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LORAIN COUNTY SOFTBALL PREVIEW . .pg. 3 WEOL FORECAST MAGAZINE LORAIN COUNTY BASEBALL PREVIEW . .pg. 6 SPRING 2013 PREVIEW A Publication of AM 930 WEOL LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS PREVIEW Volume 14 Issue 3 Andy “Bull” Barch tells us why 2013 is VP/GENERAL MANAGER the season of change . .pg. 8 Lonnie Gronek FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME LOCAL SALES MANAGER Tim Alcorn Tim Alcorn declares his love for EDITOR baseball & softball . .pg. 13 Katie M. Loftis ASSISTANT EDITORS CLEVELAND INDIANS PREVIEW Craig Adams Suzy Peters Jim Rosenhaus tells us why Tribe fans should be Tim Alcorn Bruce VanDyke Tom Hutchison excited for the 2013 season . .pg. 14 FEATURE WRITERS BASEBALL SCHEDULES Tim Alcorn Jim Rosenhaus Jim Allen Todd Shapiro LAKE ERIE CRUSHERS . .pg. 10 Andy Barch CLEVELAND INDIANS . .pg. 17 COVER DESIGN BozCorn Productions PUBLISHER WEOL BROADCAST SCHEDULES Douthit Communications KOLCZUN & KOLCZUN DIAMOND DUELS . .pg. 2 THE CRUSHERS ON WEOL . .pg. 8 FROM THE DUGOUT . .pg.15 ABOUT THE COVER: 2012 Lorain County Mr. Baseball was Brandyn Sittinger of Keystone. Brandyn helped lead Keystone to its second straight Division 3 District champi- onship. He compiled an 802 mark on the mound with a 1.04 ERA. Brandyn only allowed 32 hits and 9 earned runs in 65 innings during which he struck out 103 batters and walked 16. At the plate, Brandyn hit .400, had 38 hits and scored 38 runs, drove in 24 runs and stole seven bases. Brandyn is now pitch- ing at Division I Marshall University. 2012 Lorain County Miss Softball was Kenzie Conrad of Keystone. Kenzie won just about every honor imaginable after leading 32-0 Keystone to the state championship. She was 1st team All-American and Gatorade State Player of the Year in softball. In 2012, Kenzie was 25-0 on the mound with a 0.74 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 142 innings. She also batted .485 with 44 RBI, 16 dou- bles, two triples and 11 home runs. Kenzie is now playing at Division I University of Akron. News.News. Sports.Sports. Talk.Talk. Spring 2013 FORECAST Magazine 1 "In our sundown perambulations of late, through the outer parts of Brooklyn, we have observed several parties of youngsters playing 'base', a form of 'ball'. Let us go forth for awhile and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms. The game of 'ball' is glorious." -Walt Whitman I can’t recall how many years I’ve opened the spring edition of FORECAST from AM930 WEOL with the words of wisdom from Walt Whitman, but something tells me to use it again and again. Perhaps it reflects a time gone by; perhaps its signals a new time, a fresh start...time to get out- doors after a cold and snowy winter. This year, there is plenty of excitement and anticipation to go around. The Cleveland Indians will take the field with a new manager and at least two new players who have been All-Stars and the Lake Erie Crushers hope to return to the playoffs under new leadership. And of course, young men and women across Lorain County have been eager to return to the diamonds to show what they can do. Special thanks go to the outstanding advertisers who are supporting this magazine and our incomparable broadcast schedule of high school baseball and high school softball. Thanks also go to the athletic directors, managers and coaches for their support. Craig R. Adams It is indeed time to, “Play Ball!” Operations Manager AM930 WEOL 2 Spring 2013 FORECAST Magazine 2013 LORAIN COUNTY SOFTBALL PREVIEW By: Todd Shapiro the Year award. Piazza has a You can’t top perfection. It career record of 286-35 in his would be impossible for any 10 years at Keystone. team in 2013 to surpass what However, Keystone wasn’t the Keystone Wildcats the only Lorain County team accomplished in 2012. Not to do big things in 2012. only did they win a Division Elyria made its ninth trip II State Championship with a to the state tournament and 7-2 win over Greenville at its third in four years before Akron’s Firestone Stadium, eventually falling to Lebanon they also won a mythical 3-1 in the Division I state national championship, fin- semifinals. After losing to ishing number one in the Mentor on Opening Day the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Pioneers won 26 of their next National Softball Rankings, 27 games, including winning and ended the year with an an eighth consecutive district unblemished 32-0 record. championship. In winning their third state Elyria coach Ken Fenik will championship in school his- be looking to replace two of tory, the Wildcats set the his top hitters from last sea- standard by which every son — Darien Ward who hit future team will be judged. .483 with 20 stolen bases, Keystone shattered the state- who is now playing at record with 45 home runs, Cleveland State and Alanna which according to records Williams, who led the compiled by the National Steve Manheim/The Chronicle-Telegram Pioneers with 41 hits and Federation of State High Elyria’s Caitlyn Minney returns to the rubber! took her talents south to School Associations only 178 batters in 142 innings 11 doubles, five triples and Wright State University, just four teams in the history of pitched with just 15 earned nine home runs. She drove in outside of Dayton. the sport have hit more Fenik, who will be beginning runs and only 17 walks. She 47 runs, stole 13 bases and th round-trippers in a season. finished with a career record finished the year with an on- his 19 season as the Elyria Keystone pitcher Kenzie of 66-5. base percentage of .598. coach, will have his top Conrad won National Player Her teammate Erin Pond Pond and Conrad are now pitcher returning the rubber of the Year honors after a won the Lorain County teammates at the University this spring, Caitlyn Minney, senior season in which she Softball Coaches Association of Akron. who compiled a 21-2 record batted .485 with 11 home Player of the Year award after Wildcats manager Jim during her junior season and runs and 44 RBIs. In the a 2012 season in which she Piazza also added to his tro- has already signed a National pitchers circle Conrad went hit for a team-high .510 bat- phy case winning the Letter of Intent to play at 25-0 with 14 shutouts and a ting average. Pond also had ESPNHS National Coach of Youngstown State University 0.74 ERA. She struck out See Softball on page 4 Spring 2013 FORECAST Magazine 3 SOFTBALL tion to the host Wildcats – advanced to the Division I Elyria, Columbia, state semifinals in 2012. from page 3 Wellington, Avon, Vermilion Amherst won its fourth next year. Her teammate and North Ridgeville will Southwestern Conference Melanie Woodard also take place in the two-day championship in five seasons accepted a softball scholar- event which will be played in 2012 and has a talented ship from Cleveland State on April 26th – 27th. team again this spring. In University. Elyria will also host its addition to the usual suspects Black River came one win own event – the Elyria in the SWC race, Westlake away from making it a trio of Softball Classic on April 13. and Brecksville, look for the area teams in the state tour- In addition, Lorain County Shoregals to make a run this nament advancing to the will be represented in a series season. regional finals before drop- of showcase events that are Avon Lake returns a trio ping a heartbreaking 1-0 hosted by the Akron Racers of future college players in decision to Warren and played at the site of the Alexis Thomas, a Division I Champion. Pirate pitcher state finals – Firestone recruit headed to Wright Dagmar Smith had a 16-3 Stadium. Firelands and North State, Abby Rogers and Anne record last season despite Ridgeville will take part in Wennerberg, who have missing the second half of the 2013 Spring Showcase already committed to the regular season after suf- the weekend of April 19th – Division III Otterbein and fering a back injury, which 21st. One week later Avon Case Western Reserve was eventually diagnosed as Lake and Clearview will be University respectively, from a cracked vertebra. However, down in Akron for the 5th a 2012 team that nearly Smith returned to the team Annual Racers Rock N Fire Linda Murphy/The Chronicle-Telegram knocked off Elyria in the for the postseason and fin- Showcase. Columbia’s Kailey Division I district tourna- ished the year with 144 strike One tournament that is not Minarchick looks to ment. outs in just 108 innings on the schedule this spring is come back even Midview, led by pitched. the JB Firestone Invitational stronger in the 2013 Cleveland State recruit Kate But that was then and this which is usually hosted by season.