Northpinellas: Nystrom earns SEC honors

Nystrom earns SEC honors

By NANCY MORGAN

Even before Peter Nystrom (Dunedin) starting playing Little League, he knew baseball was a game he wanted to play at the highest level.

Ten years ago, Nystrom competed on a Dunedin National Little League team that advanced all the way to Williamsport, Pa., and the Little League World Series.

Now a senior at Florida, Nystrom continues to excel and hopes to play professionally after graduation.

Last week, Nystrom was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.

"Baseball is like a roller coaster," Nystrom, 22, said. "Right now, I'm on a hot streak and I just hope it keeps going."

During five games last week, Nystrom hit .579 with 11 RBI, three doubles and two home runs. Against Vanderbilt, he had a career-high four hits and drove in four runs in a 9-6 Gator win. Heading into Wednesday's matchup against No. 7 Stetson, No. 23 Florida was on a 14-game winning streak.

"We are really clicking right now," Nystrom said before taking his position in rightfield prior to the Stetson game. "We hope to have a good post-season, but it will take a lot of good play from a lot of players."

Nystrom, a two-time all-state player at Dunedin, was a 13th-round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks, but chose to attend Clemson. "Both my parents have their master's, so that influenced my decision to go to college," said Nystrom, a leisure and service management major. "I figured I couldn't go wrong with a degree."

Nystrom transferred to Florida after his freshman year. He hit .332 with 42 RBI and committed just one error in the outfield in 62 games for the Tigers.

"I felt I needed a change and Florida was a good choice," Nystrom said. "I've worked hard and tried to take good care of myself. A 60-game season can be a long one."

Nystrom has always prided himself on working hard and preparing for each game. Speed, throwing accuracy and good instincts are key for an outfielder, Nystrom said, and a good game plan for hitting is key at the plate.

"I'm not doing anything different at the plate than I have been," Nystrom said. "I know I hit a lot to prepare, and right now, things are working."

Against Stetson, Nystrom was 2-for-6 and played a role in a nine-run, seventh-inning rally that overcame a 12-3 deficit. Despite five more runs in the eighth -- including a grand slam from sophomore Aaron Sobieraj (Dunedin) -- Stetson responded with four more in the ninth to earn its 21-17 win.

Florida (25-14) faces No. 20 Georgia in a three-game series this weekend.

SOFTBALL: West Point junior Nicki Robbins (Seminole) shared Player of the Week honors in the Patriot League for her prowess at the plate, going 16-for-31 in 10 games and hitting .516.

Robbins leads the nation in hitting with a .508 average. She scored 10 runs and hit six doubles last week to help the Black Knights take over second place with a 7-3 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference action.

Senior pitcher Kelli Lightner (Clearwater) was named the Trans America Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for her 12 scoreless innings in Stetson's doubleheader wins over Troy State. In the first game, Lightner pitched her fourth shutout, allowing just eight singles. In the second game, she pitched four scoreless innings in relief to pick up her 14th victory.

Overall, Lightner is 14-8 with a 1.64 earned-run average and has 125 strikeouts in 132 innings.

Stephanie Shrum (Palm Harbor University) continues to lead hitters for Gardner-Webb University and has posted a .556 batting average in the last dozen games for the Division II team. In last week's doubleheader against Lee University, the freshman rightfielder was 4-for-4 and scored two runs in a 6-1 win and connected for another hit in the 8-2 win in the second game.

TENNIS: Charlotte sophomore Gina Craig (Canterbury) has earned a 6-7 record at the No. 2 singles position to help the 49ers achieve their first-ever Interscholastic Tennis Association (ITA) national ranking. Charlotte, with a 7-8 record and with two matches left to play this week, is in a four-way tie at No. 59. The Conference USA Tournament begins Thursday in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Freshman Reinaldo Valor (Thom Howard, Dunedin Academy) is competing at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions for N.C. State. In a 5-2 loss to Virginia last week, Valor survived a first-set loss to win at the No. 3 position.

The Wolfpack, struggling with a 1-5 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference, begins its conference tournament Thursday in Orlando.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro was unbeaten in Southern Conference action heading into its matchup with unbeaten conference foe Furman. In a 5-2 loss, UNCG senior Nigel Mitten (Thom Howard) lost a three-setter in the No. 2 singles slot to post an 8-8 singles record.

DIVING: Sarah Close (Dunedin) was one of two Florida Gators to qualify for the U.S. National Indoor Diving Championships. Close qualified on the 1- and 3-meter springboards, as well as the platform after the sophomore's performance at the Zone Diving Championships earlier this month in Orlando. This will be Close's first trip to the indoor nationals.

SWIMMING: Robert Margalis (Clearwater) and Scott Tucker (Seminole) qualified for this summer's World Championship Meet in Fukuoka, Japan, after their performances in the Senior National Championships in Austin, Texas, last month. Margalis, a freshman at Georgia, earned the Robert J. Kiputh trophy at senior nationals for scoring the most points, finishing in the top eight in five events. Margalis finished fourth in the 200-meter butterfly in the 2000 Olympic Trials. Tucker competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

SOCCER: Robin Confer (CCC/North Carolina) is an integral part of the Boston Breakers in the seven-team Women's United Soccer Association. The forward, a three-time all-stater in high school, had her jersey retired at UNC and has competed eight times on a U.S. National team. The WUSA plays through mid-August.

Gus Kartes (Tarpon Springs) returned from Greece to play forward for the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Kartes, 19, was a reserve for the Olympiakos in Greece before being traded. The Mutiny defeated Dallas in its first game and was to host Columbus Saturday.

GYMNASTICS: Freshman Ashley Shible (East Lake) won her seventh all-around title and led the way for the University of Denver to qualify as one of the 12 teams for the NCAA National Championships this weekend in Athens, Ga. Tara Tagliarino (Plant) of Michigan and Krissy Dregger (Northeast) of Florida also helped their teams qualify for nationals.

Illinois sophomore Jana Gallagher (Clearwater) qualified for the nationals as an individual.