JC grad is unanimous All-American

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — It’s unanimous.
Baseball America selected Baylor University catcher Josh Ludy as a first-team All-American on Friday, making him just the fourth player in Bears history to earn the honor from all four major publications. Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Baseball America had previously named him to their All-America teams.
Also Friday, Ludy made his first start at catcher for the Lakewood BlueClaws in his second game as a professional.
The 2008 Jay County High School graduate hit .362 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in his senior season at Baylor. The conference’s coaches voted him Big 12 Player of the Year.
Ludy went 0-for-3 at the plate Friday in Lakewood’s 5-1 loss to the Hagerstown Suns, but threw out Bryce Ortega trying to steal second base in the eighth inning.

IHSAA makes changes
INDIANAPOLIS — The IHSAA Executive Committee approved two major changes Thursday, approving a success factor and adding  a sixth class in its football state tournament.
The tournament success factor for each team sport will use a point system — one point for a sectional championship, two for a regional, three for a semi-state and four for a state title. Any school accumulating six points or more over a two-year period will be moved up one class for the ensuing two years.
The current Class 5A for football will be split into two groups, with the largest 32 schools making up class 6A and the remaining 32 in 5A. The remaining schools will be divided evenly into the other four classes. The change will take effect for the 2013-14 school year.

Cox powers Optimist
Heidi Cox’s inside-the-park home run gave Portland Optimist a seven-run lead, and the team held on Friday for a 10-9 victory over Brewster Electric Portland Junior League Rookie baseball. First Merchants Bank defeated Jay County REMC 16-15.
Cox finished 4-for-4 at the plate with the home run, a double, five RBIs and two runs. Madison Reier added three hits, three runs and two doubles.
Lydia Keihn had three hits, four RBIs and three runs for Brewster.
Jayden Claytor hit an inside-the-park home run and had six RBIs for First Merchants, driving in the game-winning run with a single in the fourth inning. Tricia Ison had four hits, five RBIs and three runs.
REMC got four hits, four runs and four RBIs from Renna Schwieterman.

Three win three
FORT RECOVERY — Three members of the Fort Recovery Eels summer swim team picked up three victories in Thursday’s 804.5-544.5 loss to Jay County.
Gavin Thobe earned his trio of wins in the 9-10-year-old boys division, taking the backstroke, individual medley and breaststroke. Marshall Hull was first in the 15-and-older boys butterfly, backstroke and IM. Carley Stone picked up victories in the 11-12-year-old girls long freestyle, backstroke and short freestyle.
Also adding wins were Regan Martin, Mitchell Pugh, Makena Ellenberger, Ben Grieshop, Nolan Thobe, Kady Ellenberger and Andy Gray.

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