Rochester native Dan Lyonsis once again an All-Star.
Lyons has been named to the Atlantic League All-Star team for the Liberty Division. Lyons is a shortstop for the Long Island Ducks. The Atlantic League is an independent league for minor-league baseball.
Lyons was named an All-Star in the league for the second straight year and for the third time in his six seasons with the Ducks. He had a stellar first half of the season and was one of seven Ducks selected to the All-Star Game.
The Ducks earned a playoff spot by winning the first half of the Liberty Division. Lyons currently leads the Atlantic League in batting with a .329 average. He has five homers, 28 RBIs, 40 runs scored, 18 doubles, two triples and a .497 slugging percentage, good for fourth in the league. He also leads the league in fielding percent by a shortstop at .986.
The 31-year-old is in his 10th season of professional baseball. Lyons, a Century grad, played his college ball at the University of Minnesota and also played several summer seasons with the Rochester Honkers
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The All-Star Game will be played Wednesday in Lancaster, Pa.
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Local professional motocross racers and brothers Jeremyand Alex Martinhave climbed in the point standings of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series as they prepare to race on their home-town track this weekend.
The series comes to Spring Creek near Millville, which is owned and operated by the Martin brother's parents, Johnand Greta Martin, on Saturday.
The brothers are in a heated battle in the 250 class MX national series points race. Both are now in the top five in the standings.
Jeremy Martin is currently in third place in the standings with 252 points, just one behind runner-up Joey Savatgy. Alex Martin is in fourth place with 232 points. Cooper Webbleads the way with 290 points.
This past weekend Jeremy Martin placed second overall at the Red Bull Southwick National in Buchanan, Mich., as he won one race and finished fourth in the other. Alex Martin placed fourth overall and placed seventh and third in the two races.
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Blake Karashas resigned as the Plainview-Elgin-Millville boys basketball coach after four years on the job. He posted a 63-50 record with the Bulldogs.
Karas, 29, will stay on a sixth-grade teach in the P-E-M school district. He will continue to coach seventh-grade football and be the B-squad baseball coach.
"I'm going to step away from basketball for a little bit," he said. "I know I'm going to miss it but right now I'm enjoying my summer."
The Braham native has had calls about other head basketball coach jobs. But he wants to remain in the P-E-M district, where his finance also teaches, and he is also going to school for his principal's license. He might also look to become an activities director in the future.
"I'm trying to build the resume a little bit," he said.
• With Karas stepping down, Jason Herberhas been hired as P-E-M's head boys basketball coach. Herber is a former varsity assistant and B-squad coach for the P-E-M boys. Previously he was the head boys basketball coach at Elgin-Millville, before the merger with Plainview, and at LeRoy-Ostrander.
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Two area players, who play softball at Wisconsin-La Crosse, have been named all-conference in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
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Senior pitcher/outfielder Megan Nelson, a Zumbrota-Mazeppa grad, and Stewartville's Caitlyn Hughes, a freshman pitcher, were both named to the 2016 first team in the WIAC.
Hughes was also selected the WIAC Pitcher of the Year while Nelson earned her fourth career all-conference honor, including her third straight first-team selection.
Hughes finished the season 10-3 with a 1.90 earned run average. In her team-high 15 starts she had four complete games and struck out 77 in 88 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .240 batting average.
Nelson hit .320 (32-for-100) with six doubles, two triples, 15 runs scored and 14 RBIs. She ranks eighth in school history with 29 doubles. Nelson also started 12 games as a pitcher, compiling a 4-3 record and 3.14 ERA. She ranks seventh in school history in appearances (73) and victories (30). Nelson is also 11th in career strikeouts (137) and 13th in innings (289).
