Shepherd Earns OCCAC Baseball Player Of The Week
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Believe it or not, Spring sports have begun in the OCCAC and the conference’s first Baseball/Softball Athletes of the Week (Feb. 26-March 4) have been awarded. Lakeland’s Kallista Hribar (position player) and Abby Takacs (pitcher) swept the softball accolades while Colin Shepherd of Sinclair picked up baseball player of the week recognition and Cuyahoga’s Doug Smith is the pitcher of the week.
Shepherd (Sophomore Infielder – Olentangy, OH) hit .500 (8-16) during a 4-1 opening week for the Tartan Pride of Sinclair Community College. He drove in seven runs and posted a pair of extra-base hits (a double and a triple). Once on the base paths, Shepherd swiped two bags and scored a run in four different games. He stepped it up in a series victory over No. 18 McHenry, going 7-for-13 (.538) with three straight multi-hit games and a half dozen RBI.
Sinclair is 6-3 overall this year and currently ranked 15th in NJCAA Division II. The Pride will host Kellogg this weekend in a three game series at Athletes in Action.
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Dayton, OH– The Sinclair Women’s Basketball (26-3) will tip off tournament play Friday afternoon at 3pm as the #2 seed in the District I tournament. The Pride will take on #3 Edison State at Ohio Christian University in Circleville, OH.
The Women’s tournament is shaping up to be a battle as two of the top 10 teams in the nation are on a collision course for a power match up on Saturday at noon.
Both Sinclair and Owens dominated conference play as each team compiled a 13-1 OCCAC record. They only blemish on each record, a loss to the other on the road.
If both teams advance to the finals on Saturday, an epic rematch awaits. Owens finished the year ranked #5 nationally and Sinclair concluded ranked #9th nationally, both with revenge and bragging rights on the line not to mention a trip to the NJCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Sweet 16.
Sinclair will not only be relying on the 2018 OCCAC Coach of the Year, Coach Victoria Jones but they will be leaning on the OCCAC Player of the Year 6-0 freshman Amanda Schroeder (Carroll HS – Dayton, OH). Amanda averages 26.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds for the OCCAC Freshman of the Year and District I Player of the Year.
Sinclair Men’s Basketball opens tournament play Friday at 8pm
Dayton, OH– The Sinclair Men’s Basketball (17-14) will tip off tournament play Friday night at 8pm as the #3 seed in the District 11 tournament. The Pride will take on #2 Owens in the final game of the evening at Ohio Christian University in Circleville, OH.
The winner will have a quick turnaround before facing the winner of Edison and the #1 ranked team in the nation – Cuyahoga at 3pm on Saturday. The winner of the two game bracket at Ohio Christian will advance to the NJCAA Division II Sweet 16 in Danville, IL.
Sinclair is coming off a strong finish as they have won 5 of their last 6 games. Leading the way for the Pride, 6-7 Sophomore LiDonta Hicks-Gentry out of Snider HS (Ft. Wayne, IN).
LiDonta was just named 1stteam all-conference, 1st team all-district 11 and a member of the all-defensive team. He has been named OCCAC Player of the Week 4 times this season and NJCAA National Player of the Week once. He is averaging 16.9 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game while recording 18 double-doubles this season.
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