Sorry for the recent lack of blogging, folks. Life's been busy, but that's nothing new.

Here's what's up in Delaware County:
Unless you've been living in a cave the last two months, you know Conor Kerins is the talk of the town. The Monsignor Bonner left-hander has been on fire. He's posted a 6-0 record overall and a 5-0 mark against Catholic League opponents.

On top of that, he's averaging two strikeouts an inning and has stifled opponents with an ERA slightly above 1.oo. If he keeps up this pace, there's a good chance he could lead the Friars to their first Catholic League title since 1989. I've covered the CL playoffs before and a few years back, Conwell Egan won on the strength of one strong arm. But the Friars have three. They might be tough to take down.

Elsewhere in baseball:

• Two unlikely heroes - J.J. Sims and D.J. DiPaola - led Haverford past Ridley Tuesday.
• Dave Hallinan is single-handedly keeping Interboro in the Del Val League race.
• Nearly a month after it began, a darkness-shortened game between Haverford and Penncrest will finally conclude Thursday.
  
  
  A WEEKEND AT THE PENN RELAYS
  For the baseball fans out there, please understand that we at the Delco Times are giving some love to track, too.
  
  And the Penn Relays are always a good time.
  
  In case you missed it last weekend, a couple individuals and teams from Delaware County had a good go of it at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania.
  
  Penncrest pole vaulter Jerry Thompson, pictured, had trouble clearing 14 feet, 9 inches and placed eighth in the championship flight. And Chester's Martin Soloman came in 18th in the 400m hurdles final.
  
  For a pair of Cardinal O'Hara jumpers, Steve Werner drew the short straw and Jason Johnson came up an inch short. Werner's long jump scores were miscalculated and he missed out on the championship flight. Meanwhile, his teammate, Johnson, in the triple jump, was an inch off of qualifying for the title run.
  
  Delco had a winner, though: Chester's girls 4x400 relay team topped the field in the Philadelphia Area final, outrunning eight other teams in the process. Kudos to the foursome.
  
  I made a promise earlier this year, a vow to blog more frequently. I will make good on that, starting ... ... now!

In case you haven't noticed, these last couple days have been a whirlwind for us at the Daily Times. Allow me to provide the rundown:

Wednesday
American Christian's Tyreke Evans commits to Memphis, which is what we predicted. I'm sure you've heard by now, but the Evans family and the school did not permit the Times entry to the press conference, making our jobs far more difficult. (It's not easy telling the story from the parking lot.)

Thursday
Two of the more-entertaining baseball games took place. Joe Perry (pictured) and his Chichester teammates weren't able to hold off Del Val League frontrunner Sun Valley, 3-2.

And in the Central League, Springfield erased a six-run deficit and threw out the game-tying runner at the plate for the final out of an 11-10 win over Strath Haven. Though he went 0-for-3 at the plate, shortstop James Simpson made up for it with his relay toss to catch the runner at home.

Friday
One of the nation's top high school quarterbacks - Delaware County's own Tom Savage - will make an announcement today at Cardinal O'Hara High School. The Lions' junior QB is expected to announce that he will attend Rutgers following his June 2009 graduation. And, of course, the Times will be there.

The drama is over. The suspense has been quelled.

American Christian guard Tyreke Evans ended that Tuesday, choosing Memphis over a quintet of other potential suitors. He announced his decision at a 3 p.m. press conference at the school, where ESPN camera crews were on hand for the live-televised announcement.

For more on Evans' signing - and info on a host of other local players giving their word to play at the next level - pick up a copy of Thursday's Daily Times.

Media outlets from here to Bristol, Conn., and likely beyond, will descend on Aston today for a press conference at American Christian and featuring Tyreke Evans.

The top unsigned recruit in the nation, Evans will make his announcement today at 3 p.m. in a nationally televised event. ESPNEWS and ESPNU will carry the live feed.

According to several sources familiar with Evans' situation, it is believed that Evans is a lock to commit to Memphis. It makes sense: Memphis coach John Calipari had his contract renewed yesterday, when a mere hours earlier, freshman Derrick Rose announced he'd enter the NBA Draft.

Of course, it still remains a possibility that Evans (named an All-American by McDonald's and Parade Magazine) could end up at either Villanova or Texas.

The Chester native and three-time All-Delco pick, who averaged 29 points this season, will tell the nation today.

Garnet Valley seniors starting pitcher Eric Van Wyk and shortstop Justin Lamborn recently have announced their committments to play baseball at the college level.

Van Wyk, who is 2-0 and has not given up a run through 16 innings, is headed to La Salle where he will continue his pitching career. Lamborn, who leads the Jaguars (5-1) in hits in this young season, will play at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County.

Want to know more about their committments? Check out Wednesday's Daily Times for a feature story on the Garnet Valley duo.

Anthony Siliani isn't taking his first go-around on varisty lightly.

The junior designated hitter is working to keep Academy Park in the Del Val League race. Siliani, who also plays outfield for the Knights (1-6) has doubled in each of his last four games.

"He's not just hitting the ball for us. He's hitting the ball for us against good teams," said Academy Park coach Nick Russo. "He's really been big for us."

Academy Park takes on two league rivals at home this week, with Glen Mills visiting on Tuesday and Chester coming in on Thursday.

It's supposed to rain today. A lot.

Already plagued by some serious rainfall this season, the baseball scheduled might get even more jumbled if the forecasted rain storms come to fruition.

There are only a few games scheduled for today, five to be exact. So stay close to Gettin' Schooled for postponements. If I hear anything, you'll be the first to know.

Not sure how often it's talked about, but the pitcher position is quite possibly the most dangerous in all of sports. (The flyer - a defender who runs directly at the offense on corner opportunities in field hockey - might be a close second).

Last week, two Pittsburgh-area softball pitchers were injured in a five-day span on comebackers through the box. The line drives called into question the safety measures of pitching at the scholastic level.

Though this is softball, maybe there are some parallels between it and baseball. So what happens next --- Do mounds get moved back a foot or two? Do pitchers start wearing facial protection, as pictured?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Evan Wisneski understands his role with The Christian Academy: Get hits when at the plate, get the equipment after the game.

Ahh, the life of a freshman playing varsity baseball.

Wisneski, pictured, is having a breakout season for the Crusaders, and he's still got three more to go. He leads the team in average, slugging percentage, home runs, runs and runs batted in.

So what else is going on in high school baseball?

• Upper Darby coach Ed Roth has two players (pitcher Dan Morgan and shortstop Mike DeSanto) heading to college to play baseball.
• Sun Valley's Sam Farnell is adjusting to being a power hitter. Entering today, he's hit three home runs in his last four games.
• Springfield catcher D.J. Gallo is the model of consistency for the Cougars.

And for more, click the link for a recap of Tuesday's baseball games. I haven't been as consistent with blog-posting because of last week's rain/storms, which kept me from covering any games all last week. I'll turn it around starting today. Check back daily for the latest.

Think you're overworked? Ask Penncrest's Andrew Kirk how he felt.

Kirk, a strong right-hander for the Lions, had thrown eight months out of the year between a handful of teams. His arm overworked, Kirk sat out last season with his biceps muscle having contracted.

The result is a stronger Kirk who now has more bite on his best two pitches - fastball and curveball.

What else is going on in Delaware County baseball?

Glen Mills catcher Jeremy Bartz put down the ball and bat for the weekend so he can work on the barbells. He and the Bulls powerlifting team are vying for a national high school title.

At Monsignor Bonner, the Friars are still having trouble with their new field. But pitcher Ryan Haley (1 run in 7 innings) is taking coach Joe DeBarbieri's mind off the intangibles.


The baseball notebook, which features a Super 7 ranking, will appear in the Daily Times every Wednesday. Keep an eye out for it. And for the latest, stay logged onto Gettin' Schooled.

IN BOYS BASKETBALL NEWS
American Christian guard Tyreke Evans has not made offical the plans for his immediate future. But we do know a little more than we did on Tuesday:

Villanova is still in the running. Evans visited with Wildcats coach Jay Wright Tuesday night.

His decision will be made April 16. That's when Evans has scheduled a press conference at American Christian to make an announcement.

So now it's a case of wait-and-see with Evans and his college playing career. We'll keep you posted.

The previews for each of Delaware County's high school baseball teams came out Monday. If you missed the print edition of the Daily Times, check out the online edition:

In the Central League...Marple Newtown is looking to build on its unprecedented trip to the PIAA Class AAA state-title game last season. Tigers coach Mark Jordan isn't quite sure what was in the water jugs his players were drinking from during last season's special run.

In the Del Val League...Once again, Sun Valley is the favorite for the league crown. But other than their six straight league titles, coach Kraig Kaufhold would like to see more consistency out of the Vanguards' lineup.

Among the other teams...Archbishop Carroll's Nick Szalejko is the only returning All-Delco selection from last season, so look for he and the Patriots to turn it up in the Catholic League's Southern Division this season.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
I took a break Sunday from high school sports to cover the Phillies in Allentown. They were out that way to christen Coca-Cola Park, where their new Triple A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, will call home this season. Take a peak at my stuff from my day with the Phils, including a feature on Kyle Kendrick and some notes from around the park.