Athletes of the week as selected by the Post-Gazette scholastic sports staff:

MIKE BURGER

SCHOOL: Blackhawk

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior who has been a standout pitcher and hitter for Blackhawk, the Post-Gazette's No. 1 WPIAL Class AA baseball team.

THE PAST WEEK: In a 9-1 victory Saturday against New Brighton, Burger pitched a two-hitter and struck out seven. He had two hits and an RBI.

He also had a stretch early last week in which he hit a home run in three consecutive games.

SEASON: Burger has a 2-0 pitching record with 25 strikeouts in 17 innings and a 0.89 ERA. He also is hitting .600 with a double, three homes and 12 RBIs.

A BURGER WITH MUSTARD: Burger was a successful pitcher as a junior but has improved greatly this year. One of the reasons is the velocity on his fastball has improved.

"He was good the last couple years, but he's just gotten stronger and a lot more confident this year," said Blackhawk coach Bob Amalia.

"His control has improved, and he definitely has picked up his speed. Some people had a radar gun on him [against New Brighton], and he topped out at 90 mph and was consistently around 88."

ALL CAGED UP: Burger has a batting cage in his back yard. Many of his teammates use the cage to practice.

"When people ask me where I live, I tell them, 'Just go to my neighborhood, make a right and look for the baseball cage,' " he said.

GUTTERS AND GREENS: Burger also is on Blackhawk's golf team and an avid bowler. Last year, he bowled a 289. In golf, he once shot a 74 at Blackhawk Golf Course.

In addition to golf and bowling, he plays the guitar and loves to fish.

"I go catfishing a lot," said Burger, who also is a member of the National Honor Society.

THE FUTURE: Burger has signed with West Virginia University. "He was recruited as a first baseman and an outfielder," Amalia said.

"But, after they see the way he's throwing this year, they might have to take a look at him on the mound."

-- By Mike White

ERICA MOODY

SCHOOL: Oakland Catholic.

WHO IS SHE? One of the top sprinters in the WPIAL. Moody is ranked first in the 400 meters at 57.4 seconds and tied for fourth in the 200 at 25.8. She also is on the Eagles' 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams.

THE PAST WEEK: A senior, Moody raced to two gold medals Saturday at the Butler Invitational.

She won the 200 in 25.8 and the 400 in 57.4, both invitational records.

CAREER: This is Moody's fourth season on the varsity. In the WPIAL Class AAA championships last year, she finished fourth in the 400 and eighth in the 200. She earned a PIAA medal in the 400, taking eighth.

TALES OF TAPE: The 400 is her specialty. She is pleased with her district-best time, but not satisfied.

"I want to get to 54-even by the end of the season. I'm about three seconds away, but I can see myself getting the time down."

Moody has another lofty objective. "I want to win the WPIAL," she said. "I have tough competition, though. Katie Orchowski of Upper St. Clair is pretty good."

IN THE LONG RUN: As a freshman, Moody ran the 100 and 200. Eagles coach George Rudolph, however, anticipated a change.

"It was obvious to the coaches that the 200 and 400 would be better for her," he said.

"Erica doesn't have the lightning speed to be a WPIAL or state champion in the 100, but she has good speed. We saw that and the strength.

"We figured that with her speed and so much strength, she'd be a heck of a quarter miler."

MOODY ISN'T MOODY: Oakland Catholic is a young team, as 22 of 30 members are freshmen or sophomores. Rudolph expected Moody to be a leader, and hasn't been disappointed. "She's very good with those kids," he said.

RIGHT HERE IN RIVER CITY: Moody, of Penn Hills, also trains and competes with the River City Track Club.

FUTURE: An honor roll student, Moody plans to run at one of these five colleges: Pitt, Duquesne, Michigan State, Richmond or Jacksonville.

"I hope to narrow my list to two or three by the weekend," she said.

-- By Rick Shrum