
DATE: Thursday, June 26, 1997               TAG: 9706240172

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 08   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:   75 lines

`SUBMARINE PITCH' BRINGS CO-PLAYER OF YEAR AWARD

HE THROWS FROM down below, but Heath Cataulin's results have gone over the top.

The Granby High junior with the underhand ``submarine'' pitching motion was named co-Player of the Year in baseball for the Eastern District.

With two no-hitters and two 1-hitters highlighting his 7-2 record - to go along with a 1.56 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 63 innings - he emerged as the league's top pitcher. Cautalin, also a first team All-Tidewater pick, batted together, and it was enough for him to share Player of the Year honors with Wilson third baseman Brandon Todd.

Granby, Maury and Lake Taylor each placed three players on the all-district first team. In addition to Cataulin, the Comets were represented by catcher Aron Tabor and designated hitter Jose Wood. Tabor batted .386 with three home runs and 21 RBI. Wood hit .409 with 15 RBI.

The Commodores' three first-teamers were pitcher Joey Libbey, outfielder Mike Cave and first baseman Jeff Firks. Libbey was 7-2 with a 2.12 ERA. Firks batted .352 with 16 RBI, and Cave batted .446. Also, Maury's Gary Masterson was named the Eastern District Coach of the Year. Masterson guided the Commodores to the Eastern Region tournament.

For Lake Taylor, shortstop Vashan Brown made the first team, along with outfielder Robby Hale and utility player Brian Fair. Brown hit .438 with six home runs, while Fair hit .465 with 35 RBI. Hale batted .509 with 16 RBI.

The first team also included three players from Portsmouth's Wilson High - Todd, outfielder Linwood Parker and second baseman Matt Christenbury.

Granby placed four players on the second team, while Maury had three and Lake Taylor two. Granby's second-teamers were senior pitcher Paul Leatherwood, senior second baseman Larry Gordon, senior third baseman Alex Urich and junior outfielder Justin Wright.

Maury's Bruce Miller, Logan Carraway and Stacey Gregg made the second team. Miller is a junior pitcher, Carraway a junior shortstop and Gregg a sophomore outfielder.

For Lake Taylor, junior designated hitter Ron Shumpert and senior catcher Robert Cleek made the second team.

The second team was rounded out by three Wilson players - junior first baseman Kelsey Carr, senior outfielder Adam Foxwell and junior utility player Nathanial Anthony. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Cataulin

Granby

Tabor

Granby

Wood

Granby

Libby

Maury

Firks

Maury

Cave

Maury