Ludy best in nation

For a week, no one was better than Josh Ludy.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper named Ludy, a Baylor University senior and 2008 graduate of Jay County High School, the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week for April 9 through 15. He followed up that honor by also winning the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Player of the Week Award.
Ludy broke the Baylor record for most RBIs in a Big 12 series, driving in 11 runs in a three-game sweep of Kansas State. During his award-winning week he went 7-of-11 (.647) with four home runs, 12 RBIs, five runs and three walks for the Bears, who have won a school-record 21 straight games to improve to 32-7.
The catcher finished off his award-winning week Sunday by going 5-for-6 with three home runs, seven RBIs and three runs in a 12-11, 11-inning victory Sunday over Kansas State. He added a 2-for-3 effort with two runs and an RBI in Tuesday’s 5-2 slaughter of Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
He went 2-for-2 with a home run, three walks, two RBIs and a run in Saturday’s 14-12 victory over Kansas State, and had two hits and two RBIs in the opening game of the series Friday.
Ludy continues to lead the Big 12 and is ranked seventh in the nation with 46 RBIs. He is second in the conference in slugging (.572), third in total bases (79) and fourth in batting average (.370) and home runs (six).
Baylor is ranked among the top 15 in each of the five major Division I polls, including as high as No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Amanda Johnson
Jay County – 2008
Helped lead the host Indiana Wesleyan University women’s track team to a second-place finish behind Indianapolis Saturday at the 12-team Indiana Intercollegiate Little State Championship.
Johnson finished as the runner-up in her lone individual race of the day. She was second to Grace’s MariJean Wegert in 2 minutes, 20.99 seconds.
The senior was also a part of a pair of championship relays as she teamed with Christina Sandberg, Amanda Wolfe and Tracey Tiernon to win the 4x800 in 9:38.82. She also joined Allix Miller, Kyla Morgan and Tiernon for first place in the 4x400 in 4:01.24.

Sam Heckard
S. Adams – 2010
Also competed at the Little State Championships for the Bethel College men’s track team.
Heckard was Bethel’s top finisher in the 5,000-meter run. He posted a time of 17 minutes, 39 seconds for 13th place.

Billy Wellman
Jay County – 2009
Racked up a career-high five RBIs Tuesday in the Ball State University baseball team’s 11-7 victory over Northwestern Ohio.
Wellman hit his second home run of the season, a three-run shot, in the fifth inning. He also had a two-run double in the first as he finished 2-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs for the Cardinals (9-25).

Jordan McMillan
Jay County – 2011
Was part of a first-place relay for the Ball State University women’s track team in Saturday’s 121-36 victory over Bowling Green.
McMillan joined Janae Taylor, Rebecca Lomax and Thekla Lorenz for a time of 47.2 seconds to win the 4x100 relay. She finished third in the 200-meter dash in 26.46 and fourth in the 100 dash in 12.54.

Pazia Speed
Jay County – 2010
Powered the Huntington University softball team to a doubleheader sweep Tuesday over Grace.
Speed, who also plays basketball for the Foresters, handled the HU offense in their 5-1 win in the second game, crushing a grand slam over the center-field fence in the fourth inning. She went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI in the opener.
The sophomore also had a hit and an RBI Saturday in a 7-3 loss to Spring Arbor, and had two hits in doubleheader April 12 against Bethel.
Karen Bollenbacher
South Adams – 2010
Also came through for the Huntington University softball team in her only at bat April 12 in an 8-3 loss to Bethel.
Bollenbacher recorded a single in her only at bat of the game.

Brandon Reynard
Jay County – 2009
Teamed with a trio of Indiana Tech teammates for a relay victory as the Warrior men’s track team competed Saturday at the Sea Ray Relays hosted by Tennessee.
Reynard, Jordan Foster, D’Quan Ruth and Austen Barnes teamed to win the 4x400-meter relay. They were less than three tenths of a second in front of Tennessee in 3 minutes, 14.86 seconds.
The junior also added a fifth-place finish in the 400 hurdles in 53.45.

Jana Beitler
South Adams – 2009
Keyed the offense for the Goshen College softball team Saturday as it won the opening game of a doubleheader 5-4 over Mount Vernon Nazarene.
Beitler went 2-for-2 at the plate and also drove in a run for the Maple Leafs (14-22). She also had a single, a run, an RBI and a stolen base Friday as Goshen topped Taylor 8-7.


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