MIKE MCKEE

	VWH Campbell, Post-Gazette, Post-Gazette Mike McKee is a two-sport standout in basketball and baseball for the Plum Mustangs. Click photo for larger image. As selected by the Post-Gazette scholastic sports staff

WHO IS HE? A senior and two-sport standout (basketball and baseball) for the Mustangs.

THIS WEEK: McKee had three RBIs in Plum's 10-5 victory Monday against Woodland Hills. On Sunday, he played in the JOTS All-American Classic, an all-star basketball game at Slippery Rock University. He scored 16 points for the Pennsylvania All Stars in a 103-100 loss to Eastern USA. The Pennsylvania All Stars had some of the top players in the state.

STATISTICS: McKee has turned into one of Plum's best players. He has played pitcher, first base, shortstop and third base. He is batting .450 (9 for 20) with a team-high 13 RBIs. He also has one double and two triples. As a pitcher, he has a 3-0 record with 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings.

ONE YEAR OFF: McKee's success in baseball might be a surprise to some, considering he did not play last season. In the spring of 2004, he decided to concentrate on basketball and skip baseball. He wanted to get stronger and also wanted to devote time to playing for the Pittsburgh JOTS AAU basketball team. McKee is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard.

McKee showed plenty of promise in basketball and ended up with some Division I scholarship offers. In November, he signed with Kent State of the Mid-American Conference. Then he decided he wanted to try baseball again.

"I've played baseball my whole life, since I was about 7 years old," McKee said. "With my basketball future all planned out, I decided to go back for my senior year of baseball."

Carl Vollmer, Plum's first-year baseball coach, was happy to have McKee.

"He made the best choice last year," Vollmer said. "Really, he did because look what he got -- a scholarship for basketball."

But Vollmer didn't expect McKee to do this well in baseball.

"Without a doubt, he's better than we thought," Vollmer said. "We knew he was a good athlete and a good pitcher. But he's played to the point where we didn't anticipate."

McKee said: "To tell you the truth, I'm not all that surprised. I figured it would only take me a couple weeks to get back into the swing of things with baseball."

BASEBALL FUTURE? McKee's future is definitely in basketball. He averaged 20.6 points a game and was an all-WPIAL Class AAAA selection. But Vollmer believes McKee could have been a college baseball player if he wanted.

"He's a good enough athlete, no question," Vollmer said. "With his ability, work ethic and size, he has the ability to play somewhere. I don't want to say he could have picked whatever college level he wanted in baseball, but there would have been a lot of options out there for Mike if he wanted to concentrate on just baseball."

THE OTHER STUFF: McKee is an avid golfer and a good student. He has a 3.6 grade point average.

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Trinity.

WHO IS SHE? One of the top middle-distance runners in WPIAL Class AAA track and field.

PAST WEEK: In a remarkable display of stamina, Mucho finished in the top three in four distance events at the Washington-Greene County Championships Saturday at Peters Township. She won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs, took second in the 400 and third in the 3,200.

Jim Faiella, longtime WPIAL track historian, said this might be the first time someone has placed in the first three in four distance races at an invitational.

CAREER: A senior, Mucho has been a varsity performer for three seasons. She was a sprinter the past two years, competing in the 100 and 200, but switched to the 400 and 800 this spring.

"We've been wanting to convert her from sprints to distance events since she was a sophomore, but it's tough to convince kids to run more laps than they want," Trinity coach Sherrie MacKinnie said. "We moved Laura and she became convinced that this was the best for her."

Though she ran the 1,600 for the first time last Thursday, Mucho believes that it and the 800 are her best events. "I don't have enough speed for the 400," she said.

BEST FEET FORWARD: Mucho had never run the 3,200 until Saturday, but did so along with the 1,600, 400 and 800 to enhance her team's chances of winning the meet. She earning enough points to be the most valuable performer-track events and Trinity finished second.

The 3,200 was the final distance race Saturday, the end of nearly 4 miles of competitive running for Mucho. "The only time I will run the 3,200 again is if the team needs me," she said. "I was pretty sore, but the more I ran, the less tired I felt."

OTHER SPORT: Running distances almost seems like a natural for Mucho, who plays soccer year-round and was a sweeper for four varsity seasons. "I played the whole game every game, so I'm used to running," she said.

FUTURE: She will play soccer at Seton Hill University, which does not have a track program.