Two King's Players Named to ESPN the Magazine

A pair of King's College student-athletes have been named to the 2007 ESPN the Magazine District II All-Academic Baseball Team as second-team selections.

Players chosen for King's included senior pitcher Caleb Calarco (New Ringgold/Tamaqua) and sophomore third-baseman Jon Venarchick (Lehighton/Lehighton).  They were selected from a large pool of nominees from all NCAA Division II and III colleges within District II, which encompasses Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.  The duo led King's baseball to a school-record 28-11 season and a third-place finish in the Freedom Conference Tournament. They also helped the Monarchs to the 2006 Freedom Conference title.

Calarco enjoyed a brilliant season for the Monarchs as he was named the Freedom Conference Pitcher and Player of the Year.  Calarco batted .369 (52-141) with nine doubles, two home runs, and 27 RBI. As a pitcher, he posted a 7-2 record with a 1.69 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 58.2 innings of work. Academically, Calarco was named to the Dean's List seven semesters, posting a 3.72 grade-point average as a secondary education major. He is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, and the King's Aquinas Honor Society.  He was also a three-time Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic choice and was honored as the MAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Calarco has also been extremely active in the community, serving as a frequent volunteer with Challenger Division Baseball and Wilkes-Barre Veterans Memorial Hospital. He has raised money for Doug Dobson Memorial Fund and volunteered for Baseball Day at Pocono Mt. High School for mentally handicapped children. Calarco is a two-time Freedom Conference first-team team selection and was the 2006 Freedom Conference Tournament most valuable player.        

Venarchick, meanwhile, completed his second year as a starter with a .380 (62-163) batting average with 12 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 35 RBI, and a .540 slugging percentage.

In the classroom, he owns a 3.50 grade-point average as a biology major and is a two-time Dean's List selection. Venarchick has also performed a number of community service functions, including working with Parent's of Downe Syndrome, Challenger Division Baseball, volunteering with the elderly at River Street Manor, Tutoring fourth-grade students at Pringle Elementary. He is also an MAC All-Academic selection.

"Caleb and Mike represent the best of college athletics in that they are not only outstanding student-athletes, they are also active in the community and making a difference in the lives of others," said King's sports information director Bob Ziadie, who nominated both players for the award.  "Both recognize the importance of being well-rounded and have put in a tremendous amount of time performing all of their academic responsibilities, athletic obligations, and community service functions at a high level."