Athletes from Berkshire, Chagrin Falls, Geneva, Independence and Kirtland have been named Varsity Travel Players of the Week.
Each athlete was nominated by his or her coach and selected based on their performances from Monday, April 30 through Sunday, May 6, 2018.
Learn more about these outstanding athletes below.
BASEBALL |
 Name: Jack AmendolaSchool: Chagrin Falls Grade: 11 Stats: Batted .647 (11-for-17) with 13 runs scored, 4 RBI and 18 stolen bases to lead the Tigers to a 5-0 record Coach’s Quote: “Jack has been absolutely outstanding all year for us,” said Chagrin Falls coach Michael Sweeney. “He currently is hitting .513 on the year with 53 stolen bases. He totally changes the game plan for opposing pitchers. They focus on him more than the batters and he consequently helps our hitters by getting them more fastballs when he is on base. I have never had a player who can make such a difference when he is on the bases. He also impacts the game in the outfield as he can track down balls in the gap or go get shallow hit balls. I am glad that he will be back doing this again next season.” Notable: Amendola has stolen 103 bases in during the past two seasons and already has broken the school record for career thefts. |
 Name: Mike ZeuliSchool: Kirtland Grade: 12 Stats: Batted .643 (9-for-14) with 7 runs scored, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 8 RBI and 2 stolen bases Coach’s Quote: “Mike has gotten extremely hot at the plate over the past week, which is a great sign heading into the postseason,” said Kirtland coach Luke Smrdel. Notable: Zeuli is batting .455 on the year with nine doubles, three triples and a team-high 27 RBI. |
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SOFTBALL |
 Name: Madison ChapmanSchool: Berkshire Grade: 11 Stats: Batted .647 (11-for-17) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 9 RBI, 7 runs scored and 3 walks and threw out two would-be base stealers Coach’s Quote: “Madison is such a coachable player and joy to work with,” said Berkshire coach Brittany Bakalar. “She is hungry to understand her position and to be the best offensively and defensively as she can be each and every day. Those types of players, like Madison, are exciting to coach. I have seen her step out and become more of a vocal leader this year, which we have been working since her freshman year with her being behind the plate.” Notable: Chapman carries a 3.5 grade point average and also helped lead Berkshire’s volleyball team to the regional tournament. |
 Name: Sarah PiteoSchool: Independence Grade: 11 Stats: Batted .636 (7-for-11) with 1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, 4 runs scored and struck out 13 in 9 2/3 innings of work with a 0.724 earned run average Coach’s Quote: “You’ll find no one who works on her game like Sarah,” said Independence coach Garry Moore. “She’s ‘that’ player every coach wants on his team. Our entire coaching staff takes tremendous pride in her accomplishments.” Notable: Piteo has pitched two no-hitters this season (five innings or more). |
 Name: Rachel ScibonaSchool: Geneva Grade: 11 Stats: Batted .538 with an on-base percentage of .714 and 2 doubles, 1 home run and 6 RBI and also struck out 12 in 10 2/3 innings with an ERA of 0.66 Coach’s Quote: “Rachel had a dominating performance from the mound only allowing one run to cross the plate in her three starts last week,” said Geneva coach Eleshia Pitcher. “Rachel has been a great addition to our lineup this year and stepped up in a big way this week from the mound and the plate.” |
TRACK |
 Name: Taylor WilmsSchool: Geneva Grade: 12 Stats: Won the county championship in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles, the 4×200-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay and also ran an area-best time in the 300 hurdles (45.28) and set a school record earlier in the week with a 45.09 Coach’s Quote: “Taylor has been working her butt off this season and as the weather finally starts to warm up, so is she,” said Geneva coach Bobby McQuoid. “She is looking forward to a tough (Chagrin Valley Conference) meet and hopefully make a strong push to make the state meet.” Notable: Wilms, who will play soccer at Elmira College, carries a 3.75 grade point average. |
COACHES: NOMINATE YOUR PLAYERSCoaches, click HERE to nominate your athletes for the Varsity Travel Players of the Week. Athletes from all Northeast Ohio schools are eligible for the award and nominations are due by midnight every Tuesday. |
