YSU

YSU
Heacock pickedtop Ohio coach
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State football coach Jon Heacock has been selected recipient of the Ohio College Coach-of-the-Year Award presented by the National Football Foundation's Northeast Ohio Chapter.
Heacock will be honored at the 18th Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on May 1 at the LaCentre in Westlake. Tickets for the banquet cost $50 each or $500 for a table of 10. They may be ordered by calling Tim Gleason at (330) 963-0444.
Heacock beat out an impressive group of Ohio college and university football coaches whose teams had outstanding campaigns.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten co-championship, a 10-2 record, a number ranking in both final national polls and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame.
Akron coach J.D. Brookhart helped guide the Zips to their first Mid-American Conference crown and first bowl game appearance in the Motor City Bowl.
Mount Union coach Larry Kehres led the Purple Raiders to 14-1 mark and their eighth NCAA Division III national championship in 13 years and first since 2002.
In 2005, the Penguins went 8-3 overall and posted a 5-2 mark in the Gateway Football Conference to earn a share of the league title. YSU also finished ranked in the top 15 in the final Division I-AA polls after being picked to finish sixth its conference in the preseason.
Heacock is the first Penguins coach since Tressel in 1999 and the third to earn the honor. Tressel earned six Ohio Coach-of-the-Year Awards during his tenure while Bill Narduzzi earned the award in 1978.
14 Penguinsrecognized
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State Athletic Department recognized 14 athletes as part of the nationwide National Student-Athlete Day on Thursday.
Student-athletes from 12 teams were chosen by the coaching staffs of their sport to be honored for the work they do both during competition, in the classroom and throughout the community.
Penguins who were selected are Lacy Bronson (softball), Emily Cicero (cross country), Felicia Ciotola (women's golf), Jeanna Cunningham (track and field), Julia Darling (diving), Jarrod Davis (track and field), Abby Ettenhofer (volleyball), Derrick Harris (men's basketball, Max King (football), Kevin Libeg (baseball), Gina Peretti (women's tennis), Ashlee Russo (women's basketball), John Sheppard (cross country) and Britta Snowberger (soccer).
The honorees will be acknowledged during the 2006 Forum Health/YSU Scholar-Athlete Banquet on May 4.
Game postponed
NILES -- Today's Youngstown State baseball game with Wright State has been postponed until Sunday at 1 p.m. due to forecasted inclement weather. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m at Eastwood Field. The Penguins are 2-4 in the Horizon League while the Raiders sit at 6-3.
AREA
Youngblood signs
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ursuline High football player Bryant Youngblood recently signed a national letter of intent to attend Virginia Military Institute, a Division I-AA school. Ken Conatser, once an assistant coach at Youngstown State, is VMI'sdirector of football operations. As a senior, Youngblood rushed for 317 yards, completed 25 of 51 passes for 284 yards and caught five passes for 103 yards. On defense, he made 63 tackles.
REGION
Steelers sign wideout Baker
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers signed wide receiver Eugene Baker to a one-year deal Thursday. The 6-foot-1, 167-pound Baker was drafted out of Kent State by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL draft. He spent four season with the Falcons on their active roster and practice squad. Baker also spent time on the practice squads of the Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams, before signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2003. He was in New England's preseason training camp last year, but was released before the regular season.
Blue Jacketscall up Fritsche
COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled forward Dan Fritsche from the club's American Hockey League affiliate Thursday, the second time in four days he's been called up. Fritsche joined the Blue Jackets on emergency recall Monday to replace Nikolai Zherdev, out indefinitely with a sprained knee. Fritsche played in Monday night's 3-1 victory at Nashville, the Blue Jackets' franchise-record sixth win in a row.
Vindicator staff/wire reports