BASEBALL
Former Scout gets drafted
Clayton Brandt, a member of the Xenia Scouts last summer, was selected 548th in the 19th round by the Washington Nationals in the recent MLB draft.
Brandt played at MidAmerica Nazarene University. In his senior season he was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He hit .417 with 19 doubles, seven home runs, 43 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, a .492 on-base percentage and a .670 slugging percentage. He broke the school’s stolen base record in three seasons, finishing with 82. He also scored the most runs in the nation during his senior campaign with 81 and broke MNU’s single season hit record with 86.
COLLEGE
WSU softball recruit named NFCA All-American
Ally Russell, who will be joining the softball roster this upcoming season, was recently selected as a Second Team High School All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Russell (Greenville, OH/Greenville), who was also named First Team All-North Region by the NFCA, helped lead the Green Wave to a 28-4 record in 2015 and a 10-0 record in the Greater Western Ohio Conference’s North Division. She was chosen First Team All-GWOC, the GWOC North Player of the Year and First Team All-Ohio by the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association (OHSFSCA).
Russell was also a part of the Ohio All-Star team that competed against the USA Junior Women’s National Team.
The lone senior on Greenville’s team, Russell also helped guide the Wave to a no. 1 ranking in the OHSFSCA state rankings. Greenville advanced all the way to the Division II regional finals before losing to eventual state champion Granville.
Greenville’s all-time leader in pitching wins, Russell compiled a 28-4 record in 2015 with a 0.97 earned run average, striking out 214 batters and posting 12 shutouts. At the plate, she batted .394 with 13 doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs.
Russell will be one of four newcomers to the Wright State softball roster in 2016, joining catcher/infielder Macy Cook, catcher Vivi Marquez and pitcher Katie Neary.
Raider’s swimming honored for academics
The Wright State women’s swimming & diving team has achieved Scholar All-American status for the spring of 2015, as announced this week by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
The College Swimming Coaches Association of America presents the Team Scholar All-American Award to college and university swimming and diving teams who have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Wright State posted an overall GPA of 3.16.
“We’re very proud to be recognized as a Scholar All-American team by the CSCAA,” WSU head coach Kyle Oaks said. “Although the athletics are a major focus for us, our top priority is to develop great people and students.”
The women’s swimming and diving program is presently conditioning as they prepare for next season.
Wright State soccer adds significant piece from Pac-12
Jeff Rhodes, formerly of San Diego State University, has transferred to Wright State and will play for the Raiders this upcoming season, WSU head men’s soccer Bryan Davis announced Tuesday.
Rhodes (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg), a midfielder, appeared in all 19 matches for the Aztecs in 2014, making 12 starts. He tied for second on the team with three goals, those goals coming against Clemson, Denver and California, all nationally-ranked teams.
San Diego State, which is part of the Pac-12 Conference for men’s soccer, faced 13 opponents last season that were either ranked or receiving votes at the time the Aztecs played them.
Born in Santa Cruz, California, Rhodes moved to Brownsburg, Indiana, when he was eight. He played for Royale Soccer Club for two years and joined Westside United FC in 2007.
A member of the United States U-14 and U-15 national teams, Rhodes was ranked #128 in the 2014 class by Top Drawer Soccer and #149 by CollegeSoccerNews.com. A three-year starter for his club team, the Indiana Fire USSDA, he led the U-18 squads with six goals in 2013.
Rhodes joins a 2015 recruiting class at Wright State that was given three and a half stars out of five by College Soccer News. The 10 newcomers include a pair of NJCAA All-Americans in Kaique Fernandes and Will Lukowski; Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year Jackson Dietrich; NSCAA High School All-American Tristan Lyle; Ohio First Team member Eric Hutton and one of Sweden’s top players in Mathias Hegeland.
The Raiders, who finished 12-7-2 and advanced to the Horizon League Championship Match in 2014, also return the league Player of the Year and former Bellbrook Golden Eagle, junior forward Eric Lynch, who led the nation in assists last season with 13. Also back is junior forward Peguy Ngatcha, who was named First Team All-League, defender Austin Polster, who was selected to the All-Freshman Team, and junior goalkeeper Tyler Blackmer, who posted a league-leading 0.42 shutout average and a 1.07 goals against average.
After two exhibition matches on the road, Wright State opens the regular season at the Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic in Columbus, Ohio, August 28 and 30, facing Binghamton and Cal State Fullerton. The home opener for the Raiders will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 7, as WSU hosts Cincinnati at Alumni Field.
