Bill Beckner stories, Page 196

Collin Liberatore has been dealing, as they say. The big right-hander has found a groove in the Indiana State rotation and is taking full advantage of his opportunity. Liberatore, a Greensburg Central Catholic product who began his college career at Pitt before transferring, is 8-0 this season and has garnered...

Pitt-Greensburg freshman Turner Price was voted the AMCC tennis player and newcomer of the year. Price, a Penn-Trafford graduate, played every match this season at No. 1 singles and doubles. He finished 11-3 (6-0 vs. AMCC opponents) at singles and earned straight-set victories in all but two matches in the...

Former Division I assistant Kelvin Jefferson will take over as head men’s basketball coach at Gannon, the university announced Tuesday. Jefferson coached at Old Dominian for 12 years and also held D-I jobs at Colgate, Stony Brook, American and Vermont. He led the elite prep team at South Kent School...

Collin Liberatore has been dealing, as they say. The big right-hander has found a groove in the Indiana State pitching rotation and is taking full advantage of his opportunity. Liberatore, a Greensburg Central Catholic product who began his college career at Pitt before transferring, is 8-0 this season and has...

Westmoreland County Community College scored eight unanswered runs to topple Butler County Community College, 12-8, in the WPCC softball championship game over the weekend at Seton Hill. It was the team’s first title since 2007. The Wolfpack trailed 5-1 and 8-4 before rallying. Sophomore Brianna McCulley had a two-run single,...

The PAC softball championship will be settled in Latrobe. Saint Vincent earned the top seed in the conference tournament and with it, the right to host the event on Thursday and Friday. Saint Vincent (25-13, 13-3) has not hosted since 2012 and will be seeking its first conference title since...

Backed by a strong defense, Seton Hill lefthander Devyn Terry pitched a no-hitter Sunday afternoon against visiting Cal U in PSAC softball action. Terry struck out five and walked three as the Griffins won, 1-0. The senior from Elberton, Ga., induced nine groundouts and seven flyouts as she improved to...

Westmoreland County Community College scored eight unanswered runs to topple Butler County Community College, 12-8, in the WPCC championship game Saturday at Seton Hill. It was the team’s first title since 2007. The Wolfpack trailed 5-1 and 8-4 before rallying for the victory. WPCC Champions!!!! pic.twitter.com/fCrC6nuKTr— Wolfpack Athletics (@WCCCAthletics) April...

A common name keeps appearing in the Pitt-Greensburg baseball record book. Senior left fielder Chris Common, a Penn-Trafford graduate, became the Bobcats’ all-time leader in hits during a doubleheader against D’Youville Saturday at Bobcat Park in Greensburg. On senior day, Common singled three times to move past Greg Lynn for...

Dan Miller is Penn-Trafford’s Mr. Baseball. He lives and breathes the game year-round and gets to see it from a number of perspectives. This is a guy who once bought a Volkswagen Beetle “baseball car.” The 2000 model with red “stitching” detail on both ends and baseball glove-like leather interior...

College golf is coming to the area. Cal (Pa.) will host the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region Championships May 9-11 at Totteridge Golf Club near Greensburg. As hosts, the Vulcans receive an at-large bid to the tournament. Twenty teams will compete in the event, which also features an individual competition....

Matt Cocorikas is on a roll, just in time for the postseason. The IUP senior golfer has won three consecutive tournaments, four overall, this spring season. His latest win came this week in Crofton, Md., when he finished with a 2-under-par 214 to take the Crofton Invitational. He shot a...

Feeling wanted on a team and knowing you’re in its future plans can do plenty for any baseball player’s confidence. The opposite seemed to happen for Latrobe’s Zach Kokoska, though, when he arrived at Virginia Tech last year. A new coaching staff came in with little to no knowledge of...

Belle Vernon does not have a turf softball field, but that won’t stop the Leopards from playing a home game on an artificial surface Saturday. And a pretty cool one at that. The 10 a.m. game will be played at the school’s football stadium — James Weir Stadium — with...

Fresh off an extra-inning win, Mike Secosky took a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie loaded with extra M&Ms. Eager to grant an interview request, he shoved the half-eaten treat neatly into the back pocket of his game pants. It peeked out like a batting glove. “I’ll eat it...

The Westmoreland County Community College softball team earned the top seed in the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and will host the conference tournament Saturday at Seton Hill University. There are three teams in the bracket. Butler County Community College will play Garrett College (Md.) at noon. WCCC (6-8) will face...

Keila Whittington’s first head coaching job in Division I women’s college basketball will be at Saint Francis (Pa.). A Louisiana native, Whittington replaces Joe Haigh, who resigned after 10 seasons with the program, seven as head coach. Whittington will officially be announced Thursday afternoon during a press conference on Loretto....

While softball is different from baseball when it comes to pitchers’ throwing motion and wear and tear on their arms, a risk of over-usage still exists. Latrobe might have found out the hard way. Jordan Tallman threw 165 pitches against Yough earlier this season. The Wildcats sophomore has been near...

Houston Astros prospect JJ Matijevic enjoyed his first Double-A home run so much on Monday that he belted another one Tuesday night. The former Norwin and Arizona star sent a 1-1 pitch climbing down the first base line and off the foul pole as the Corpus Christi Hooks beat Northwest...

Even the best baseball teams don’t completely know what they have until the section schedule gets rolling. Some returnees pan out, others fade out. Chemistry takes reps to be uncovered and even more reps to be intensified. Penn-Trafford baseball coach Dan Miller has a group of players he calls his...

Hempfield junior Mekayla Dedo sometimes skies to make a block or deliver a kill. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter could be soaring to new heights in the near future, and her volleyball talents could help her get there. Dedo announced Tuesday she will play at the Air Force Academy. An all-section...

Junior pitcher Collin Liberatore is in control of his game at Indiana State. The Greensburg Central Catholic graduate improved to 7-0 this season after working eight strong innings in an 8-2 win Sunday over Evansville. The 6-foot-4 right-hander struck out two and gave up eight hits in the victory. Liberatore,...

Anybody who followed Seton Hill women’s lacrosse in recent years will know the name Courtney Grove. Now, Griffins field hockey fans will know it as well. The 10th-year coach of the lacrosse team was announced Tuesday as the new field hockey coach. She left Seton Hill in 2011 to become...

Maybe Tyler Garbee should pitch seven innings more often. Garbee, a senior righthander at Mercyhurst, pitched a no-hitter Monday during his second straight complete game performance, a 2-0 victory against host Slippery Rock. The Quaker Valley graduate and Pitt transfer struck out 12, walked one and hit a batter as...