The all-star game will be broadcasted on Bright House Sports Network. The five-team league runs through Aug. 5 when the championship game is played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

– League Leader: Batting Average

SS Samuel Kimmel – Winter Park – The Jupiter native and last season’s most valuable player at Indian River State College leads the FCSL with a .374 batting average. In 99 appearances at the plate (through 23 games), Kimmel has accounted for 37 hits, 15 RBI, 13 runs, 7 walks and 4 doubles while striking out just 12 times for the Diamond Dawgs. On July 2 against DeLand he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in a 6-5 win and on July 9 he finished 4-for-6 with two RBI in an 11-10 win at Leesburg.

Next in Line: Sanford has three players atop the standings at the all-star break, including Jabari Blash at .353, Tyler Benzel at .350, and Kelvin Clark at .343 for the River Rats. Winter Park’s Brad Dantzler is batting .339 to round out the Top-5.

– League Leader: Runs Batted In

IF Tyler Benzel – Sanford – The Florida Southern transfer not only carries a .350 batting average but has drove in a league-high 21 runs thus far on the season. In 117 plate appearances (through 29 games), Benzel has 41 hits, 25 runs, 11 walks, 6 doubles and 2 home runs against 17 strikeouts this summer. On June 28 he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases in a 17-5 win at Winter Park then on July 8 against Orlando he went 2-for-4 with two RBI in a 3-1 win.

Next in Line: Winter Park’s Alex Friedrich (20), Sanford’s Kelvin Clark (18), Leesburg’s Mark Darlington (17) and Winter Park’s Mitchel Brennan (17) lead the league in runs driven in.

– League Leader: Earned Run Average

RHP Zachary Haile – Sanford – The Lake Mary alum carries a 1.57 ERA into the all-star break after making five starts and appearing in six games in all. In 34.1 innings of work he’s allowed 28 hits, struck out 18, walked just 2 batters and stands at 4-0 on the summer. The best outing for Haile this season came on June 25 against DeLand when he pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up five hits and striking out four in an 8-0 win.

Next in Line: Leesburg’s Nic Kovacs (1.59), Sanford’s Josh Strawn (1.64), Winter Park’s Bobby Bolling (1.73) and Leesburg’s Kyle Wahl (1.93) are the only pitchers in the league with a sub-2.00 ERA.

– League Leader: Strikeouts

LHP Steven Starbird – Orlando – The Tennessee native out of Lincoln Memorial has struck out 39 batters over 42 innings this summer while making seven appearances for the Mavericks. Starbird has given up 37 hits, walked 10 and owns a 3-1 record with a 2.57 ERA. On June 8 he struck out seven in five innings and allowed just two hits at Winter Park then struck out eight more Diamond Dawgs on July 10 while giving up three hits and an earned run over 8.1 innings in a 6-1 win.

Next in Line: Leesburg’s Kyle Wahl (34), DeLand’s Joseph Munoz (27), Winter Park’s Trey Dahl (26) and Jake Boyd (26) are among the top strikeout pitchers this summer.

– More League Leaders:

Infielder Drew Morgan (Sanford) leads the league in runs scored with 26 and walks with 24… Infielder Tyler Benzel (Sanford) leads the league in hits with 41… Outfielder Mark Nelson (Orlando) leads the league in doubles with 10… Outfielder Alex Friedrich (Winter Park) leads the league in triples with 4… Outfielder Stephen Bellantoni (DeLand) leads the league in stolen bases with 19… Catcher Brad Hutton (Winter Park) leads the league in home runs with 3… Right-hander Zachary Haile (Sanford) leads the league in wins with 4… Winter Park’s Chandler Jagodzinski leads the league in saves with 8… Leesburg’s Nic Kovacs is the only pitcher this summer to record a complete game as he shut out DeLand 2-0 on June 16 by striking out four and allowing five on base.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

In the second day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, local baseball players began to be selected by big league clubs. Below is a look at who they were, where they were picked, and what team made the call.

– 2010 MLB Draft Top-10 Local Picks –

– LHP Justin Nicolino (University) selected No. 80 overall by Toronto in 2nd round. WESH Video

– RHP A.J. Cole (Oviedo) selected No. 116 overall by Washington in 4th round.

– CF Mason Williams (West Orange) selected No. 145 overall by NY Yankees in 4th round.

– LHP Alex Burgos (Osceola/State College of Florida) selected No. 163 overall by Detroit in 5th round.

– LHP John Gast (Lake Brantley/Florida State) selected No. 199 overall by St. Louis in 6th round.

– RF Jose Dore (The First Academy) selected No. 244 overall by San Diego in 8th round.

– SS Mike Freeman (Edgewater/Clemson) selected No. 331 overall by Arizona in 11th round.

– RHP Cody Allen (Boone/UCF/St. Petersburg JC) selected No. 480 overall by Cleveland in 16th round.

– RHP Owen Dew (UCF) selected No. 630 overall by Cleveland in 21st round.

– C Shane Brown (Winter Park/UCF) selected No. 715 overall by NY Yankees in 23rd round.

– More Local MLB Draft Picks –

LF Chris Duffy (Cypress Creek/UCF) at No. 801 overall to Philadelphia (26th round); CF Jay Gonzalez (Freedom) No. 833 overall to Boston (27th round); RHP Tim Griffin (Rollins College) No. 852 overall to Seattle (28th round); LHP Ronald Schreurs (Freedom) No. 1,296 overall to Toronto (43rd round); LHP Jimmy Hodgskin (Bishop Moore) No. 1,311 overall to Philadelphia (43rd round); OF Tyler Marincov (Timber Creek) No. 1,453 overall to Detroit (48th round).

– Draft Notes –

– The UCF Knights have had nine different players selected in the MLB Draft over the last three years, including Brown, who has now been drafted twice by the Yankees. Last season he was picked in the 47th round. In all, UCF has had its baseball players drafted by MLB organizations 73 times since 1979. Dew was taken in the 33rd round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels. Duffy, who was selected in the 9th round out of high school, completed his four-year career as a finalist for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as one of the top amateur players in the nation.

– The Florida Collegiate Summer League had the highest number of current or former baseball players drafted over the three-day MLB selection process as 25 FCSL players were taken, including five in the first eight rounds. A complete list of draftees is available at Florida League.

The award recognizes the top programs in each men’s and women’s divisions among the conference’s nine schools.

The Rollins women retain the Cup for a second straight year and have earned the honor for the fifth time in school history. They earned the maximum nine points in two sports with outright SSC titles in women’s soccer and softball, and were runners-up in women’s basketball and golf. The women’s tennis team took third in the conference.

The Tars totaled 41 points and edged second-place Florida Southern (39.0) by two. Nova Southeastern (37.5), Barry (35.5) and Tampa (34.0) follow the Tars and Mocs in the top-five. The Rollins women also won the Cup after the 1998-99, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2008-09 seasons.

The Rollins men won the trophy with 37 total points behind conference titles by both the soccer and basketball teams. The baseball team finished runner-up this year while the tennis team took third and the golf squad came in fifth.

Florida Southern was second on the men’s side with 34 points. Barry (30.5) finished third with Lynn and Nova Southeastern (27.0) tying for fourth. The Rollins men also earned the cup following the 2002-03 and 2003-04 sports seasons.

First presented following the 1986-87 academic year, the Mayor’s Cup Trophy has traditionally been sponsored by the mayors of the nine communities in which SSC member institutions are located. Points are awarded for each team’s final standing, and depend on how many conference schools sponsor that sport.

In addition to the Tars’ four conference championships in 2009-10, nine sports competed in NCAA postseason play.

Women’s golf finished as runners-up at the NCAA Division II National Championship while the men’s basketball team earned a spot in the championship game of the NCAA South Region Tournament. Women’s soccer advanced into third round of the NCAA tournament and the baseball team finished third in the NCAA South Regional. Softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s golf and men’s soccer also earned postseason bids.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Welcome to this week’s version of Orlando Sports Central Highlights…

– Local Product Leads AFL Predators –

Just two days after signing with the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators, former Kissimmee Osceola football and basketball standout Bobby Sippio made an immediate impact.

In the final seconds of Friday’s game, Sippio hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nick Hill to help secure a 58-54 win over the visiting Milwaukee Iron. He finished the game with 88 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

After starting the season 0-3, the Predators have won three-straight to move to 3-3 overall. They host rival Tampa Bay Storm (3-3) on Friday at 8 p.m. at Amway Arena. Orlando and Tampa currently trail Jacksonville (6-1) and Alabama (4-3) in the division.

After playing his college ball at Western Kentucky, Sippio (6’3″, 215 lbs) played arena football with the Storm, Chicago Rush, Dallas Desperados and Peoria Pirates of arenafootball2. He also got opportunities in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions as well as the United Football League’s California Redwoods and Florida Tuskers. In 2007 he led the AFL with 53 touchdown receptions while playing with the Rush.

– Former FCSL Player Gets Call To Majors –

Word out of the Florida Collegiate Summer League is that one of its own was recently called up to Major League Baseball last week.

Lucroy

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy became the first FCSL alum to crack the big leagues since the wood-bat league was founded in 2003. The Milwaukee Brewers brought up Lucroy from Triple-A Nashville on May 21 when Gregg Zaun was forced to the disabled list.

The rookie then got his first big-league hit that night in his first at-bat while on the road against the Minnesota Twins. He singled to left field in the eighth inning.

Lucroy, out of Eustis, was a standout for the Sanford River Rats and Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. He ranks second all-time in FCSL batting average (.325) and slugging percentage (.500).

Considered Milwaukee’s top catching prospect, and fifth-best prospect overall, Lucroy started the season at Double-A Huntsville before moving on to Nashville after hitting .452 in 10 games. He has since registered a .238 batting average with two home runs in 31 total games on the year.

The 2010 FCSL season gets underway on Thursday, June 3 at Sanford Memorial Stadium when the River Rats host Leesburg at 7 p.m. The five-team league runs through Aug. 5 when the championship game is played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

– Bishop Moore Lax Alum In D-III Title Game –

Von Kamecke

Salisbury University senior Mike Von Kamecke has one more lacrosse game to play before his college career closes out this weekend.

On Sunday at 12 p.m. in Baltimore, Md., the former Bishop Moore standout takes the field with the Salisbury Sea Gulls (21-1) for the final time as they meet up with Tufts (19-1) for the NCAA Division III title. In a 14-13 semifinal win in overtime against Stevenson, Von Kamecke finished with three goals on five shots and was credited with two assists. It’s the fourth trip to the championship game over the past five years for Salisbury.

Von Kamecke is capping off his best season to date as he’s second on the team in assists (30), third in points (70), fourth in goals (40) and leads the team in man-up goals with nine on the year.

He closed out his high school career with the second-most points ever for a Hornet (288) between 2003-2006 while leading Bishop Moore to a state runner-up finish his senior year.

– Student-Athletes Sign With Colleges –

– University High School girls basketball player Rachel Turner signed on with Southeastern University in Lakeland last week. Turner earned four letters as a Cougar, playing a big role in the programs first two district titles following the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons and its first conference title this past year. The two-year captain finished her career with over 500 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists. She plans to study special education and would like to work as a teacher and coach.

– The number of Colonial High School football players moving on to play in college increased to five last week when defensive back Renard Allen signed with Concordia University in Chicago and quarterback Jose Castro signed with Baker University in Kansas. They join running back Jermaine Broomfield, bound for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, defensive lineman Ryan Moore (Baker University) and offensive lineman Sammy Mendoza (Defiance University in Ohio) as signees from the 2009 team.

– Last week Timber Creek High School had two student-athletes sign on with college football programs as Cameron Smith is heading to St. Olaf College in Minnesota and Matt Jones will be off to Mount Union College in Ohio.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

2009-10 Rollins College Women's Golf

It’s the eighth-straight season the Tars have placed at the event. They won Division II titles between 2003-06 and in 2008, behind a then-NCAA record score of 1181.

Rollins turned in rounds of 306-306-303-306 and posted a tournament score of 1220 last week, taking second place for the fifth time in program history (1996, 2000-01, 2007). Nova Southeastern won its second consecutive title by posting rounds of 298-285-296-301 for a new NCAA-best score of 1180. Florida Southern (1221) and Tarleton State (1222) rounded out the top four spots.

Sandra Changkija of Nova Southeastern won individual honors with a record score of 285 (74-67-71-72), which eclipsed the 287 posted by Rollins College All-American Joanna Coe when she won a national title as a freshman in 2008.

Rollins, who started the season ranked fourth in the country, were led by Coe with a third-best score of 295 at the competition. Daniela Vargas tied for 21st overall with a score of 309 and Fabia Rothenfluh totaled a score of 311 (81-79-74-77) and finished tied for 27th overall in her first national championship competition.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

The most magical week in sports is returning to Orlando for the second time, as the city has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2012 at the new Amway Center. Orlando Magic President Bob Vander Weide, Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer joined NBA Commissioner David Stern downtown on Tuesday to make the official announcement.

David Stern (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Orlando also hosted the 1992 All-Star Game.

The 61st NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 26 following a weekend of events featuring the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 24 and NBA All-Star Saturday Night which consists of Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest. The NBA All-Star Jam Session and interactive basketball celebration will be held at the Orange County Convention Center, where fans will have the chance to meet and collect free autographs from NBA players and legends.

The 2011-12 season will mark the 28th year that Turner Sports will provide NBA All-Star coverage, and the 10th consecutive year the All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT.  The All-Star Game will be seen by a worldwide television audience in more than 200 countries and territories and in more than 40 languages.

During NBA All-Star 2012, the NBA will continue to celebrate its tradition and commitment to social responsibility with a schedule of NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local nonprofit organizations in Orlando and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

– Remember When? –

Few All-Star Games have rivaled the one Orlando hosted in 1992 in which the West defeated the East, 153-113, at Orlando Arena. The game is best remembered for the return of Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who had retired in November 1991 after contracting HIV.

By the time the final buzzer sounded on that game, Johnson had gone one-on-one with both Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan, and turned in a vintage performance by recording game highs of 25 points and nine assists to win his second All-Star MVP award. Golden State guard Tim Hardaway, who had allowed Johnson to replace him in the starting lineup, contributed 14 points and seven assists.

Florida Head Coach Jay Gruden and his staff are conducting the workouts on Saturdays in Miami (May 8), Orlando (May 15) and Atlanta, Ga. (June 26).

Each tryout camp will last approximately four hours as athletes are timed in the 40-yard dash and 20-yard short shuttle before participating in a series of individual and team drills.

The tryouts are for all positions, including kickers and punters.

Cost for registration is $60 (cash or money order only). Participants will be asked to fill out a registration form and injury waiver.

Athletes should come dressed to participate on a natural grass playing surface.

Registration for all three tryouts begin at 7 a.m. with the tryout getting underway promptly at 9 a.m. – rain or shine.

For those interested in sending film in advance of the tryout, send it to Player Personnel Department, The Florida Tuskers, 1 Citrus Bowl Place, Suite 201, Orlando, FL  32805.

– The Miami Tryout is scheduled for Nova Southeastern University (3301, College Ave., Ft. Lauderdale-Davie, FL  33314).

– The Orlando Tryout will be held at the practice field adjacent to the Florida Citrus Bowl (1610 West Church Street, Orlando, FL  32805).

– The Atlanta Tryout is slated for Sandy Creek High School (360 Jenkins Road, Tyrone, GA  30290).

Myk Brown was named conference tournament most outstanding player. He led the team in the championship game by going for 16 points as Nikola Baran (14 points), Nick Wolf (13) and Ian Scott (12) also scored in double figures.

Myk Brown (Photo by Jim Hogue)

Wolf joined Brown on the all-tournament team after helping the second-seeded Tars get past Tampa 73-54 and Eckerd 72-65 in the opening two rounds. It’s the third conference title for the Rollins program and its first since 2006. They also brought home the hardware in 1992.

The Tars (25-5) earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region and will begin tournament play this weekend against Alabama-Huntsville (23-6) in Russellville, Arkansas. The winner advances to play either Barry (19-11) or Florida Southern (25-4).

It’s the fifth time in the past seven years that Rollins is competing in the postseason and serves as their first trip since 2007, when they defeated Valdosta State before falling to Eckerd in the second round.

Should Rollins get past the opening two games of bracket play, the Tars would meet up with the survivor between Arkansas Tech, Tuskegee, Valdosta State and Clark-Atlanta on Tuesday, March 16.

Wolf (17.9 points per game) and Brown (15.9) led the Tars in scoring this past season. Wolf also led the team in rebounding (8.3) and assists (3.2) while draining 57 3-pointers. Scott recorded 56 steals on the year.

Keep up with the Division II Men’s Tournament at NCAA and Rollins Sports.

Before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, threats of violence kept him from playing in Central Florida.

Robinson also starred in one of Orlando’s biggest games ever – a 1949 exhibition that attracted a standing-room-only crowd at Carter Street Park, the home of the city’s Negro Leagues team.

Two generations later, Robinson’s historic achievements and struggles are chronicled in an upcoming exhibit at the University of Central Florida’s main library. The exhibit also features photographs and memorabilia from the Orlando All-Stars, which competed in the Negro Leagues throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

“Pride & Passion: The African American Baseball Experience” tells the story of African-American baseball players in the United States from the Civil War through the present, and it relates their experiences to the struggle for civil rights.

The exhibit will open Friday, March 5, and run through Thursday, April 15. Admission to the exhibit and several related lectures and discussions will be free.

“We had to have a certain amount of self-discipline to survive while traveling around to different cities under the ill winds of racism,” recalled Bob “Peach Head” Mitchell, one of four former Negro Leagues players who will visit UCF on March 19. “It’s very important for kids today to hear those stories.”

The UCF Libraries were selected as one of 50 nationwide sites for the “Pride & Passion” exhibit, which was organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the American Library Association and funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The traveling exhibit is based on a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. A portion of the exhibit is funded through a grant from the UCF Office of Diversity Initiatives.

To tell the story of Central Florida’s rich but often forgotten baseball history, UCF will display collections from partners such as the Sanford Museum, the Wells’Built Museum of African-American History and Orlando resident Carol Mundy.

The Central Florida connections include:

– Before Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers, threats of violence forced the cancellation of a spring game in Sanford. A day game in DeLand was called off due to “malfunctioning lights.” Robinson was able to take the field in Daytona Beach, the spring home of the Dodgers, and the stadium there was renamed “Jackie Robinson Ballpark” in 1990.

– Sunday afternoon Negro League games were major social gatherings for African-Americans. Fans dressed up for the games, and players drove through the streets to promote the games. The Orlando All-Stars played at Carter Street Park because Tinker Field was reserved for whites.

For more information and a full schedule of events, visit UCF Library.

Nick Wolf (Photo by Jim Hogue)

Earlier in the week junior Nick Wolf was awarded his third conference player of the week award following big contributions in each of those victories.

Against Barry, Wolf scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Tars came away with a 70-59 win on the road, before returning home and getting past Tampa, 61-59.

In that game, Wolf scored the go-ahead bucket with 17 seconds to play and added a free throw for good measure as he finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Wolf leads the Tars this season with team-highs of 18.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

On Wednesday, in a 76-68 win over Nova Southern, Wolf suffered a scratch to his eye but nearly finished the night with another double-double as he went for 12 points and nine rebounds.

Rollins College enters the final three games of the season having won 11 of its last 12. Their lone loss in that stretch came at No. 11 Florida Southern on Feb. 6.

Next up is a road game at Saint Leo (11-16 overall, 4-9 in SSC) on Saturday and home games against Florida Tech (13-11, 3-10) on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and Eckerd (15-8, 8-5) on Saturday, Feb. 27 before the start of the conference tournament on March 3.

– More Rollins College Basketball –

2009-10 season schedule

2009-10 season roster

2009-10 Sunshine State Conference page