Oak Ridge will try to start eight-team tournament today

Weather permitting, the Oak Ridge baseball tournament will get under way today with the host squad facing Zalma in a 4 p.m. matchup.

The eight-team tournament features local Class 1 and Class 2 teams and, in addition to Oak Ridge and Zalma, includes St. Vincent, Woodland, Marquand, Meadow Heights, Leopold and Delta.

First-round games Thursday will pit Woodland against Meadow Heights and Leopold against Delta. St. Vincent will play Marquand in a first-round game on Friday.

Semifinal games will be played on Friday and Saturday, with the championship game set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Oak Ridge softball tournament was to begin Tuesday with a first-round matchup of Scott City and Oak Ridge, but the game was canceled. No makeup had been set as of Tuesday. Woodland is scheduled to face Meadow Heights on Thursday for a right to play Delta in a Thursday semfinal. Oran awaits the winner of the Scott City-Oak Ridge game in a Friday semifinal.

The championship game will be at 6 p.m. Friday.

Academic all-state

Mark Unterreiner of the Notre Dame boys basketball team and Amanda Essner of the Notre Dame girls were named to the academic all-state teams by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. They were the only local players honored.

All-star performers

Eighth-grader Kristin Margrabe had the best showing among Eagle Ridge Christain School's four players in the St. Louis Metro Christian Athletic Association all-star games Friday at Gateway Christian in St. Louis.

Margrabe scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, and grabbed nine rebounds while dishing out two assists in a 57-46 loss. Eagle Ridge sophomore Chelsey Clark added four points, six rebounds and four assists.

Joel Price and Sandy Holmes of Eagle Ridge played on the winning team in the boys game.

Price, a junior, scored seven points, including two 3-pointers, to go with one rebound and two assists. Holmes, a sophomore, had one point, seven rebounds, one assist and one block.

College notes

* Nebraska junior Kim Pancoast, a Central graduate, ran a personal best 4:27.55 in the 1,500 at the Stanford Invitational March 26. Pancoast's time qualifies her for the NCAA regional meet.

* Area graduates Marissa Essner (Kelly High School) and Amanda Nuyt (Perryville High School) are putting up big numbers for the 20-8 Maryville University softball team. Nuyt, a junior, is hitting .386 with 24 runs scored and 18 RBIs. Essner is hitting .344 with team-highs in runs scored (30) and RBIs (26). Essner is also tied for the team lead with four home runs and sports a 9-2 pitching record in 15 starts. Freshman Laura Weissmueller, a Notre Dame graduate, is hitting .259.