RAY SWANSON | KEYSTONER Ex-coach will caddy for prot & eacute;g & eacute;



How about this for a dynamic duo?
At one time, it was coach and player. Now, it's player and coach.
Denny Eckles, one of the premier golfers in the Greenville, Pa., area, and Denny Driscoll, who coached Eckles at Greenville St. Michael's, are hitting the links in Cleveland on Aug. 11.
While at St. Mike's, Driscoll coached back-to-back state championship teams, and Eckles was one of his talented athletes.
Driscoll will be rooting for Eckles as he has agreed to be the golfer's caddie in the U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifier at Sand Ridge Golf Course, near Cleveland.
Tournament dates
The Mercer County Hall of Fame is gearing for two of its annual golfing events. The directors outing will be staged on June 25 at Pine Grove Golf Course in Grove City.
Then, at a later date this year, the Hall of Fame's Annual 4-Man Scramble is tabbed once again at Tam O'Shanter Golf Course on July 30 in West Middlesex.
Jim Tamber, spokesman, said the Hall is shooting for 32 teams this season. Prizes will be awarded this year rather than cash.
Culp lauded
Westminster College baseball player Kevin Culp, a Canfield native, was on the receiving end of several postseason awards.
He was named to the Verizon Academic All-America First Team and then joined with teammate Kevin Humbertson for more honors. Culp was voted 2003 Team MVP by his teammates, while Humbertson was named to the 2003 American Baseball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region teams.
A senior, Culp was a first baseman and member of the Titans' starting rotation. He batted .369 with 25 runs scored, six doubles, six home runs, 16 RBIs and one stolen base.
On the mound, he was 4-3 with a 3.40 ERA, posting 27 walks and 53 strikeouts in 53 innings. For his efforts, he was named to the All Presidents' Athletic Conference Second Team.
Culp earned the 2003 Westminster Senior Athlete Award, given annually to the male (and female) graduating senior student with the highest grade-point average. Culp had a 3.889 GPA, majoring in mathematics.
Humbertson, of East Allegheny High School, was a third baseman.
He was second on the team in hitting with a .404 average, with 26 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, four home runs and 27 RBIs. He also posted a team-best 12 times hit-by-pitches.
The Westminster baseball team finished 25-11 in 2003, including a 10-5 record in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
Barnes on first
Westminster College track and field standout Diana Barnes is one of 10 students named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District II College Division Track & amp; Field/Cross Country First Team.
Barnes, a junior mid-distance runner, was a 2003 PAC champion and All-PAC First Team selection as a member of the 4x300 meter relay team.
She also earned All-PAC honors by placing second in the 40-meter dash and third in the 200-meter dash at the PAC Championships.
She earned Verizon Academic All-District II honors in volleyball in the fall.
Academically, she possesses a 3.913 cumulative grade-point average.