4 victory over Rollins on Feb. 10 in Clearwater, Fla. The Golden Rams are 15-5 and wrapped up their Florida trip with six straight victories.
Jodi Weaknecht (Kutztown) >> The senior outfielder hit .283 (13-for-46) with two doubles, three home runs, 11 runs scored and six RBIs during the Lock Haven softball team’s early-season games in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Her home run keyed a 5-2 victory over Glenville State to give the Bald Eagles their first victory of the season on Feb. 18 in Myrtle Beach. In the field, she handled 21 chances without an error and had five outfield assists. Lock Haven wrapped up its trip with a 6-10 record, the final four games postponed.
Rebecca Blatt (Hamburg) >> The freshman is starting to see more action with the Millersville softball team, which stands 7-8 after wrapping up its spring break trip to Clermont, Fla. with a 2-3 record. Blatt has played in 13 games with nine starts. She’s hitting just .176 (6-for-34) but she had a home run in a 9-8 victory over Post on March 15 and a double and two singles in a 9-1 loss to Mansfield March 12. She’s playing shortstop and leading off since she’s earned her spot in the lineup.
