Sports

Current summer baseball players ages 9 thru 17 can extend their season through the fall with Team New Era Fall Elite Travel Teams. Teams will participate in league and tournament play in September and October.

Tryouts will be held at New Era Park in Depew, 3950 Broadway, as follows:

• Current summer  players ages 9 thru 11: Thursday June 12th at 6 p.m. and Sunday June 22nd at 5:30 p.m.
• Current summer players ages 12 thru 14: Thursday June 12th at 7:30 p.m and Sunday June 22nd at 7 p.m.

Fall College Showcase team tryouts (for current summer players ages 15 thru 17): Monday June 16th at 6 p.m. and Saturday June 21st at  6 p.m. Players need only attend one tryout.

For more information see www.teamnewerabaseball.com <http://www.teamnewerabaseball.com> or contact New Era Park at 716-681-3001.

Submitted by: Rich Wozniak, president, New Era Park.

(Astrologo)

Genesee Community College men's lacrosse defenseman Johnny Astrologo (Mahopac, NY) was recently named a 2014 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. He was named to the All-American second team.

A sophomore, Astrologo was a team captain and played in and started all 15 games for the Cougars this spring. He was second on the team in both ground balls (59) and caused turnovers (53), totals that were 17^th and 2^nd best in all of the NJCAA this season, respectively.

He was named to the NJCAA Region III All-Region first team and the Western New York Athletic Conference (WNYAC) All-Conference second team this season as well and was an All-Conference first team selection last year as a freshman.

"Johnny is someone that the coaches and his teammates look up to as a leader because you know exactly what you are going to get from him each day," said GCC assistant coach Derek Hoover. "He's a hardworking player that will do whatever is asked of him on and off the field.  I am very pleased that he will be receiving this award because as a defenseman, you don't always get all the praise after each game. Johnny always played against the opposing team's top players and was very successful in his two years with us," Hoover said.

During his two-year career at Genesee, Astrologo started all 33 of the team's games, tallied 112 ground balls and had 112 takeaways. He will transfer and continue his athletic and academic career at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Dowling College in Oakdale, NY. The Golden Lions compete in the East Coast Conference and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II National Championships this spring.

Six members of the Genesee Community College baseball team were recently selected to the 2014 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Region III All-Region team. Sophomore infielders Josh Maier (Brockport, NY) and Rafael Lozada (Santo Domingo, PR) were first team selections and sophomore pitcher Adam Pratt (Batavia, NY), sophomore infielder Phillie Guzman (Bronx, NY), sophomore outfielder Eliecer Carrera (Rochester, NY) and freshman pitcher David Clark (Attica, NY) were second team selections.

Maier hit .323 in a team-high 96 at bats this spring. He totaled six extra-base hits, scored eight runs and drove in seven. In the field, he committed just one error and sported a .981 fielding percentage.

Lozada led the Cougars in batting average (.393), on-base percentage (.505), home runs (3), base on balls (19) and runs batted in (13). He appeared in 31 games this spring. As the primary first baseman, Lozada had a .984 fielding percentage.

Pratt led GCC in strikeouts with 32. He posted a team-best 5.00 earned run average, allowing 20 earned runs in 36.0 innings of work. He pitched a complete-game shutout in GCC's Region III tournament opening-round win over Monroe Community College to help the Cougars advance to the finals.

Guzman hit .291 at the plate and drove in 13 runs, tying him for the team lead this year. He delivered seven extra-base hits, including a home run and a triple. He appeared in 29 games this spring and committed only three fielding errors in 25 attempts.

Carrera held the second-highest batting average on the team at .328. He scored 13 runs, stole 11 bases and drove in seven. He hit one home run and struck out just six times in 67 at bats.

Clark appeared in a team-high 12 games this spring and had the fourth-lowest earned run average (5.56).  He struck out 23 batters in 34.0 innings and only 21 of the 30 runs Clark surrendered were earned.

The Cougars reached the finals of the 2014 Division II Region III playoffs this spring and finished the season 9-27.

(Tom Moynihan)

Genesee Community College head golf coach Tom Moynihan has been chosen as the 2014 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Region III Coach of the Year.

In his third season at the helm, Moynihan guided the GCC men's and women's golf program to a successful spring season. The Cougars placed no lower than third in any regular season team event this year, including a first place finish at the Jamestown Community College Invitational. Sophomore Adam Baumeister (Lancaster, NY) earned three individual first place finishes and Genesee placed fourth as a team at the Region III Championships earlier this month.

"We are very fortunate to have Tom as part of our coaching staff," said GCC Athletic Director Kristen Schuth. "He is great at recruiting talented athletes that have a passion for the sport. The coach of the year award is very well deserved." 

Genesee placed two individuals, Baumeister and Chris Mandia (Highland, NY), on the All-Region team and both will compete at the NJCAA National Tournament June 3-7 at the Chautauqua Country Club.

Moynihan is the third head coach at GCC to receive coach of the year honors in 2013-2014. Women's soccer head coach Jeff Reyngoudt and men's basketball head coach Terry George were also recognized in their respective sports. Moynihan resides in Alexander with his wife Patty and has three children and nine grandchildren.

The first Batavia Pickleball Tournament is being held at the Batavia YMCA from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Registration is $15, $5 of which will go to support the Batavia WMCA. Double elimination format. Partner blind draw on day of tournament.

The tournament is open to the first 32 players.

Format: Each match will be 11 points by 2 except for finals. Consolation round winner will play one 15-point game against the winner's bracket. If the winner's bracket triumphs, they win the tournament. If not, then there will be a 2-out-of-three game match to determine the champion. These games will be 11 points by 2.

For more information, contact Timothy Pickering at (585) 219-4686 or at  timothy77777@hotmail.com

Registration deadline is Friday, May 16.

Press release:

My Pro Day would like to announce the arrival of its comprehensive skills evaluation in Batavia this summer. Genesee Community College is hosting this special event for youth baseball players from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 10. Advance registration is required and spots are limited.

My Pro Day is the first to bring the excitement and fun of a pro baseball or college tryout experience to players of all ability levels, ages 6-18. For a limited time, a one-year My Pro Day membership -- including the comprehensive skills evaluation-- is just $59, half off the national rate of $119.

The My Pro Day membership starts with a pro baseball or college style evaluation, where coaches will identify strengths and weaknesses, and you'll see your skill-by-skill rankings in a nationwide player database. We'll test arm strength, fielding skills, pitching speed and accuracy, catcher pop times, hitting and bunting ability, speed, agility, athleticism and more.

But that's just a small part of the My Pro Day experience:

• Go online to build, update and share your My Pro Day baseball card.
• Make an early impression on top travel team coaches and scouts at all levels.
• Follow top players from around the country in every age group.
• Enjoy a full year of all these and other benefits for only $59, a special introductory price for local players.

For more details, benefits and registration for the upcoming My Pro Day event in your area, visit www.MyProDay.com.

Press release:

The 8th annual David R. Millis Memorial Golf Tournament will be hosted on Sunday, June 1st, at the Batavia Country Club. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

This tournament is in memory of David Millis who passed away with pancreatic cancer at the early age of 54. Dave was the superintendent for the Pollution Control Facility in the Village of Albion for 32 years and was an active member of the community.

The cost for a single golfer is $85, which includes, lunch, beverages and dinner. Guests not golfing are also invited to buy dinner only tickets for $25, which will start at 5:30 p.m. All participants, whether golfing or dining will be entered into a drawing to win a TV and have the opportunity to buy 50/50 and raffle tickets. The following sponsorships are also available: Corporate, Major, Awards, Lunch Beverage, Longest or Shortest Drive, Closest to the Pin and hole sponsors. We also have several volunteer opportunities available. 

This tournament features, men and women’s longest drive and closest to the pin and putting contests. There are great raffle prizes, which include local sports tickets, autographed memorabilia, gift certificates and many more items. Don’t miss your chance to win two-year lease on a 2014 Chevy vehicle and other great hole in one prizes sponsored by Don Davis Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in Albion.

The proceeds from the tournament will again benefit the Knights/Kaderli Memorial Fund which is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to assisting local families with their fight against cancer.  The money assists with prescriptions, medical insurance, nutritional supplements, hospital beds, and other needs. In the past seven years, this tournament has raised more than $89,000 thanks to the support and generosity of many friends, sponsors and participants and we hope to reach the $100,000 mark this year.

To register please fill out the form below and return by May 18th. For questions or more information please email millismemorial@yahoo.com or visit us on www.facebook.com/DavidRMillisMemorial.  Thanks and hope to see you there!

Press release:

Officials from Western Regional Off-Track Betting and Turnbull Heating & Air Conditioning announced the winner of this year’s Belmont Stakes Trip Giveaway at the OTB Corporate headquarters in Batavia this afternoon, May 9.

The winner was chosen from the 8,000 OTB customers that signed-up at their local OTB branch on derby day for a chance to win the Belmont Stakes trip. The winner was Ron DiRose of Webster.

Ron wins hotel accommodations for two nights at the Courtyard Marriott, located 12 miles from Belmont Park and $1,000 in expense money.

“Western OTB would like to thank Bill Hayes, president of Turnbull Heating and Air for sponsoring the Belmont stakes giveaway,” said GM of Live Racing at Batavia Downs, Todd Haight. “It’s something we do each derby day and the number entries and interest in the giveaway grows every year.”

Western OTB posted record wagering handles on this year’s run for the roses, at it’s OTB locations, at Batavia Downs Gaming and it’s on-line wagering platform, Batavia Bets.com.

Owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, Western Regional OTB is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia. WROTB owns and operates 30 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility.

Pictured are trip giveaway sponsor Bill Hayes, president of Turnbull Heating & Air Conditioning, and Ryan Hasenauer, director of Marketing at WROTB, with the lucky drawing slip.