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Thursday, May 24, 2001

Andrew Dobies

SCHOOL: North Allegheny.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior who is the Tigers' No. 1 pitcher and also one of their top hitters. He plays first base when he doesn't pitch.

THIS WEEK: North Allegheny beat Gateway, 11-0, in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs Monday. The game was stopped after six innings because of the 10-run rule. Dobies gave up five hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

SEASON: Dobies has a 6-0 record for North Allegheny. In 20 games, he is hitting .350 with 4 home runs, 18 RBIs and 17 runs scored. He has helped North Allegheny to a 17-3 record. The Tigers are the Post-Gazette's No. 1 WPIAL Class AAA team.

ASCENDING TO NO. 1: Dobies, a left-hander, had been a pitcher in his younger years, but last season, he played mostly first base, pitching in only two games.

"I was actually thinking about giving up pitching and just focusing on first base," he said. "Luckily, I hung on and developed my arm a little bit."

This season, he has developed into North Allegheny's ace, pitching a number of the Tigers' big games.

FALLING INTO A SCHOLARSHIP: As a junior, Dobies was a starting receiver on North Allegheny's football team. In the summer before his senior year, he informed North Allegheny Coach Jim Rankin that he was quitting football to concentrate on baseball. Dobies had been invited to play fall baseball for the Mid-Atlantic Rookies, a team made up of players mostly from Virginia and Maryland. The team played a high brand of baseball, and Division I college coaches came to watch.

"It was hard to give up football. It was very hard to tell Coach Rankin," Dobies said. "He didn't agree with me. I hope by now he's accepted my decision."

The University of Virginia saw Dobies play for the Mid-Atlantic Rookies and eventually offered him a partial scholarship. Dobies has signed with Virginia. He probably will play first base and outfield, but the Cavaliers also might give him a chance at pitcher.

"Playing baseball in the fall was a huge opportunity for me to maybe earn a scholarship," he said. "I didn't really see myself going anywhere in college football."

OH, BROTHER: When Dobies pitches, his brother, Adam, plays first base. This is only the second time Andrew has been on the same team as his brother, who is a sophomore.

"It's fun, but I really have to watch what I say sometimes," Andrew said, with a laugh.

Little brother could tell mom and dad about something.

-- By Mike White

Jocelyn Lindsay

SCHOOL: Waynesburg

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-5 junior pole-vaulter for the Red Raiders.

LAST WEEK: She won the pole vault at the girls' WPIAL Class AA track and field championships at South Side Beaver. Her winning vault was 10 feet.

THIS SEASON: Lindsay vaulted 12 feet, 6 inches to set a meet and personal record at the Baldwin Invitational earlier this year. It is the best vault in the state. She also cleared 12-2 to win the Tri-County Coaches Association meet. During the winter, she finished sixth at the national indoor championships in Maryland.

CAREER: She is a three-time WPIAL champion in the event and won the PIAA title as a freshman. Last year, Lindsay finished second at the PIAA meet. Last summer, she competed in two national meets and finished eighth in both.

INJURY NO PROBLEM: Three days before the WPIAL championship meet, Lindsay's left ankle was severely sprained at practice and there was concern she wouldn't be able to defend her title. But she taped it up and entered the meet with only one goal in mind -- qualifying for the PIAA meet this weekend at Shippensburg. As it turned out, she did enough to win.

"My ankle hurt, so I sat out until the height got to be 9-foot-6," said Lindsay. "My goal was to do 10 feet once, so I could qualify and quit. I was fortunate that no other girl cleared 10, so I could rest. Had that happened, I might have taken another jump to try and win the title, but I'm glad I didn't have to."

Lindsay said her ankle is feeling much stronger, and she anticipates being able to compete at full strength this weekend.

NEW ADVENTURES: Lindsay likes challenges, which is how she got started in pole-vaulting in the first place. She used to play softball but during her freshman year decided to try something new. One of her friends told her about pole-vaulting (it was the first year for the girls' event) and she had a background in gymnastics, so she gave it a try. And last year, she played soccer for the Red Raiders, even though shehad never played before.

"Soccer has been fun and is a good source of conditioning in the fall," said Lindsay. "I've never been afraid to try new things and I enjoy competing."

BUSY SCHEDULE: Lindsay spends most of her time participating in activities at the school. She is the co-president of student council, president of the Alpha Club, a member of the National Honor Society and the Grapplers Club.

FUTURE: Lindsay is being recruited by many Division I colleges but said she'll wait until next year to decide on one. "Academics are so important to me, I want to make sure I really make the right choice. I want to go somewhere that they have a good physical therapy program."

-- By Paul Zeise