Sega earns honor at Kent's NCAA regional trip

KENT -- Matt Sega achieved one of the top collegiate baseball honors of his career in his final three games of the season with the Kent State baseball team.
A senior third baseman and co-captain for the Golden Flashes from Canfield High, Sega was named to the NCAA Division I South Bend (Ind.) Regional All-Tournament Team.
He batted .500 (6-for-12) with one RBI in three regional games and scored the game-winning run in a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Notre Dame before KSU lost two straight to be ousted from the double-elimination meet.
Sega, who went 2-for-4 with a double in the win over the Irish, was the only Kent State player to make the 12-player, all-regional team.
One of KSU's top hitters
But he also was one of the KSU's leading hitters for the entire season, helping the Golden Flashes to a 36-27 record, including 14-10 in the Mid-American Conference, and to the MAC tourney championship.
Sega led KSU in triples (3) and was second in home runs (8), third in RBIs (44) and slugging percentage (.490), and fourth in batting average (.305).
The Golden Flashes beat Eastern Michigan, 7-2, in the MAC title game to gain their berth in the NCAA regional.
But after beating Notre Dame in the opener, KSU bowed to Arizona, 7-4 and to the Irish in a second meeting, 7-1.
Tied school record
Sega also entered the KSU record book as he and teammate Chad Kinyon (Lima Bath), also a senior co-captain, set the school record for games played (63) and games started (63) this season.
Last year as a junior, Sega was KSU's fifth-top hitter with a .296 batting average, drove in 40 runs and belted five homers while starting all 54 games.
As a sophomore with 33 starts, he batted .212 with 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored and three homers.
In his freshman year, he started five games and batted .286 (8-of-28) with four runs scored, two doubles, one home run and five runs-batted-in.
While on the Canfield High baseball team under coach Lee Frey, Sega batted .485 as a senior with a school-record 44 RBIs.
LoVaglio wins honors at JCU
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Danielle LoVaglio, a senior second baseman for the John Carroll University softball team from Cincinnati and Mt. Notre Dame, and formerly from Youngstown and Poland, won several honors this season.
She was named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Central Region second team and to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference first team, and also was John Carroll's Most Valuable Player.
LoVaglio led John Carroll in hits (48), runs scored (24), doubles (13) and stolen bases (a perfect 17-for-17), and was second in batting average (.364) while also driving in 18 runs.
For her four-year career, she batted .311 with 140 hits, 83 runs scored, 68 RBIs, 28 doubles, eight triples and eight homers, helping the Blue Streaks to an 80-71 record, including 21-15 this past season.
The eight triples tied a school record while she ranked in the top five in hits, runs, RBIs and games played (145).
Area background
LoVaglio, who graduated recently with a major in psychology and minor in sociology, attended Holy Family School in Poland before her parents, Dominic and Patricia (Craig) LoVaglio, moved to Cincinnati when she was 7 years old.
Dominic and Patricia are graduates of Chaney and Ursuline Highs, respectively.
Dominic played quarterback for Chaney while Patricia ran track for Ursuline.
Danielle's grandparents are Dominic and Anna Marie LoVaglio of Youngstown and the late John and Helen Craig of Youngstown.
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