Prep athletes of the week: St. Croix Prep pitcher opens with a bit of perfection

When Joe Vondrachek isn't pitching for St. Croix Prep, he's the Lions' shortstop.

The senior is solid contributor at both positions. Last season on the mound, the righthander was 4-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 46⅔ innings. Offensively, he batted .508. Vondrachek already holds the Lions' career records for hits, runs and stolen bases.

Last week, he opened his senior season with perfection.

Vondrachek struck out all 15 of the hitters he faced in the Lions' season-opener, a 5-inning victory over Brooklyn Center. At the plate, he was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI.

"Joe is an all-around solid player," Lions coach Rich Dippel said. "Joe is a four-year starter for our program and is a captain this year. Joe works hard at his game and helps his teammates improve."

Vondrachek has signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the University of Dallas.

The senior won two events and finished in the top four in two others at the Tri-City United Invitational. Dikmen, who was the runnerup in the 100 hurdles at the Class 1A state meet last year, won the 100 hurdles in a meet-record 16.1. She also won the 200 (27.66).

The junior, making his second varsity start, pitched a 5-inning no-hitter in the Royals' 10-0 victory over North St. Paul. Horman, who was 1-for-2 at the plate, walked two and struck out five.

The sophomore broke a 34-year old school record with a winning high jump effort of 6-5¼ at the St. Michael-Albertville quadrangular. Last year Hylen was the only freshman to compete in the high jump at the Class 2A state meet.

The eighth-grader, who started at third base for the Stars last season, won her first two starts on the mound for the Stars. She allowed just three hits and one earned run, and struck out nine in an 8-3 victory over St. Croix Prep.

CARSON WOOTERS

The senior birdied No. 18 for an even-par 71 and medalist honors at the Monticello Invitational. Wooters helped the Knights win the 16-team event with a 297. Wooters shot a 36-hole total of 160 to help the Knights to a fifth-place finish at last year's Class 3A state meet.