JORDAN JANKOWSKI

SCHOOL: Peters Township.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot, 220-pound junior catcher and standout power hitter.

THIS PAST WEEK: Jankowski hit his 14th home run of the season in an 11-1 victory against Carrick Monday in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs.

A SLUGGER: Jankowski's slugging percentage is a whopping 1.130. He is 32 of 69 (.463 average), and almost half of his hits have been home runs. Besides the 14 homers, he has 15 singles, two doubles and one triple. He also has 45 RBIs.

TAKE A WALK: Jankowski also has walked 21 times. Many teams don't give him a good pitch to hit because they would rather see him walk than get an extra-base hit.

"I'd rather hit than walk, but I'm still getting on base with a walk, and I'm still helping the team win by getting on," Jankowski said.

SUMMER PLANS: This summer, Jankowski will play for a team in the CABA (Continental Amateur Baseball Association) World Series in Ohio. The team will be coached by Steve Bort of the Bergen Beach Youth Organization (N.Y.). Bort recruits players around the country to play for his team and 21 of his former players have made it to the major leagues, including Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon.

Jankowski hopes to play Division I college baseball. Teams from the ACC and SEC are expressing interest in him.

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Belle Vernon.

WHO IS SHE? One of the top pitchers in WPIAL softball.

THE PAST WEEK: Nichols fired a no-hitter Monday as the Leopards defeated Perry, 8-0, in a PIAA Class AAA first-round playoff game. She pitched a two-hitter Thursday in a 3-1 victory against Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL final. Belle Vernon (20-5) will face Susquehannock (21-2) in the PIAA quarterfinals today.

SEASON: A sophomore right-hander, Nichols has allowed one run and 10 hits in five playoff games. Her record is 18-4, which includes three no-hitters.

HEALTHY AGAIN: After a promising freshman year, Nichols was concerned she might have to give up softball. She found out last June that she had a fracture in her lower spine. Nichols said she had a congenital weakness that had not been previously diagnosed, and that pitching may have aggravated the condition. She was told to rest -- no softball for six months -- then after resuming practices and workouts, wore a brace for about two months. Nichols said she has pitched pain-free this season. She has to wear shock-absorbent soles inside her shoes and cannot run on uneven ground. Coach Tom Rodriguez uses a courtesy runner for Nichols, a solid No. 6 hitter.

ACHIEVING HER GOAL: Pitching has been Nichols' primary athletic endeavor since she was about 9.

FUTURE: Nichols, who is not involved in another varsity sport, wants to play college softball. She has a 3.0 grade point average.

-- By Rick Shrum