By Andy Walter

Dean Burrows didn’t really plan it this way.

But when Wesley College’s 2020 Atlantic East Conference championship rings arrived the other day, a couple Wolverine men’s basketball players were working out in Wentworth Gym.

Burrows, Wesley’s coach, figured there was no time like the present.

“I was like, ‘You know what? The heck with it,’” said Burrows. “We’re going to kill two birds with one stone. So we got them out and gave it to them.”

Little by little, Burrows will get all the Wolverines their rings. Some he’ll deliver in person, some will have to be shipped.

After all, one former Wesley player is back home in England while another is in Australia.

The way the 2020 season ended, at the start of the pandemic and with Burrows dealing with health issues, the team members all went their separate ways when the campaign finished.

“We kind of — for lack of a better word — got robbed of having that closure together as a group,” said Burrows.

Because of different issues, the rings only arrived in Dover on Monday, a month later than expected.

But Burrows said it was worth the wait for the rings, which have Carolina-blue stones, one for each of the program’s five NCAA Division III tournament appearances, as well as other stones for conference championships. There’s a wolverine head in the center of the ring and the word ‘Family’ on one side.

Of course, with the school closing at the end of the month, the rings will have even more meaning for the Wolverines.

“I think they’ll have the memories, with Youtube and different things like that,” said Burrows, who has had a handful of interviews for coaching jobs. “They’ll be able to go back and watch the games. But with us not having a college anymore, they can’t bring their kids in to look at the banners or to see the current team.

“That ring means a lot more than it does to most people when they win a ring. Sure, the ring’s special, but I think with everything that we’ve had going on, and experienced, I think this one will probably mean a little more to them and to all of us, to be honest with you.”

Gelofs in Super Regional

Cape Henlopen High’s Gelof brothers, Zack and Jake, and their Virginia baseball teammates are playing in the NCAA Super Regional this weekend.

The Cavaliers are facing Dallas Baptist in a best-of-three series in Columbia. S.C. The first two games, on Saturday and Sunday, start at noon and can be seen on ESPN-U.

Depending on what happens with Zack in this year’s MLB draft, this might be the only season the Gelofs are teammates for the Cavaliers. Zack, a junior third baseman, has eight homers, 44 runs, 38 RBI and 28 walks for UVa, which shook off a 4-12 ACC start this season to reach the Super Regional for the first time since 2015.

A freshman, Jake has contributed some big hits in a reserve role, with three homers, 14 RBI and 20 runs.

In a story on the school website last year, Zack talked about how his parents, Kelly and Adam, were happy to have their sons playing for the same school.

“They were super excited,” Zack was quoted, “not only to have us together, but for us to experience a University of Virginia education and have the chance to win a national championship together. That’s something that we’ll remember forever.”

Eight roadrunners honored

Five former Henlopen Conference players are among the eight Delaware Tech softball players who were named to the NJCAA Region 19 All-Region team.

The Roadrunners won the Region 19 and the Mid-Atlantic District titles while picking up just the second NJCAA Division II National Softball Tournament victory in program history.

Freshman pitcher Lauren Smith was named Region 19 Pitcher of the Year for her undefeated season in region play, and Guy Wilkins was named Region 19 Coach of the Year.

First-team all-region honors went to Smith and fellow freshmen Macey Myers (Milford), Logan Walls (Delmar) and Colleen Cosbey (Sussex Tech). Smith went 10-1 with a 2.99 ERA; Myers hit .494 with nine home runs and 44 RBI; Walls batted .392 with 19 RB; and Cosbey hit .377 with 21 RBI.

Second team honors went to sophomores Kaylie Moore, Sydney Tyndall (Delmar), Paige Lynch (Delmar), and freshman Kelsey Kormanik (Sussex Tech). Moore hit .412 with 14 RBI; Tyndall batted .387 with 21 RBI; Lynch batted .309 with 11 RBI; and Kormanik batted .291.

Wilkins led DelTech to a 19-6 record, while posting his 100th career win with the Roadrunners in April.

CR’s Ivy an All-American

Caesar Rodney High grad Quintin Ivy, an outfielder at Wilmington University, has been named an honorable mention Division II All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

He’s the 17th All-American in program history.

Ivy was a unanimous first-team all-region selection this year, earning spots on the NCBWA, Division II Conference Commissioners Association, and the ABCA all-region Teams.

In 26 games, Ivy batted .398 for Wilmington, leading the CACC with 12 doubles. He finished second overall with eight homers while leading the Wildcats with 36 RBI and 29 runs scored,

Knight time

Smyrna football standout running backs Will and Wayne Knight both say they’ve received scholarship offers from Western Illinois.

What’s interesting about that is that David Rocco — the son of Delaware head coach Danny Rocco — is the offensive coordinator for the FCS program. Will Knight, of course, spent a season with the Blue Hens before deciding to transfer in the off-season.

Wayne Knight will be a senior at Smyrna this fall. He’s reported that he’s also received offers from Stony Brook and Central Connecticut as well as Ivy League schools Brown, Penn and Princeton.

Notes

Delaware football players Dejoun Lee and Thyrick Pitts were both named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team. Lee holds a graduate GPA of 3.72 while Pitts is a 4.0 graduate student. ... Delaware has elevated a few assistant coaches to the title of associate head coach: Amy Bellisari (softball), Ryan Hurley (women’s rowing) and Trey Wilkes (men’s lacrosse). ... Delaware State has 33 baseball candidates and 27 in softball for the MEAC’s Top 50 players in each sport. Fans can vote for candidates at www.meacsports.com on the specific sports page.