A pair of local graduates on the Coe College baseball team hit walk-off home runs in back-to-back games. Morton Grove native and Notre Dame Prep graduate Thomas Simon homered in the bottom of the 11th inning to lead Coe over Nebraska Wesleyan 7-6 on March 26. The next day, Glenbrook North graduate Jordan Kaplan hit a game-winning grand slam in a 6-2 Coe victory. For both players — Simon is a junior outfielder, and Kaplan is a freshman infielder and pitcher — the home runs were the first of their collegiate careers.
A handful of other area graduates join Simon and Kaplan on the team, including senior pitcher Thomas Schaedel, a Notre Dame Prep graduate who was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA through five starts this season.
Hersey grad earns defensive player of week honor
Arlington Heights native Natalie Curtis, a junior goalkeeper on the Monmouth College women’s water polo team, was selected as the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Division III defensive player of the week. Curtis, a Hersey graduate, set a single-game school record by recording 17 saves in an 8-7 win over Connecticut College. Through March 26, she averaged 10 saves per contest, giving up 6.5 goals per game.
Glenview native named rookie of the year
Glenbrook South graduate Jimmy Martinelli, a freshman on the New York University men’s basketball team, was named University Athletic Association rookie of the year. Martinelli, a 6-foot-6 forward who started every game, led NYU in rebounds with 8.2 per game in addition to scoring 8.9 points per game. He led all freshmen in the conference in both scoring and rebounding.
Locals contribute for University of Chicago baseball
The University of Chicago baseball team was 11-4 and winners of six straight through April 2. Senior first baseman Thomas Prescott, a Lyons graduate from Western Springs, was hitting a team-leading .441 this season with seven RBIs. Junior outfielder Max Larsen, another Lyons graduate, was hitting .340 with a team-leading seven doubles. Deerfield graduate Joe Liberman, a sophomore pitcher, had a 1.20 ERA through four starts.
Have a suggestion for College Notes? Email Sam Brief at [email protected].
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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