Southeast freshman earns state award in baseball

Freshman baseball player Jim Klocke was recently named the 2006 Pro-Line Player of the Year by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Klocke received the honor during the Honors Luncheon at the MHSBCA Annual Convention in Jefferson City, Mo., on Jan. 20.

Klocke, who attended Vianney High School in St. Louis, was a Class 4 first team all-state pitcher and was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year for his senior performance in 2006. He hit .402 (33-for-82) from the left side of the plate, including 13 doubles, one home run, 27 RBIs and 22 runs scored. On the mound, the right-handed pitcher finished with a 9-1 record and a 0.98 ERA in 50 innings pitched.

In the Class 4 championship game, Klocke allowed just one unearned run on two hits with seven strikeouts as he led the Griffons to their second state title in three years.

Klocke was selected for the Pro-Line Player of the Year award by a committee of the association's coaches chaired by Bob Coons of Jefferson City High School.

A freshman this season at Southeast, he will likely share time as the starting catcher with senior Chad Mercado. The Redhawks open their season with a three-game road series at Jackson State in Mississippi on Feb. 16 and 17. They will host South Dakota State a week later in their home opener.

Blake earns weekly honor

Southeast sophomore gymnast Sandra Blake was named the Midwest Independent Conference gymnast of the week for her performance in a dual against Kent State last week.

Blake finished first in the vault with a 9.8 and was second on the bars (9.775) and in the all-around (38.75).

The Redhawks will be back in action tonight at the Gershon/McLellan Invite hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Wisconsin-La Crosse is the six-time defending national champion in Division III. Other schools competing include Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Winona State.

-- Southeast Missourian