Abington Heights graduates Mara Hamm and Nina Kozar earned All-Region honors while leading the Marywood University softball team to a pair of titles.
Both made the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Region team after the Pacers set a school record for wins in a 28-9 season that included the regular-season championship of the Atlantic East Conference and an ECAC title.
Hamm, a sophomore pitcher/infielder, was also America East Pitcher of the Year. Kozar was a junior catcher/first baseman. Samantha Baltrusaitis from Lackawanna Trail was a junior outfielder and team captain.
After leading the Atlantic East in earned run average (1.22) and strikeouts (93), Hamm was named conference Pitcher of the Year. She was 6-1 in the conference and 15-3 overall. She did not allow a home run while pitching 115 innings in 18 games, 17 starts, 16 complete games and three shutouts. Hamm also started 13 other games and batted .284.
Kozar led the conference in on-base percentage at .496 and OPS (on-base plus slugging) at 1.098 while ranking second in RBI and third in total bases. She batted .437 with eight doubles, two triples, two homers and 31 RBI.
Baltrusaitis started 33 games and batted .296 with six doubles, four homers and 20 RBI.
Among the other efforts by athletes from the Abingtons during the spring sports season at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III schools.
BASEBALL
Nick Notari, a sophomore from Abington Heights, was the number-one pitcher on Marywood’s 22-15 team.
Notari started 11 games and went 5-4 with two complete games and a 3.75 earned run average.
James Myers, another sophomore from Abington Heights, played 34 games, including making 33 starts as an infielder. He batted .212 with eight doubles, 19 runs and 20 RBI.
T.J. Lacey, a junior pitcher from Abington Heights was 2-2 with a 6.65 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings, while making five starts and two relief appearances.
Ryan Evans, a freshman catcher/first baseman from Dalton who graduated from Holy Cross, was 4-for-11 in six games, including three starts. He had a double, three RBI and two runs.
Matt Show was unscored upon in three pitching appearances for Wilkes (24-15). The freshman from Abington Heights, who also played in the outfield, gave up just one hit while walking two and striking out three in 3 2/3 innings. He made seven starts and appeared in 12 games total, going 6-for-23 (.261) with a double, a stolen base, nine runs scored and three RBI.
Jacob Judson stole seven bases in eight tries for Clarks Summit University. The senior from Abington Heights batted .124 with three doubles in 25 games, all starts.
Joe Barcia, a junior outfielder from Abington Heights, missed the season at Bard College because of illness, but did rejoin the team to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a late-season game.
GOLF
Abington Heights graduate Connor Kelleher, a second-team Atlantic East all-star as a freshman, had an 84.36 stroke average in four events as a sophomore at Marywood.
J.P. Gilroy, a freshman from Lackawanna Trail, was in the King’s College lineup for four matches, including the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom championships. He had an 88.0 stroke average and placed seventh of 19 in the King’s Spring Quad Match with an 80.
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Abington Heights graduate Shervin Mokhtari set a University of Scranton record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.32 seconds while finishing sixth in the Landmark Conference.
Tyler Petty, a freshman from Abington Heights, was part of the King’s College 3200 relay team that set a school record of 7:55.31 while finishing fourth in the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships. Petty broke two minutes on his 800-meter leg and had a season-best time of 2:00.20 in the open 800.
Conor Kryeski made the spring MAC Academic Honor Roll at Misericordia University. The junior from Abington Heights was second in the 400 in 54.87 to help the host Cougars place second of six teams at the Misericordia Twilight Meet.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Adele Hollander, a sophomore from Abington Heights, earned a silver medal and all-conference honors for King’s College at the Middle Atlantic Conference meet with a distance of 11.41 meters. She was also eighth in the hammer throw.
Madison Show, a sophomore from Clarks Summit who is the top runner on the Albright College cross country team, ran a personal-best, 5:43.72 in the 1500 late in the season.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Abington Heights graduate Sidney Bush was a sophomore goalkeeper for King’s College (3-12). Bush played in every game, starting 11, and making 91 saves while finishing with a 14.47 goals against average and .425 save percentage.
