Yonke, Wisdom’s pitching prowess earns them AOW honors

JD Yonke

Bishop Diego's JD Yonke

Shelby Wisdom

UCSB's Shelby Wisdom

Pitchers took center stage at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon as Bishop Diego ace J.D. Yonke and UCSB softball hurler Shelby Wisdom were named the Athletes of the Week.

Yonke pitched his third straight complete game last week, firing a three-hit, 8-0 shutout against Fillmore in Frontier League baseball action. The victory improved his record to 4-0, 2-0 in league with an 0.75 ERA.

“J.D. Yonke, on the field, is a quiet leader who leads by example and, in the classroom, he is a model student, attentive to detail and willing to help other students,” Bishop Diego Athletic Director Dan Peeters, speaking for coach Dan Yokibaitis, said.

Wisdom pitched the Gauchos to a pair of wins over Long Beach State. In a 5-4 victory, she allowed only one earned run while striking out 12. She helped her cause at the plate, going 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs. On Sunday, she allowed only three hits and struck out four in a 3-1 win.

Athletes of the Week honors also were presented for performances during the week prior to spring break for the public schools.

The male winner was Brett Patton of the Pueblos baseball team. He went 6-for-6 in two big Channel League wins over Santa Barbara and Buena. He homered in each game, doubled, had three RBIs and scored five runs. He also played an errorless third base.

San Marcos track standout Kaylin Koopmans was the female award winner for week of March 19-24. In dual meet against Ventura, she won the 400 meters (60.09), the 200 (27.12) and ran a 51.29 anchor leg on the Royals’ winning 4×400 relay team.