Marian Catholic Rolls a Lucky 7 on College Signing Day

Seven student-athletes made their college plans official during a signing-day ceremony Wednesday at Marian Catholic High School.

Last May, Marian Catholic softball standout Alex Nickel was named Southland Patch's Athlete of the Month. On Wednesday, she was at the head of Marian Catholic's recruiting class. Seven Marian Catholic standouts made the college plans official during a ceremony at school. Following is a rundown: 1. Brad Bohlen (baseball), Northern Kentucky. 2. Aliyah Isaac (basketball), Valparaiso. 3. Reggie Johnson (baseball), Missouri. 4. Jasmine King (volleyball), Steon Hall. 5. Alex Nickel (softball), St. Louis. 6. Melanie Ransom (basketball), Davidson. 7. Megan Walsh (basketball), Truman State.

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Athlete of the Month: Marian Catholic Softball Standout Nickel Towers Above the Rest

On a recent trip to Florida, Marian Catholic junior shortstop and Patch Athlete of the Month Alex Nickel was thrilled to ride the coasters and just as happy to bond with her Spartan teammates. Her all-around game has Marian motoring toward the postseason.

To see the faces was to see the terror. Marian Catholic junior softball standout and Patch Athlete of the Month for April Alex Nickel never will forget riding Disney/MGM’s Tower of Terror. Talk about a thrill. “Because we all went on it as a team,” Nickel said. “We got to see the picture at the end. The faces of everyone, the people sitting next to each other just grabbing onto each other, it was unbelievable.” Nickel and her Marian Catholic teammates spent five days in early April at Walt Disney World. The spring trip to Florida was a little about softball, but more about team bonding. The Spartans returned with four wins in five games and a general understanding of where they were headed next. “We definitely got a lot closer,” Nickel …

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The Sports Report

Marian Catholic Softball Takes a Ride on Stanton Island Ferry

Junior slugger Rebecca Stanton continues to hit the ball out of the park as Marian Catholic surges toward the Class 3A playoffs with an eye on making a run for all the marbles.

Marian Catholic junior right fielder Rebecca Stanton jumped a little higher than normal when she rounded first base and saw her three-run homer clear the center field fence. “I think I was just excited because it gave us more of a lead and our team was so excited about it,” Stanton said after her sixth inning blast powered the Spartans to an 8-3 victory over Oak Forest on Friday afternoon in Oak Forest. “And I knew we would play better with a bigger lead.” Stanton has been giving Marian Catholic leads all season long with her long-ball hitting. She connected on an 0-1 pitch from Oak Forest’s Emily Larsen for her eighth homer—this one serving as the knockout punch for the Spartans. The irony is a few minutes earlier they were on the ropes. …

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Softball: Marian Catholic Outslugs Oak Forest

Marian Catholic 8, Oak Forest 3: Rebecca Stanton and Alex Nickel connect for homers as the Spartans rally from a 3-1 deficit to take the non-conference battle on Friday afternoon in Oak Forest.

Touching All the Bases: A big crowd turned out to watch some of the Southland’s biggest boppers put on fireworks show in a non-conference softball matchup with playoff implications on a chilly Friday afternoon in Oak Forest. And, sure enough, the ball was flying out of the ballpark in Marian Catholic’s 8-3 victory over Oak Forest. Emily Naegele’s solo homer in the bottom of the third inning staked the Bengals to a 3-1 lead. The blast for Naegele was her ninth of the season. Marian Catholic tied the score 3-3 on a solo homer by Alex Nickel in the top of the fifth. And the Spartans’ Rebecca Stanton connected for a three-run homer that broke the game open in the sixth. The homer for Stanton was her eighth and came on an 0-1 pitch from Oak …

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UPDATE: Marian Catholic's Nickel Gets the Biggest Roar from the Crowd

Marian Catholic softball fans know this about Alex Nickel: She plays with determination and heart. And they roared for her in Patch's weekly MVP voting. Nickel outpolled nine others to become eligible for April Patch Athlete of the Month recognition.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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Local Sports Notebook

Rich Central Seniors Helped Forge 'Incredible' Baseball Turnaround

Despite falling short of their ultimate goal, the Olympians enjoyed remarkable success this season.

Though Rich Central’s baseball season came to an end with Wednesday’s loss to Oak Forest in the sectional semifinals, there’s no doubt that the Olympians had a hugely successful season. The Olympians won their first conference title in 22 years and won their first regional title since the mid-1980s. "To see how far this program has come in the last three years is incredible," Olympians coach Corey Stallings said.  "Three years ago we had nobody watching us play, but the guys kept believing. Jayme (Taylor), Nick (Collins) and the rest of the guys put this program in the direction we want to head." Several players will be heading off to the college ranks, including Collins (Northern Illinois) and Tyler House (Missouri). The emotions that …

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Local Sports Notebook

Marian Hopes to Start New Softball Streak

Spartans saw their 14-game winning streak end in dramatic fashion against rival Marist this week.

Marian Catholic’s softball team had been on quite a roll before Wednesday’s game against Marist—a 14-game winning streak, in fact. On May 6, the Spartans pounded Kankakee 20-6, as Becca Stanton and Alex Nickel each knocked in three runs, while Julie Kistner, Jenny LaBella and Kelly Foley each had two RBIs. On May 7, the Spartans pounded Nazareth 9-1 and 10-0, as Rachel Glenn went 4-for-4 and had four RBI in the opener and then pitched a two-hitter in the second game. Bri Clark led the Spartans in the second game with a homer and five RBIs. Becca Gray pitched a four-hitter and struck out 10 in game one. With first place in conference on the line, the Spartans had a home-and-home showdown with Marist. The Spartans rallied for three runs in …

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