The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters.

The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.

Millikan baseball knows what it wants, and it wants it now.

The Rams offense came out swinging early and often Wednesday night on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field while mashing their way to a 12-3 win over Lakewood. Millikan can grab a share of the Moore League championship by beating first-place Wilson in the regular season finale next week.

“We just try to come out swinging and be aggressive,” Millikan senior Anthony Pack said. “We’re hunting the fastball 100 percent.”

Pack led the potent Millikan offense with four hits, three RBI and two runs scored. His double in the sixth brought two runs home and capped the scoring. It also came on the first pitch of the at bat, which was the Rams routine. Ben Keisler and Xavier Kennard also had great nights at the plate that included an RBI hit on the first pitch.

Millikan coach Ron Keester thinks that an emphasis on using the whole field has helped his team stay aggressive early in the count.

“We’re able to get more pitches in and that keeps us more focused,” he said. “We’re able to pull the ball more because (the pitcher) has to spread the ball around the plate.”

It was an action packed first three innings, but Millikan set the tone in the bottom of the first inning when Shane Wally singled on the first pitch from Lakewood starter Nate Garcia. Keisler and Adrian Ramirez drove in the runs for a 2-0 lead.

Lakewood used its patented small-ball approach to keep pace with Millikan. The Lancers scored twice on squeeze bunts from Tanner Miramontes and Angelo Ortiz. Joe Dizon had the only RBI hit for Lakewood, and it tied the game 3-3 in the third inning.

Millikan immediately retook the lead thanks to an RBI double from Kennard and an RBI single from Wally. Eventually a four-run fourth inning blew the game open and forced Lakewood to bring in four different pitchers. Kennard delivered the big hit by clearing the bases with a double on the first pitch from Lakewood reliever Hunter Gershen.

Millikan starter Owen Waytas scattered eight hits and hit one batter during his complete game performance. Over the last four innings, he settled in nicely and limited the Lancers to three base runners who were all stranded on first. First baseman Ramirez also helped Waytas stay in the game with a fantastic pick to get the leadoff batter in the sixth inning.

The Rams used 16 hits and a handful of walks to score in all but one inning, and all but one spot in the lineup reached base.. That total team effort is a byproduct of the team bonding that has grown stronger as the season has gotten longer.

After the game, the Rams surprised coach Keester with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” to celebrate. He then jokingly told them to line up for sprints.

“We see a lot more of that off the field, it’s just recently started to blend on the field,” Keester said of his team’s chemistry. “That’s starting to help our offense and it’s just starting to go. There’s times after practice where we’re done and they just sit there and talk. Maybe that’s what we need, maybe that’s the missing piece that we’ve needed. Hopefully that gets us to where we want to go.”

“We’re not only teammates, we’re brothers,” Pack added. “If you play like brothers you play better in the game.”

Pack, who is an elite talent likely headed to the MLB Draft, showed off his skills all night. His speed on an infield hit had the crowd amazed, but the Rams dugout wasn’t shocked.

“Everything he does is just different,” Keester said of Pack. “The ball comes off his bat differently, the ball comes out of his hand differently and he plays the game hard. It’s fun to see. He just goes.”

Next Wednesday at Blair Field, Millikan (20-6, 10-1) and Wilson (17-7, 10-0) will decide the league champion if Wilson can beat Jordan on Friday. The Bruins beat the Rams last month, so Millikan shares the title with a win. Millikan is the defending league champions and has won six of the last 10 titles. Wilson hasn’t won the league since 2017, and its last outright win was 2005.

“We’re definitely going into that Wilson game with a chip on our shoulder, we’re taking it personal,” Pack said. “We’re coming with a little bit more fire in us. I think we’re ready, we showed that with this game.”

Kennard produced two doubles and a single from the bottom of the lineup while driving in four runs. Noa Morales scored three times and had an RBI double as part of the pivotal fourth inning. Keisler continued to swing a hot bat and reached base four times on three singles and a walk. He drove in two runs and scored once.

Keenan Roderick is a senior libero and co-captain for the Trevians. He will attend Lehigh University next year.

1. Do you have any prematch rituals or superstitions?

I do. I have to drink a coffee before I play and I have to touch each of the (net) antennas before I play.

2. Why is Lehigh a good fit for you?

The size of the school is really good for me. I really like the personal connection and I really like the location on the East Coast, close to New York. I am very interested in the finance program they have there. It’s a well-rounded fit for me and exactly what I was looking for.

3. What is your dream job?

I think I would want to be a professional golfer. I feel like that would be an awesome job to have. I love golfing, love being out on the course, but I don’t think I quite have the skill.

4. How did you first get into volleyball?

I was introduced to it by my teammate actually, Jackson Gilbert, in sixth grade and at the time, I was playing three or four other sports and volleyball was kind of in the rotation but not the main focus. As I grew up, it slimmed down — just football and volleyball and then golf and volleyball and just volleyball senior year.

5. What do you enjoy about the game?

I love the energy and quick pace of the game. I think it’s so fun you can make one play and have the gym going crazy and right after that it can swing and you can feel crushed. It never feels good to be that team but I love the momentum and how energetic the game is overall.

6. If you could try another sport, what would it be?

I think I’ve gotta go curling. I think it would be pretty awesome to be good at curling. On spring break I talked to a dude from Canada and he was very excited and emotional to tell me about curling. It’s something I gotta try sometime.

7. What has been your top sports moment so far?

This might come out as irrelevant but the JV championship game against GBS was some of the most fun I’ve had playing volleyball. This year, playing against Maine South, was an unreal game. I love those rivalries. They are so competitive and emotional. Those games definitely stick with me forever.

8. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

I think I’m going to go with a Snickers bar and probably like a Gatorade (yellow). Keep it simple, get some electrolytes.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I would say I’m a pretty open book but one thing people don’t know is I can make a clover with my tongue.

10. What can this team accomplish this season?

I feel great about how we have been playing. I’ve been really impressed with that. We are handling a little bit of adversity right now … but I think we can turn it around really quickly and go on huge upswing. I have a lot of faith in our team and our guys. I think we can make run in state, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.

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PITTSBURG – Pittsburg State University head volleyball coach Megan Besecker announced today (May 1) that Erin Pavlin has been hired as the Gorillas assistant coach. Pavlin replaces former assistant coach Kennedy Shelstead who was introduced as the new Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at Division I North Texas earlier this spring.

“I am excited to have Erin join us here at Pitt State,” Besecker said. “She has a lot of coaching experiences at many different levels, and I look forward to all of her knowledge she will bring to the program.”

Pavlin comes to Pitt State after spending the past two seasons at the University of Akron, a Division I program that competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). She joins the Gorillas after 11 years of coaching experience, including six years as a head coach at the club level.

Prior to Akron, Pavlin served at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas where she spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Lady Cardinals. Pavlin helped turn the program from an 8-8 conference record in her first season to an undefeated 16-0 conference showing in year two. In 2022, she helped coach TVCC to a conference title and a Region 14 championship before finishing eighth in the country at the NJCAA National Tournament.

Pavlin has nine seasons of club coaching experience, coaching for H2 out of St. Louis, Mo., and Norco in Colorado. Her 2016 H2 team finished 16-1 and qualified for the Asics Junior National Championship. Over her six years at Norco, Pavlin led teams to medals at multiple USAV national qualified and learned under former Ohio State head coach Jim Stone.

During her time as a student-athlete at Columbia College, Pavlin competed in two NAIA D1 national championship games, finishing on runner-up teams in 2010 and 2012. In her sophomore season (2011), the team finished third in the NAIA; and Columbia was a top-10 program in the NAIA during her senior campaign in 2013. Pavlin earned All-Conference and All-Academic honors during her time at Columbia, winning the Champions of Character Award in 2013.

Pavlin earned a bachelor’s in business administration degree from Columbia College in 2014. She is completing a master’s degree in sports science from Akron.

Head coach Mike Markovic is very pleased with the performance of his IRHS boys’ volleyball team.

The Indians emerged from spring break with their sixth straight win, 3-0, over visiting Henlopen Conference rival Smyrna on Tuesday, April 29.

Indian River improved its record to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play after winning in straight sets by the scores of 25-17 twice and 25-18 once.

“Our overall team defense is much better than last year,” said Markovic, who is in his second season as the squad’s bench boss. “We have three or four strong hitters who can consistently hit winners. And, our upperclassmen have provided steady leadership. We have also proven that we can win close matches.”

This year’s team’s strengths are setting, strong outside hitters, and good overall defense, said Markovic, who is assisted by Jay Clark and Chad Zook.

“Our serving was very inconsistent earlier in the season, but has improved recently,” he said. “Service receive, blocking, and out of system play are areas where we can improve.”

The Indians play their last five games through May 7. “One game is against undefeated Caesar Rodney, who beat us earlier this season at their gym,” he said. “We also have an important match against our nearby rival, Cape Henlopen. Winning a majority of these matches is critical to qualifying for the state playoff championship, having a low seed, and hosting a first round match.”

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WPMI) — Baldwin County beach tourism is getting a boost between the busy spring break and summer seasons. Gulf Shores is once again hosting the NCAA beach volleyball championship. The tournament gets underway on Friday. There are 16 NCAA Division 1 teams competing for the top spot. It was set to be played in Huntington Beach, California this year and next year, but the event returned to Alabama due to devastating wildfires. It will be played in Gulf Shores through 2031.

“We’ve been fortunate to have the beach volleyball national championship since its inception in 2016,” said Gulf Shores spokesman Grant Brown.

Gulf Shores has become a hot spot for hosting beach volleyball. Two weeks ago, the AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championship played there, and right now, junior nationals are in town competing next to the NCAA national championship. It’s not just volleyball, the state track championship is going on right now and next week Gulf Shores will host 56 teams in the regional softball Championship. These sports tourism events increasingly bridge the gap between busy times.

“This whole tourism world is changing. People have the opportunity to really come at different times of the year. So our bell curve, which used to be flat, and then really big in the summer, and then really bad in the winter, it’s flattening out like crazy,” said Brown.

“It means the workforce is stabilized, businesses stay healthy, and those are all very important things to our economy,” said Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism President and CEO Beth Gendler.

Gendler says inventory has grown leaps and bounds in the last two years with more than 1,000 new rental units being built at the beach. She says they’ve started the year strong and bookings through summer are on pace to match last year, even as the nation faces troubling economic news.

“They can come here, and they can stay in any number of accommodations. So, they can glamp in the Gulf State Park. They can stay in a hotel. They can stay in a condo. They can stay in a beach house so they’re able to share expenses with family members or multi-generational or friends, and so it makes our destination a perfect destination in those economic uncertain times,” said Gendler.

Starting Friday, you can go watch tournament games in person. Tickets start at $35. You can also watch at home. Every match will stream live on ESPN2, except for the national championship, which will air on ESPN. Saturday night Wes Loper performs on the town green in Gulf Shores for a free concert.

This week, Alabama announced tourists spent a record breaking $23.9 billion last year in the state. That’s more than double what was spent in 2014, according to the state tourism department. The lodging tax revenue generated $88 million for the state’s general fund . Without it, each household in Alabama would have to pay an additional $700 in taxes to maintain current services, according to tourism officials.