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Thursday, May 09, 2002

By Mike White and Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writers

SCHOOL: Shady Side Academy.

WHO IS HE? A hitting and pitching star on the Indians' baseball team.

THE PAST WEEK: Zoeller, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior shortstop-pitcher, was 7 for 11 in four games. He scored 10 runs, had five RBIs and also had a pitching win.

LEADER OF THE PACK: Zoeller leads the WPIAL with a .680 average (34 for 50).

MORE STATISTICS: Zoeller also is among the WPIAL leaders in runs (28) and RBIs (24). He has 12 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs. As a pitcher, he is 5-2 with a 1.44 ERA. He has pitched 39 innings, striking out 58 and walking 5. He is the only player in the WPIAL who is among the leaders in batting average, pitching wins and strikeouts. Zoeller has helped Shady Side Academy to an 11-4 record and a spot in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.

HE'S SAFE: Zoeller has 12 stolen bases this season on 12 attempts. He also is perfect in stolen bases for his career, successfully stealing 29 times.

IS IT TRUE? A varsity starter since his freshman year, Zoeller hit above .400 as a freshman and sophomore. Shady Side Academy Coach Bob Grandizio knows it's hard to believe a player with 50 at-bats is hitting .680, but he insists the statistics aren't padded.

"We're harder on scoring hits than most other coaches," Grandizio said. "I don't think anyone could have foreseen him being this hot this season. I get excited every game just to see what else he can do."

AGAINST THE BIG BOYS: It's not only Class AA teams that have trouble getting Zoeller out. He had three hits in a game this season against Mt. Lebanon, which is undefeated (18-0) and the Post-Gazette's No. 1 WPIAL Class AAA team.

A BRIGHT FUTURE: Grandizio believes Zoeller definitely will be recruited by Division I colleges next season. "We've had a couple of Division I college players come from this school, and I'd say he's already better than them," Grandizio said. "I played Division I at Furman, and he's a whole lot better than I was."

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Westinghouse

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-3 junior sprinter for the Bulldogs.

LAST WEEK: Ferguson won the 200- and 400-meter dashes at the Baldwin Invitational. She ran the 200 in 25.34 seconds and the 400 in 56.75 seconds. Her time in the 400 was a personal best, and she holds the best times in the area in the 100, 200 and 400.

CAREER: Ferguson finished second in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the City League championships last year. This season, she won the 200 and 400 at the Tri-State Coaches Association meet at West Mifflin.

WINNING FOR A FRIEND: Ferguson runs for the River City Elite AAU track club, and one of her teammates is Hampton sprinter/jumper Caitlyn Ward. "I wanted to win at the Baldwin Invitational as sort of a tribute to Caitlyn, who is my friend and a teammate," said Ferguson. "Her team didn't go to the meet, and she wanted to compete in it as an individual. Her school wouldn't allow her to, so I wanted to do something special for her. We run together all the time and we push each other, so that victory was for the both of us, not just me."

UP NEXT: Ferguson will compete at the City League track championships Saturday at Oliver High School. She will run the 100, 200 and 400 and is aiming to set records in all three. In PIAA Class AAA championships, she will run the 200 and 400. "It is too hard to do all three sprints and do well out at states," said Ferguson. "The competition is very tough, so you want to be rested and at your best."

WORKING OUT: Ferguson runs with the River City team year-round and said the rigorous training schedule set up by Coach Matis Harrison is the reason she and so many of her teammates excel. "We train hard five days a week, we lift weights three times a week and we have individual workouts we have to do on our own," she said. "Coach Harrison keeps me focused, away from boys and out of trouble. Track is my ticket, and he makes sure I remember that."

HAPPY ALL THE TIME: Ferguson is a cheerleader and describes herself as a very outgoing person. "I have a Colgate smile and I like to laugh," she said. "People always recognize me as the cheerleader who loves to smile and laugh. I'm just one of those people who is always happy and likes to pep others up."

ONE SPORT: Ferguson has been approached by other coaches at Westinghouse to come out for their sports, but she has passed. "I feel like playing something else would be a waste of my time because I am trying to get a track scholarship. The soccer coach wants me to play because of my speed, but I feel as though I can't risk injury."

-- By Paul Zeise