Covering more ground than the sun some days, Jack Whalen has been a sure out in center field for Seton Hill baseball.
His play has been golden.
The junior was rewarded for his effort by being named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Division II Gold Glove Team.
He is the first Griffins player to receive the honor.
He hit .318 this season with six triples, seven doubles, five home runs and 31 RBIs. He added 21 stolen bases.
The key stat that brought him a gold glove: He did not commit an error in 127 chances.
Patrick & Henry Community College: Junior Dylan Grabowski (Penn-Trafford), set to play two more years at Liberty, leaves as a National Junior College Athletic Association Second Team All-American.
Grabowski also was named the Junior College Baseball Two-Way Player of the Year.
In 53 games this season, he slashed .394/.469/.720, hit 12 home runs, scored 52 runs and broke the school record for RBIs with 79.
In his time at Patrick & Henry, he set a program mark with 21 career home runs to go with 104 RBIs.
Grabowski pitched less this season because of a bone chip in his throwing elbow but threw a no-hitter against Southwest Virginia.
In 18 appearances in his two seasons, he went 11-4 with a 4.03 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings.
Seton Hill: Add another national player of the year award to Ian Korn’s shelf.
The redshirt junior pitcher, who is transferring to West Virginia, was named the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Division II National Pitcher of the Year.
Earlier, he was tabbed the NCBWA and D2CCA national pitcher of the year.
A three-time first-team All-American, Korn also was the Atlantic Region and PSAC West pitcher of the year.
He finished 11-2 this season with a 1.81 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings.
Seton Hill had the best ERA (2.94) and WHIP (1.16) in NCAA Division II.
The staff’s nine shutouts ranked second.
Westmoreland County Community College: Sophomore Brandon Bell was named an NJCAA Region 20 honorable mention.
Bell batted .333 in 41 games, leading the Wolfpack in hits (38) and doubles (5) and tied freshman Jake Gedekoh (Belle Vernon) with 22 RBIs.
Softball
Wilmington: Rising junior Krista Brunson (Mt. Pleasant) transferred to Wilmington, a Division II school in New Castle, Del.
Brunson spent two seasons at Pitt-Johnstown, where she hit .295 with 33 hits, 27 runs, 10 doubles and 13 RBIs in 66 games (33 starts).
