See a game, help cause

Attention, baseball fans.

If you want to catch a game Tuesday and contribute to a good cause, the Greenwood Community High School baseball field is the place to be.

In conjunction with the Greenwood Booster Club, the Woodmen have designated Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. varsity game against Decatur Central, “Cooper’s Troopers Night at the Ballpark.”

Cooper Davis is a 12-year-old Greenwood Middle School student who is battling leukemia. The baseball team and booster club are conducting the special event to help raise funds for the family through a silent auction and donations.

Greenwood’s players will wear special “Cooper’s Troopers” jerseys that will be auctioned after the game. Other baseball items will be also be auctioned, including:

An autographed photo and baseballs by former St. Louis Cardinals player Andy Benes.

A baseball autographed by the 1988 USA Olympic Team.

An autographed baseball by former Colorado Rockies slugger Todd Helton

Two baseballs autographed by the 2016 Notre Dame baseball team, among other items.

If Cooper feels up to it, he will throw out the first pitch. If he is too under the weather, his parents, Larry and Sandy, will do the honor.

All auction and donation proceeds will go to the Davis family.

Cooper was diagnosed last summer after attending a Greenwood baseball camp. He left camp a day early because of back pain, Woodmen varsity coach Andy Bass said, which led to the diagnosis.

The baseball team is doing what it can to help.

“Our players think they are having a rough day when they go 0 for 4, or make a couple of errors,” Bass said. “This puts things into perspective. Cooper is having a good day if he can walk to the kitchen table on his own.

“Coaching high school sports is more than just wins and losses. It’s about teaching kids life lessons. The game of baseball has given our kids a lot. This is an opportunity for us to give back.”

Track athletes earn league honors

Seven members of the Franklin College women’s track and field team have earned All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors.The Grizzlies’ 400-meter relay team was awarded first team recognition. Team members are senior Kasey King, sophomore Alexis Weidner and freshmen Cami Collins and Kayla Stamm.

King also earned second-team honors in the 400 hurdles and the javelin throw.

Junior Erica Christy, a Greenwood graduate, was second team in the shot put.

Senior Ashley Myers, an Edinburgh graduate, was honorable mention in the 800 run.

Senior Kristy Hamilton was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

On the men’s side, senior Eric Thompson was honorable mention in the 1,500 run, and sophomore Jon Frederick was honorable mention in the 110 hurdles.

Senior Deron Molen was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Lacrosse players recognized

Franklin College junior Hannah Grow has been named to the All-Ohio River Women’s Lacrosse Conference first team.Grow led the Grizzlies with 40 points and 72 shots. She scored 28 goals and had 12 assists.

Teammates Paige Clark, a senior, and junior Lexi Ingram were second-team selections.

Senior Carley Campbell, a Center Grove graduate, was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Athletes earn academic honors

Four Franklin College seniors have been recognized by the school for excellence in academics and athletics.Austin Carlton, an offensive lineman on the Grizzlies’ football team, and soccer forward Austin Funderberger were co-winners of the Wil B. Nelp Tom Senior Student-Athlete Award.

The occasion marked only the second time athletes have shared the award in school history.

Melissa Sanders, a women’s tennis player, won the Jenny Johnson-Kappes to Female Student-Athlete Award. And tennis teammate Chelsea Howell won the Hunter Leadership Award.

Co-captain of the football team, Carlton was a two-time Academic All-American and was vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

One of the most accomplished soccer players in Franklin history, Funderberger finished his career with school records for goals (23), assists (17) and points (63). He was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Great Lakes Academic All-Region Team his junior and senior seasons.

On the women’s tennis side Sanders was a two-time HCAC Most Valuable Player and has school records for most singles wins (62) and total wins (128). She was a four-year starter who helped Franklin win regular-season and conference tournament titles in 2012.

Howell, meanwhile, had the distinction of winning matches at all six singles positions and all three doubles matches during her career. She was first team All-HCAC in 2015 and was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.