THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406180063
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940619 LENGTH: Long
Nansemond-Suffolk dominated voting for the All-TCIS baseball team, collecting five of the nine first-team positions. The Saints landed 12 all-stars on the four All-TCIS spring sports teams.
{REST} Sarah Putnam, who led the Saints to the TCIS regular-season and tournament titles, was second in voting for the softball Player of the Year to Norfolk Collegiate's Vanessa Facenda.
But Riebel was perhaps the biggest success story for the Saints. He led the team with 32 runs scored and 31 RBIs and tied Mark Fowler, also a first-team selection, for the team lead in home runs with four.
The baseball team won the TCIS regular-season title and was first in the final state poll for large private schools, but it wasn't the only N-SA team to have a strong spring.
The softball team added a conference crown to its regular-season title. The Saints' girls soccer team finished third with an 8-3 record behind perennial power Norfolk Academy, which boasts a 125-0-1 all-time league record and perennial power Peninsula Catholic.
The N-SA boys lacrosse team lost in the TCIS championship game to Cape Henry Collegiate.
This spring was a comeback season for Riebel, who has attended three schools in three years, overcame a mysterious stomach illness and rebounded from a disappointing performance last spring, his worst season since he first picked up a bat and glove.
Riebel, who also played football at Great Bridge, began to regain weight and his health last fall. He decided not to play football for the Saints in order to concentrate on baseball and academics.
Riebel was second at N-SA in batting with a .393 average (10 doubles, 3 triples) behind first-teamer, Mike Vizcaino, but batting may not have been his strongest point. Riebel didn't commit an error.
Joining Riebel, Fowler and Vizcaino on the first team were teammates Grant Sharp and Walt Bondurant. Riebel, Fowler and Sharp each earned first-team all-state honors, and Bondurant was named honorable mention all-state.
Fowler, a junior outfielder and pitcher, batted .333 with 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored. On the mound, he struck out 40 opponents in 53.7 innings, posting a 2.09 ERA.
Vizcaino, a freshman outfielder and pitcher, led the Saints with a .397 average. He scored 18 runs and batted in 24. As a pitcher, Vizcaino struck out 36 in 45.7 innings. He allowed only 2.60 earned runs per appearance.
Junior pitcher Bondurant was 7-0 and struck out 35 in 37.3 innings. He held opponents to 1.69 earned runs. Bondurant batted .244 with 11 RBIs.
Norfolk Christian's Jeremy Elms was a close second to Riebel in voting for Player of the Year. Elms was named on seven of a possible nine ballots and collected 46 points under a ratings system by the coaches. Riebel was named on six ballots and had 49 points.
Elms hit .413 with 24 RBIs. He was a small schools all-state choice as an infielder, but he also had a 1.76 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 30 innings as a pitcher.
Catholic, which upended N-SA in the league tournament semifinals and defeated Norfolk Collegiate in the championship game, landed only one first-team player: Benny Brent, a pitcher who was 7-5 with 92 strikeouts in 48 innings and a 1.63 ERA. He also hit .347 for the Crusaders.
Norfolk Academy's Ben Hamlet was also a first-team choice. The pitcher/outfielder hit .370 with 15 RBIs and had 73 strikeouts in 44.2 innings and a 2.41 ERA.
N-SA's Purnam racked up some impressive statistics for the second consecutive season. She struck out 164 batters in 129 innings with a .170 earned run average. The sophomore helped herself out at the plate with a .528 average, 26 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
Putnam led N-SA to the TCIS regular-season and tournament championships and was named most valuable player in the tournament. She was also a first-team All-Tidewater selection by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Facenda was the premier home run hitter in the area with 11, batting .511. She hurled five victories and had a 1.08 earned run average.
N-SA's Lea Wilson, a catcher with 28 putouts, a .459 batting average, 21 RBIs and 26 runs scored, was also a first-team choice.
Other first-team choices: Norfolk Christian's Rachael Mulder, an outfielder who hit .404 with 13 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and 18 runs; Norfolk Academy's Lauren Goldman, a pitcher who hit .340, scored 23 runs, had 14 RBIs, struck out 61 batters and had a 2.19 ERA; Erin Osborne, a pitcher/infielder who hit .640, had six home runs and seven triples; and Nikki Williford, a pitcher/outfielder who hit .352 and added two home runs and two triples; and Norfolk Collegiate's Jennifer Goudy and Marcy Michaels, whose statistics weren't available.
The Norfolk Academy girls soccer team, which hasn't been scored upon in the TCIS in 22 games, led the all-conference selections with four.
Sophomore Angela Hucles was named Player of the Year. She had 45 goals and 25 assists to lead the TCIS. Teammates Alli Jacobs, a midfielder, scored 11 goals with 14 assists; halfback Carrie Evans had 13 goals and assists; and Hilary Martin scored 4 goals and 3 assists. According to coach Kevin Sims, Martin, a halfback, was a heavy factor in the Bulldogs' 17 shutout victories.
``There's quite a bit of experience amongst these girls,'' Sims said.
N-SA's Jill Van Guilder (keeper, 6 shutouts, goals against average 1) was the lone Saint on the first team. Rounding out the first team are Norfolk Christian's Martha Duffey, a forward who had 15 goals and three assists; Norfolk Collegiate's Heather Dailey, a forward with 11 goals and 7 assists; and Catholic's Georgia Germano, a midfielder.
Cape Henry's Mike Basto was named player of the year in boys lacrosse, though that honor might have gone to a player from Norfolk Academy had the Bulldogs participated in TCIS lacrosse. Norfolk Academy instead competes in the Virginia Prep League.
N-SA's Tom Oast, Clay Boyce, David Lawrence and Stephen Rosner were all first-team selections.
by CNB