April 3rd News

By Shaun Spence

April 03, 2008, 10:45AM

Shaun Spence - ohioHSsports.com

Check back each and every weekday for the top prep headlines from across the state. Here are a list of summaries from some of the major stories around Ohio for Thursday, April 3rd:

Baseball: Lakota West Begins Title Defense

The 2007 Division I state champions are off to a 2-0 start after defeating Fairfield 5-3 on Thursday. Lakota West also defeated Fairfield 11-4 in the season opener on Tuesday. The defending champions graduated 11 seniors from last year, but they do return four regulars. Junior pitcher Bryan Beaver, who threw a one-hitter in the 4-0 title win over Mentor, is one of those returning regulars. The Enquirer

Baseball: Gilmour's Billy Urban Doesn't Strike Out

Gates Mills Gilmour's Billy Urban, also a football standout, has been starting for the Lancers since he was a freshman. Urban, a junior, had over 150 plate appearances and is still without a strikeout. As a freshman, he hit .356 with a homer and six doubles in 59 at-bats. Urban continued his success as a sophomore where he hit .512 with 11 doubles and a pair of homers for the 17-7 Lancers. The Plain Dealer

Softball: Anthony Wayne is Surronded by Tough Competition

Anthony Wayne (17-6, 11-3 in the NLL last season) won the Northern Lakes League softball championship, giving veteran coach Mark Hamman his 15th NLL crown. Hamman coached at Perrysburg before coming to Anthony Wayne and won 8 league titles with the Yellow Jackets. Hamann, now in his second year as Generals head coach, is relying on his six returning starters as AW looks to repeat. Back for AW are seniors Becky Gill (P-IF), Sam Kolling (3B), Gabrielle Chartier (SS) and Andrea Skinner (C), and juniors Alyssa Hoot (1B-C) and Samantha Hamann (2B), who is Mark's daughter. The Toledo Blade

Boys Tennis: Dayton-area Preview

Butler junior Andy Jackson, a state-qualifying doubles tennis player, will move into singles as the anchor of Butler's boys tennis team. The 6-foot-3 Jackson has gained 3 inches and 15 pounds since last season. With doubles partner Matt Heller, Jackson netted a 25-3 record as a sophomore. Other standout tennis players in the Dayton area are Philip Dresden (Tippecanoe), Tyler Johnston (Wilmington), Kevin Kauffman (Centerville), Ben Roeser (Waynesville), and Tony Walters (Beavercreek). Dayton Daily News

Don't see news from your area of the state? Post a comment below with your local paper's web address and we'll feature your prep coverage throughout the week.