HomeTeam Hot Shots
Each week, our HomeTeam staffers nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover. Then we turn the voting over to readers. These nominations span Saturday, March 22 through Friday, March 28. The winners get a T-shirt and bragging rights over every other school in the area. Read up on all of our nominees then vote until noon Monday.
Female nominees
Relynn Capra, Northeast softball: The junior’s only hit against state power Canterbury was a triple that brought home Aja Eglton and gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning of a game they would eventually lose.
Noelle Dietrich, Plant City softball: The junior shut out one of the county’s top teams, Strawberry Crest, and scattered seven hits in a 4-0 win. She also held Tampa Bay Tech scoreless and has three shutout victories in her past four games.
Emily Gauvey, Anclote track: The sophomore won the high jump at the FSU Relays in a pattern she’s followed all season. She leaped 5-4, just 2 inches short of her winning jump at the USF/Steinbrenner Invitational.
Hailey Hopkins, Canterbury softball: Against Northeast, the junior had two of the Crusaders’ three hits, including a two-run walkoff homer — her first — in a 2-1 victory.
Kassidy Neptune, Mitchell softball: The senior was a threat both in the field and at bat in a 2-1 win over Gulf. Her first-inning home run took care of Mitchell’s scoring. They in the fourth inning, she threw out a Buc at home to keep Gulf from tying the score.
Bryanna Rivers, Wharton track: The Wildcat won the 1,600 meters at Wednesday’s National Division track meet in five minutes, 24.87 seconds. Wharton finished first and won four other individual events and two relays.
Male nominees
KJ Bierly, Wesley Chapel baseball: In a wild, come-from-behind 16-13 win over Nature Coast, the junior had two home runs and nine RBIs.
Doug Borgh, Seminole baseball: The senior catcher was named the defensive MVP of the Steve Georgiadis Memorial tournament after hitting .450 with two doubles and four RBIs.
Bobby Harris, Springstead track: The defending Class 3A high jump champion cleared 6 feet, 8 inches to break his own record at the USF/Steinbrenner Invitational earlier this month, then cleared it again last weekend at the FSU Relays to win the event.
Michael Paul, Clearwater Central Catholic baseball: The freshman was called up from junior varsity to pitch the Marauders’ second game of the Dunedin Spring tournament against Tampa Bay Christian. He threw five shutout innings and scattered three hits in CCC’s 10-0 win.
Jonah Scolaro, Durant baseball: The freshman went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs in the Cougars’ 11-0 win against Middleton on March 22. Scolaro then went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a Tuesday win against Brandon, which gave Durant the top spot in the Class 7A, District 7 standings.
Bubby Terp, King baseball: The senior infielder went 4-for-7 in the Lions’ two games, including one RBI and two runs scored. Terp, who owns a .431 batting average, also leads Hillsborough County with four home runs.