While Greencastle-Antrim has made many headlines in recent years for its long line of stars in the world of cross country and track, it would be unwise to think that is taking away from the Blue Devils’ proficiency on the baseball and softball fields.
Make no mistake about it: These kids know how to play ball. And now the results are showing up on the college diamond.
A perfect example is ex-Blue Devil Abigail Cunningham, a freshman who batted over .400 in her first season with the Penn State Mont Alto softball squad. Another ballplayer on the Millersville baseball team, Logan Layton, racked up some valuable pitching experience while helping the Marauders advance all the way to the NCAA Division 2 Championships.
In College Corner this week, we’ll take a look at these players and more, while also diving into the realm of track, where locals pieced together another remarkable spring season.
In the months to come, we will be shifting College Corner coverage to Chambersburg and Waynesboro before rotating back to Greencastle for the fall sports season. Player additions for College Corner can be sent to Andy Sandrik via email at big_andy76@yahoo.com.
SOFTBALL
Abigail Cunningham, Freshman, Penn State Mont Alto
There’s no player on the Penn State Mont Alto roster who wanted the season to last longer than Cunningham, who finishes her first season in the collegiate ranks on a red-hot seven-game hitting streak.
Opponents may as well have been pitching a beach volleyball to Cunningham, who batted .480 (12 for 25) over her final seven games with a double and a triple to go along with six runs scored and six RBI.
Listed as a utility player for the Lions, Cunningham made appearances in 31 games, batting .407 (35 for 86) with seven doubles, one triple, 24 runs, 30 RBI, and seven stolen bases. Cunningham also shined in the classroom, and was recognized for that effort by being named to the PSUAC All-Academic Team.
With Cunningham helping to pave the way, PSU Mont Alto went 24-13 overall and 15-3 in the PSUAC. The Lions’ season came to an end with an 0-2 showing at the USCAA Small College World Series.
Haley Dawson, Junior, Penn State Mont Alto
Dawson did whatever she was asked for the Lions, taking on both utility and pitching roles to assist the team to a strong season.
As a pitcher, Dawson worked 6 2/3 innings for an 0-1 record and a 4.20 ERA. She allowed nine runs, four earned, on 15 hits and one walk, while striking out five. At the plate, Dawson appeared in 23 games and batted .174 (4 for 23) with a double, four runs, three RBI, and two stolen bases.
For the second time in the academic school year, Dawson was recognized as a member of the PSUAC All-Academic Team. She also earned All-Academic honors as a member of the basketball team last winter.
BASEBALL
Ethan Miller, Junior, Shippensburg
If you went to see Shippensburg play at any point this season, there’s a good chance you got to see Miller on the mound.
A 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-hander, Miller was second on the team with appearances in 18 games. Over that span he worked 44 innings to the tune of a 7.98 ERA and an 0-2 record. He allowed 41 runs, 39 earned, on 46 hits and 35 walks, while striking out 43.
Miller’s best stretch of the season came from April 4-14, when he appeared in four games and worked 8 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering seven hits and two walks while fanning 11 batters.
Shipensburg played to a 27-25 overall record this spring, including a 12-12 mark in the PSAC. The Raiders made an appearance at the NCAA Division 2 Atlantic Regionals, where they went 0-2.
Logan Layton, Sophomore, Millersville
Layton, a 6-foot-4 and 205-pound relief pitcher, got to play a small role in a historic season for Millersville, which advanced all the way to the NCAA Division 2 Championships while posting a 46-10 overall record.
One of those 46 wins belonged to Layton, a righty who appeared in seven games this season and worked 9 2/3 innings for a 1-0 record and a 5.59 ERA. He allowed eight runs, six earned, on 10 hits and five walks, while striking out six batters.
Layton was credited with a win when he worked 2 2/3 innings in a 15-9 victory over Goldey-Beacom on March 5, where he allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits, to go along with three strikeouts.
Layton got a taste of NCAA-caliber competition on June 5, when he took the mound late in a 17-4 blowout loss to Rollins in the national tournament. In that game Layton logged one inning of work and allowed two earned runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out one batter.
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Kaitlin Measell, Junior, Shenandoah
There’s no doubt about it, Measell got her money’s worth as a key member of Shenandoah’s track squad, an experience complete with wins, PRs, and a pair of Top 5 finishes at the conference championships.
Measell had an all-star performance at the North River Meet on April 8, where she logged a trio of first-place finishes in the 100 (12.79), long jump (16-10.5), and 4×100 (49.52).
One week later Measell nailed down a lifetime-best leap of 18-3 in the long jump at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic. She placed second with that effort, while also landing a 10th-place finish in the 200 (25.87).
Measell found her way to the awards stand in two events at the ODAC Championships on April 30-May 1. She placed third in the long jump (17-2.75) while assisting the 4×100 squad to a fourth-place finish in 49.04. Measell also competed to a seventh-place finish in the 100 (12.71) and an 11th-place showing in the 200 (26.36).
Measell concluded her season at the Widener Final Qualifier on May 14-15, where she popped an 18-2.25 in the long jump to take third place.
Taryn Parks, Junior, North Carolina
Parks wrapped up her spring season with appearances in five invitationals, as well as competition in the ACC Championships.
Parks spent all of April honing her craft in the 800 and 1,500 to prepare for the conference meet. On April 6-8 she competed in the 1,500 at the Duke Invitational and took 11th in 4:24.99, before setting her sights to the UF Tom Jones Memorial on April 14-15, where she took seventh in the 1,500 (4:20.57) and 35th in the 800 (2:09.47).
One week later at the Wake Forest Invitational, Parks clocked a 4:22.38 in the 1,500 to take 21st. Her highest placement of the season came on April 28-29 at the Charlotte Invitational, when she took fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:08.72.
Parks ran her final races of the season at the ACC Championships on May 11-13. In the preliminary round of the 1,500, Parks blasted off to take third in her heat in 4:20.30. In the finals, she posted a time of 4:27.70 to finish in 12th.
Claire Coons, Freshman, Millersville
There was plenty to celebrate this season for Coons, a first-year sprinter who took on six invitationals and competed in the conference championships.
Coons was just getting warmed up on April 8 when she took part in the WCU Golden Rams Invitational, taking fourth in the 4×400 (4:12.51) and fifth in the 400 (1:02.38). Those times got even faster one week later at the Bison Outdoor Classic on April 14-16, where Coons led the 4×400 relay to a 20th-place finish in 4:07.90 and took 47th in the 400 with a 1:01.45.
Coons tested out her short game at the Hopkins Loyola Invitational on April 22, where she ran a PR time of 13.23 in the 100 for 34th place while also guiding Millersville’s 4×100 team to a seventh-place finish in 49.38. Coons concluded her busy month with an 18th-place finish in the 400 (1:01.86) at the Paul Kaiser Classic on April 29.
Coons claimed the first individual win of her college career at the LHU Qualifier on May 5-6. Running in the 400, Coons conquered the field with a PR time of 1:01.05. She also took second in the 200 with a time of 27.25.
Finally, Coons wrapped up her first season of college track by competing at the PSAC Championships on May 11-13. She competed in the 400 and placed 16th with a time of 1:01.49.
Weber Long, Freshman, Wake Forest
Long, a distance specialist, showcased his potential in two invitationals this spring.
He made his collegiate outdoor track debut on April 6-8 at the Duke Invitational, where he ran to a 43rd-place finish in the 1,500 in 3:56.35.
Long’s second, and final, appearance of the season came at the Wake Forest Invitational on April 21. There he took on 5,000 and blazed to the finish line in 14:26.05 for 33rd place.
Danny Miller, Sophomore, Lynchburg
Miller specialized in the 800 had a solid outdoor season for the Hornets, which concluded with a Top 10 showing at the conference championships.
Miller clocked a 1:58.03 in the 800 to take eighth at the WildCat Track Festival on April 8, before he blasted off for a career day at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic on April 14-15 with PRs in two different events: A time of 4:06.53 in the 1,500 for 10th place and a 1:57.79 in the 800 for 19th place.
It set the stage for competition at the ODAC Championships on April 30-May 1, where Miller ran to a ninth-place finish in the 800 with a time of 1:59.99.
