| 7/28/2010 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Madison’s Luke Jones (top) and Switzerland County’s Travis Tackett (middle) and Danny Schira (bottom). (Staff photos by David Campbell) |
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Three baseball Niners headed to Owens Community College
David Campbell
Courier Sportswriter
One of the hardest things for students to adjust to their freshman year in college is making new friends. For a trio of Courierarea athletes, that shouldn't be a problem.
Madison's Luke Jones and Switzerland County's Danny Schira and Travis Tackett will all play baseball at Owens Community College near Toledo in the fall. The three have played for Madison's Post 9 baseball team for each of the last two years and have squared off against each other in baseball and basketball for the past four years.
"I think it will be good. Sometimes it's hard to meet new people," Jones said. "You have somebody you know already."
Jones pitched and played first and third for Madison for three years before having to sit out his senior year after breaking team rules. Losing his high school senior season hurt, but Jones was able to turn it into a positive.
"I really needed to get stronger and threw a lot during the season," Jones said. "I worked with my father who is a pretty good pitcher (father Lance Jones is a former collegiate player at Nicholls State) and we really ironed some things out."
A standout basketball player at Madison also, Jones' bread and butter has always been on the mound and that won't change at Owens. He will not play basketball while he concentrates on the diamond.
"I have got to get my velocity up," Jones said. "Part of that is getting stronger and part of that is technique. I know I have some work to do."
Jones picked Owens for much of the same reasons as Tackett and Schira. All three liked the opportunity of going to a junior college, working on their game and possibility looking at better opportunities in two years.
"I looked at other schools but this seemed to be a good fit," Jones said. "Then maybe I can get re-recruited in two years."
Tackett, a standout basketball player as well, said he just fell in love with the school when he visited. Despite the distance from home, Tackett knew it was the place for him.
"I liked the school, I liked the coach and I liked the area," Tackett said. "It just seemed perfect."
Like Jones, Tackett likes the fact that he will have friends with him in school to make the transition easier.
"It could cause some problems but I think it will be OK," Tackett said with a smile. "I'd rather have them than not have them."
Schira also liked the school and liked the opportunity to continue playing the game he loves.
"I didn't really know if I would get a chance to play baseball (in college)," Schira said. "So to get to play baseball is really cool."
Owens is known for its medical studies and both Jones and Tackett plan on pursuing those majors. Jones will major in pre-nursing and Tackett will look into pre-physical therapy.
"I had a male nurse when I lacerated my spleen playing football as a sophomore and he really helped me through it," Jones said. "He was the one that talked me into pursuing nursing."
Schira, on the other hand, is like many college freshmen and undecided on a major.
"I have no idea," Schira said with a grin. "I just want try some things out first."
All three players have a bit of time before they have to report to college in earnest and that's a good thing since Post 9 just won its first regional title since 2003 and will play in the Legion State Finals this week in Plymouth for the first time since 2007.
But while the Niners will leave for Plymouth tomorrow, Jones, Tackett and Schira will be en route to Owens Community College for mandatory preseason physicals. The three will then head west across northern Ohio and on to Plymouth to join up with their Niners teammates in time for Madison's state finals opener at 4 p.m. on Thursday with Evansville Pate Post 265.
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