All-Star Baseball Academy
SOL Player of the Week
for week ending April 19, 2014
(Players are selected by nomination of coaches as well as
SuburbanOneSports.com’s baseball writers based on their
performance the preceding week with the final selection
made by SuburbanOneSports.com’s baseball writers.)
Michael Whalon, Senior, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
The senior lefthander tossed back-to-back shutouts for the Colonials and has allowed just one earned run in 22.1 innings this season. Whalon tossed a complete game four-hit shutout to lead the Colonials to an important 1-0 win over Upper Dublin last week. In the winning effort, he walked two and fanned nine. The shutout came on the heels of a two-hit shutout in PW’s 2-0 win over Upper Merion a week earlier in a contest that saw him issue no walks and strike out four in seven innings. Whalon is 3-1 on the season with a 0.94 ERA. He has struck out 16 and walked four with three complete games.
Note from the coach:
“Mike has emerged as a true leader for us this season, both on the field and in the clubhouse,” coach Chris Manero said. “He wants the ball every day and is always asking to stay in for that extra inning or face that one last hitter. When he comes off the mound after a great performance, he never takes the credit and immediately points to his teammates as the ones who are responsible for the win. Mike threw back-to-back complete game shutouts for us this season, and after the second one, he was quoted in the paper as saying, ‘You are only as good as the guy sitting next to you on the bench.’ There’s something to be said for a high school athlete who has completely bought in to the team-first approach.
“After getting his first taste of varsity baseball last spring, Mike went on to have a strong legion season, and he really began to show growth playing in our fall program in the Extra Bases Fall Baseball League. He attended all of our team workouts in the winter, and this spring he is reaping the rewards.
“Our favorite days are the ones when Mike is on the mound…because he has been our horse in the rotation, but also because the days when he doesn’t pitch and he is on the bench, he just won’t stop talking!”
About Mike:
Best memory playing baseball: The best memory playing high school baseball is all of the bus rides with my teammates to and from away games.
Part of the game I enjoy most: I enjoy the feeling after a hard fought win the most.
My role model is: Cliff Lee
Favorite food: Chicken parm is easily my favorite food.
Favorite class: Forensics was the best class I ever took.
Future plans: I plan to go to college and study criminal justice.
Four people I’d invite to a dinner party: I would invite Harry Kalas, Darren Daulton, Cliff Lee, and Roy Halladay just to be able to talk baseball.
SuburbanOneSports.com Honor Roll:
Mark Heimann, Cheltenham, threw a complete game shutout, allowing two hits and striking out seven in a 3-0 win over Upper Moreland.
Dan Long, Pennridge hit a walk-off grand slam in the seventh inning to give the Rams an 8-4 win over Central Bucks East last week.
Dan Morrin, Central Bucks East, threw five shutout innings on just two days rest Monday, allowing one hit and fanning seven in the Patriots’ 11-0 win over Quakertown in an abbreviated five-inning contest.
Matt Orluch, Wissahickon, had three hits, including the game-winner in the 10th inning of the Trojans’ 5-4 win over Upper Merion.
Matt Radwinski, Central Bucks South, upped his SOL record to 2-0 with a 14-2 win over Souderton last week in an abbreviated five-inning contest. He helped his own cause with two hits and two RBIs. The win followed a no decision against Hatboro-Horsham that saw the senior pitcher throw eight shutout innings of two-hit ball. Radwinski, a senior captain, has thrown 18.0 innings in SOL play and has allowed only one run.
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