Baseball Coach

Sam Tropiano has been named baseball coach at Bishop Eustace Prep, it was announced yesterday by athletic director Kathy Lange. Tropiano, Eustace's pitching coach last season, replaces Joe Galliera, who resigned recently to accept a position as Hammonton High's athletic director. Galliera recommended Tropiano for the Eustace job. Eustace had one of the area's best pitching staffs last spring, when it compiled a 22-6 record and reached the NJSIAA Parochial B state final.

Tom Hoglen, who has been the Florence baseball coach for the last six years, will resign to accept the job as head football coach at Hamilton West in Mercer County. Hoglen, who guided Florence to three consecutive Burlington County League Freedom Division baseball titles, also served as an assistant football coach at the school. He was appointed last week at Hamilton West, but Hoglen hopes his baseball career at Florence lasts a bit longer. Florence will play Point Pleasant Beach in tomorrow's South Jersey Group 1 championship game.

Former Audubon and Old Dominion star John Oehler has been named the baseball coach at Gloucester. Oehler replaces Kevin Fahy, who resigned at the end of last season. Oehler played for coach Rich Horan at Audubon and helped the Green Wave win the Group 2 state title in 1998. He was an all-South Jersey selection as a senior catcher in 1999, when he batted .492 with eight home runs. "I'm excited about the challenge," Oehler said Wednesday. "I had some battles with Gloucester when I was at Audubon.

John Duffy, Germantown Academy's baseball coach for three seasons, has resigned, the school announced Wednesday. Duffy could not be reached for comment. "I have enjoyed my time at Germantown Academy over the past three years," he said in a news release issued by the school. "At this time, I would like to pursue coaching again at the collegiate and professional levels, and am exploring opportunities to that end. " Duffy compiled an 80-14 record and guided the Patriots to Pennsylvania Independent Schools tournament championships in 2008 and 2010.

Bill Alvaro, who served as Williamstown High's pitching coach last season, has been named head baseball coach at the school. Alvaro, 29, succeeds Bill VanDuesen, who resigned after last season. The Braves went 11-10 last season, and the pitching staff, under Alvaro, allowed three runs or fewer in 10 games. Before last season, Alvaro served as an assistant coach at West Deptford for one season and an assistant at Washington Township for two seasons. "I've worked with some great coaches and now I feel I'm ready to take over a program," said Alvaro, who was appointed to the position last week.

Most guys need to close their eyes to see their dream. Mike Rucci just looks out the window. Rucci can see Joe Barth Field from his classroom at Alice Costello elementary school in Brooklawn. Starting in the spring, Rucci will be able to walk out of his school and across the center-field grass to his new job: as Gloucester Catholic's third baseball coach since 1976. "I won't even have to move my car," Rucci said. Rucci on Monday was named to replace Dennis Barth, who has resigned after a remarkable 19-year run as Gloucester Catholic's coach to take over the baseball program at Rutgers-Camden.

George Manlove has been fired from his position as Sterling High's baseball coach, it was confirmed last night by George Dinich, the school's principal and superintendent. Sterling's board of education, by a 7-0 vote, decided at its June meeting not to renew Manlove's coaching contract. Two board members - Ambrose Rightler and Jim Petitti - were not at the meeting and did not vote. In his 16 years as Sterling's head coach, Manlove compiled a 152-153 record, including a 5-13 mark this season, the team's third straight losing campaign.

Former Audubon and Old Dominion star John Oehler has been named the baseball coach at Gloucester. Oehler replaces Kevin Fahy, who resigned at the end of last season. Oehler played for coach Rich Horan at Audubon and helped the Green Wave win the Group 2 state title in 1998. He was an All-South Jersey selection as a senior catcher in 1999, when he batted .492 with eight home runs. Oehler was an assistant baseball coach at Pennsville last season. He is a physical education teacher at Pennsville High School.

In the spring of 1974, Camden Catholic baseball coach Joe Galliera was sitting in the athletic office at Eastern High School with Vikings coach Joe Hartmann and Gloucester Catholic coach Jim Carr. Hartmann had an idea. He wanted to create a tournament. "I'll never forget when Joe first presented this," Galliera said. "He looked at me and Jim and said, 'What do you think?' " Galliera, now the athletic director at Kingsway, said he feels the same way about Hartmann's proposal today as he did 39 years ago: It's a bonanza for South Jersey baseball.

Mike Trout is used to seeing his name in lights on major-league scoreboards. But the Los Angeles Angels outfielder knows it's going to be different seeing his name on a sign over the baseball field at his old high school in Millville, N.J. "I know it's going to be humbling," Trout said. "Driving by and seeing my name up there, it's going to be a good feeling. My dad [Jeff] played there. All my buddies played there. The coaches who brought me up are still there. " Trout, the 21-year-old who burst on the baseball scene as the American League rookie of the year in 2012, has been the driving force in an effort to refurbish the baseball field at Millville High.

Millville High School's baseball field will soon be named after its most famous former player: 2009 graduate and 2012 American League rookie of the year Mike Trout. Millville baseball coach Roy Hallenbeck said Wednesday that the Millville Board of Education on Monday night approved a sponsorship deal that will include a $10,000 donation to the school for improvements to the field in conjunction with naming the facility after Trout. Hallenbeck said that officials hope to hold a naming ceremony later this spring but that the date and other details still were being finalized.

Millville High School's baseball field will soon be named after its most famous former player: 2009 graduate and 2012 American League Rookie of the Year Mike Trout. Millville baseball coach Roy Hallenbeck said Wednesday that the Millville Board of Education on Monday night approved a sponsorship deal that will include a $10,000 donation to the school for improvements to the field in conjunction with naming the facility after Trout. Hallenbeck said that officials hope to hold a naming ceremony later this spring but that the date and other details still were being finalized.

Swedish golfer Daniela Holmqvist said she was bitten by a spider and used a tee to squeeze out what she thought was potentially fatal venom before finishing her round Tuesday during qualifying for the LPGA Tour's season-opening Women's Australian Open in Canberra. Holmqvist continued her round, under the supervision of medical staff, but finished with a 74 and missed out on qualifying. A tournament official said Thursday that Holmqvist more than likely was bitten by a redback, a species of widow spider.

Gene Reid has been named football coach at Pitman, athletic director Mike McAleer announced Thursday. Reid replaces Sean Kahoun, who resigned after last season. "It's a great challenge," Reid said. "I'm looking forward to giving it a shot and putting my spin on it. " Reid also is Pitman's baseball coach. He has been a football assistant at Washington Township, Gateway, and Woodbury, and he also served as an assistant under Kahoun at Pitman in 2007 and 2008. - Phil Anastasia

As the boys' basketball matchup wound down at Jenkintown High, a couple of spectators started talking about the game that would follow. "You know Jim is going for 500 tonight. " "Oh, yeah? It seems just like yesterday he was going for 400. " Jim Romano, in his 31st year as the girls' basketball coach at Jenkintown, got his 500th win Saturday night, as his Drakes defeated Lower Moreland, 40-30. "When you look at that number, I guess it stands for the program itself," Romano said.

Ashley Wagner , who trains in Wilmington, is on her way to becoming the first woman since Michelle Kwan to win back-to-back titles in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, having won the short program Thursday night in Omaha, Neb. Wagner is more than two points ahead of Agnes Zawadzki going into Saturday's free skate. In the pairs competition, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir took a big step toward their first pairs title, easily winning the short program. They have a nine-point lead over Felicia Zhang of Plainsboro, N.J., and Nathan Bartholomay of Abington going into Saturday's free skate.

RON FRASER, the longtime University of Miami baseball coach who won two national championships with the Hurricanes and whose innovative marketing ideas helped spark a surge in the college game's popularity, died Sunday morning, family spokesman Tony Segreto said. Fraser, known as "the wizard of college baseball," had battled Alzheimer's disease for many years. It was believed that Fraser was 79, though his family's statement did not release his age or other private matters, including a cause of death.

SINCE HE'S now the backup quarterback, Marquise Poston is likely in line to become Frankford High's starter for the 2013 football season. If something alters that plan, Poston will not exactly fall into a deep depression. "I like defense the best," he said, excitedly. "I love the intensity level you have to show on defense, and the aggressiveness. Hitting people, that's the best thing. Laying them out. "I mean, I'll do whatever the coaches want me to do. That's how I am. But sometimes teams don't want their quarterbacks to play both ways.