College Insider: Downing delivers for Sinclair

Freshman second baseman Austin Downing was a major player for the Sinclair Community College baseball team this spring. The Middletown High School grad was a first-team selection in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference, hitting .330 with eight doubles, one triple, a home run and 40 RBIs.

Downing scored 39 times and was 12-of-12 in stolen bases. He walked 24 times and lifted 14 sacrifice flies for the Tartan Pride (44-14).

• Senior shortstop Brian Blasik (Valley View) is leading Dayton (31-28) into the NCAA regionals for the first time. The Flyers are coming off their first Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title and will begin NCAA play in College Station, Texas, today as a No. 4 seed, facing No. 1 Texas A&M at 7:35 p.m.

No. 2 Texas Christian and No. 3 Mississippi are the other two teams in the reigonal.

Blasik has become the first UD player to be named to the A-10 first team for three consecutive years. He’s hitting a team-leading .344 with 21 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 46 RBIs, 50 runs and 35 steals.

His stolen-base total is a single-season school record. Blasik also owns the UD career mark (64).

• Indiana freshman catcher Kyle Schwarber (Middletown) has earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Conference second team.

Schwarber started every game this season for the Hoosiers (32-28), hitting .300 with 15 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 47 RBIs, 51 runs and nine steals.

• Wilmington senior pitcher Jake Hofer (Monroe) has been named to the Ohio Athletic Conference All-Academic team.

Hofer carried a 3.65 GPA as a history/education major. He was 1-2 in 12 mound appearances this season for the Quakers (7-27).

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rick.cassano@coxinc.com.

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