Latest news with #HometownSportsHero
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hometown Hero – Izzy Sousa, St. Raphael
PAWTUCKET, RI (WPRI) — This week's Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Izzy Sousa. The St. Raphael Sophomore has gone 11-2 on the mound with a 0.91 ERA and 156 Strikeouts in 85 Innings, helping the Saints earn the top seed in the Division II State Softball Playoffs. Her success coming a year after she pitched Cranston East to the D-III State Title. 'I think it just shows that the work she put in the offseason to get stronger, because she knew she was coming up a Division, maybe two if we had stayed in Division I, she put the work in the weight room, she got so much stronger,' said Saints Head Coach Ron Larabee. 'She's amazing. Such a work horse.' 'Yeah, I think I noticed a lot of differences in my game, especially over the Summer, coming up from D-III to D-II, I mean I knew I was definitely going to have to improve myself as a person, improve myself as a player,' Sousa said. 'So, over the Summer I worked really hard, got my speed up a little bit. Started hitting my spots more consistently so I think I definitely got a lot better mentally and physically.' Transitioning to her new school and new program made easier by her new teammates. 'I mean you feel like you go into every season feeling jittery, you never know what's going to happen, but I feel like when I saw this group come to tryouts, all the girls really accepted me,' Sousa said. 'So, I felt very good coming in, so I had really high expectations for us because I knew we were all going to mesh so well together.' Sousa will look to continue to grow this Summer with her Waves Softball U16 team. A successful season should put her on the radar of college coaches and with two years still to go in her high school career, the dream of playing Division I College Softball could become a reality. 'We go away every weekend, we're going to play all around New England,' Sousa said. 'I'm going away for some weeks at a time in the Summer. I'm going out to Tampa for a little bit so I'm really, really excited for Summer. There's going to be a lot of traveling, a lot of games but you know that's what you get excited for. Summer softball is definitely the best.' 'She's just getting stronger every day, she works so hard every day,' Larabee said. 'I'm hoping that she stays right here and I'm hoping I can see her just grow into that a nice college player that she wants to be.' If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you'd like to nominate, email sports@ Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hometown Hero – Will Haggerty, Moses Brown
PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) — This week's Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Will Haggerty. The Moses Brown Sophomore has struck out 66 batters in 44 innings, with an ERA of 1.91 while also leading Quakers starters with a .352 batting average with 19 hits. Haggerty is also third on the team with 9 RBIs, as they try to make a push in the RIIL Division I playoffs. 'On the mound he does an incredible job,' said Moses Brown Head Coach Kyle Warren. 'He has an incredible work ethic for all the pregame and postgame and all the off season work that he does and so he came in and was an excellent arm for us as a Freshman, you know I would argue that he's one of the best arms in the state as a Sophomore competing against the top teams in the state.' Haggerty's growth was aided by a strong Summer with his New England Scorpions Travel Team and his Fall with the Dirtbags National team based in North Carolina. 'It was super fun, meeting a lot of different guys, playing at the highest level of baseball for my age group,' Haggerty said. 'And just that experience it helps me up here but also helps me understand where I need to get and how I can improve as a baseball player.' Will is set to play for the Scorpions again this Summer on the Local and National levels, and a strong Summer is important for his future. On August 1st, College Coaches can reach out to him directly to talk about their programs. 'I try not to think about it, but of course it happens, especially at the games when you see guys radaring me and talking to my Travel ball coach, but I mean it's August 1st. I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm definitely looking forward to what my future holds for me, and it should be a fun day.' 'The work ethic that he has, he's going to continue to get better,' Warren said. 'We saw despite how good he was as a Freshman, we've seen a jump in his abilities from Freshman to Sophomore year, so I think that over the next two years, he's going to be one of the best arms in the State and helping us compete with the best in Division I.' If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you'd like to nominate, email sports@ Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hometown Hero – Orla Howlett, Classical
PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) — This week's Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Orla Howlett. A reigning 2nd Team All-State pick, Howlett has piled up 49 goals in 8 games for Classical with 11 assists, putting her on pace to pass the 102 points she tallied as a Junior. Howlett with 250 career goals in three seasons for the 7-3 Purple. 'The biggest thing with her is not necessarily her skills, it's her being a leader and becoming a better team player,' said Classical Head Coach Steven Jackson. 'And progressing through that and she's shown that and has been willing to work hard to get to that point.' 'This year has been the best it's ever been,' Howlett said. 'I think our team is super strong overall. We've got great athletes all over. Amazing performance. Everyone wants to play hard and do their best.' Orla's success is not limited to high school. She's also stood out at the Junior and Senior levels for the Irish National Team. 'My love for the lacrosse just grew tremendously during that time,' Howlett said. 'In March we went to the European Championships and now we're going to the World Games this Summer. So, I think just all of that just built up my whole love for Lacrosse. I could never do anything else.' Howlett is planning to carry her winning ways to Kingston. She'll play Division I Lacrosse at URI next Spring. The connections she made with Head Coach Jenna Slowey and her Assistant, Riley Smith, and the chance to shine for a new program, too good to pass up. 'I just fell in love with URI. It's been such an amazing program,' Howlett said. 'They are a building program too, so I think just being a part of that is the best thing. I love watching teams grow. I think it's going to be a really good place for me.' 'She has the potential of becoming a very, very excellent lacrosse player and she's going to a brand-new program,' Jackson said. 'What's better than that. Starting on the ground floor and I think she's going to do tremendously.' If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you'd like to nominate, email sports@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hometown Hero – John Rodehorst, La Salle
PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) — This week's Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is John Rodehorst. A two-time 1st Team All-State pick, Rodehorst is leading the way for LaSalle on the Lacrosse field, with his two-way play allowing the 12-time defending Division I Champions race out to a 10-1 start. 'He's the all-around true player, he's an offensive threat, he's a threat on defense, and in game time situations, with the pole being such a dual threat, it speaks volumes,' said LaSalle Assistant Lacrosse Coach Cody O'Donnell. 'To our team, to our momentum, our motivation to keep going. He's a true leader. He's always helping the underclassmen, he's helping his teammates on the field, off the field. He's just overall, an amazing kid.' Rodehorst was also a standout on the Soccer pitch, earning a D-I Title with the Rams in 2023, but lacrosse the sport that became his passion. 'You know I think it's one of the fastest sports you can play, and it's really always changing, so you can play from any position really,' Rodehorst said. 'You can go from offense to defense, so I think it's just really special and lots of skill involved. It's really the best of everything.' His success with LaSalle earning Rodehorst a college opportunity with the nation's top ranked team. He'll head to Cornell University in the Fall to play for the Ivy League Champions. And the leadership he's shown with the Rams, sure to help him succeed at the next level. 'When I talked to the Cornell coaches, they loved how hard he works and at the college level, there's no excuses,' said LaSalle Head Coach Steve O'Donnell. 'What I mean by that, for training, your body has got to be ready, physically, you need to be fast and strong, with the weights, you have to hit the ground running in September.' 'It's definitely a really big jump, it's a completely different game, faster game but you know it's just sticking true to what I've been doing,' Rodehorst said. 'Working out as much as I can, hitting the field every day, with some of my friends and the coaches will send us stuff, to get prepared and then when we get up there in the Fall, it's just right to work.' If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you'd like to nominate, email sports@ Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hometown Hero – Patrick Clemmey, Bishop Hendricken
WARWICK, RI (WPRI) — This week's Cardi's Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Patrick Clemmey. After missing his Sophomore and Junior seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery on his elbow, the Bishop Hendricken Senior has returned to the mound and helped the Hawks race out to an 11-0 start. 'Every single day it just got repetitive, the same thing, same routine, soft tissue, just getting my strength back in my elbow and everything like that, and the throwing program was a long process,' Clemmey said. 'To see him back out there and knowing all the hard work that has gone into the rehab process and him ultimately making the return to the mound, I'm really happy not only for him but for his family,' said Hendricken Baseball Coach Chris Sheehan. 'Because I know how difficult the injury was on them.' His big brother Alex, a big key to his rehabilitation. The former Hendricken All-Stater and the 58th Pick in the 2023 Major League Draft, always just a phone call away. 'We speak after every start,' Patrick Clemmey said. 'I'll send him some video just to break it down, see how I'm looking because I mean he's the best. He knows all about it so just to learn from him is definitely a pleasure.' Patrick's college future was settled before his injury. In the Summer of 2022, he committed to pitch at Vanderbilt University, the school his brother Alex was set to attend before he was drafted. But thoughts about being a Commodore are a long way off. Getting stronger and helping the Hawks defend their Division I Title, are his main concerns. 'It's good to have a target on our back, it just pushed us to work harder every day,' Clemmey said. 'And I feel like we're going to have a really good season. We have a really good group of guys; we're connecting well and haven't lost yet so we've got to keep that up and keep working hard.' 'I think he'll just keep getting better every day, every week,' said Hawks Head Coach Ed Holloway. 'He's a hard worker, he knows what has to be done. He knows his program and he follows it to a T. So we're excited to see where he is at the end of the year, you know, playoff time and we expect big things from him.' If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you'd like to nominate, email sports@ Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
