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P.O. Athletes of the Week, April 1- 8


Male Athlete of the Week

Jared Pine, James Buchanan

"I'm expected to be a leader on and off the field and keep guys in the game," Pine said. "I'm hitting in the No. 4 hole now to get runners in and get on base, so I just do my thing. And getting on the mound was a little extra, and another side of the game I'm able to help with. With four games a week last week we needed someone to step up, and I'm willing to step up and do that."

Sport: Baseball

Grade: Senior

Position: Shortstop and pitcher

Parents names: Merle and Beverly Pine

Other interests: Pine also plays basketball for the Rockets and likes to hunt and fish when he's not playing sports.

Surprising fact: Pine broke his right shoulder in eighth grade while wrestling.

Athlete most admired: Dustin Pedroia, the second baseman for the Boston Red Sox

From JB coach Dave Sanchez: “Defensively he played great, he pitched great, and he had a lot of power offensively. He has kind of taken the mindset, whatever it takes at that time of the game, whatever he needs to do to help the team.”

Statistics: The Rockets have started the season with one of the area's best baseball records, and are currently riding a three-game winning streak thanks to an all-around effort by Pine. In the last four games, Pine has racked up seven RBIs, nine hits, and threw a one-hitter, in which he had eight strikeouts, against McConnellsburg.

Female Athlete of the Week

Brooke Harris, Fannett-Metal

"My changeup has come a long way and it has helped me a lot," Harris said. "And my team plays a huge part, it's not just me. This is also the first year I'm hitting in the No. 5 spot, and I think I'm doing relatively well. I was not expecting to hit my first home run, especially off a decent pitcher. As soon as I got to first I was like, 'Wow, it actually went over the fence,' and my team was pretty stunned, too."

Sport: Softball

Grade: Senior

Position: Pitcher

Parents names: John and Sherry Harris

Other interests: She plays travel ball for first-year PA Venom.

Surprising fact: Her twin brother Kyler is a starting infielder for the Fannett-Metal baseball team.

Athlete most admired: Starling Marte, left fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

From F-M coach Michael DeAngelo: "She's constantly throwing strikes for us, which is huge for our defense. She's only had three or four walks this season and she's constantly getting the ball over the plate. Batting, she struggled to start, but the last two games she's really picked it up and had the first home run of her career against St. James, so that was exciting."

Statistics: In the last week Harris claimed two wins in the circle for the Tigers, and hit her first career home run in a 13-2 non-league win over St. James. Harris has allowed eight runs scored in the last three games, while F-M's offense has racked up 22 runs.