Selected by Tampa Bay, East graduate faces choice with Kentucky

Tyler Bell, a Lincoln-Way East graduate, was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft on July 14, with the 66th overall pick.

As of July 23, there was no official word on whether he planned to sign with the Rays or honor his commitment to the University of Kentucky.

Players who are called up have until August 1 to sign with their major league organization.

According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, Bell “plays faster than average defense and covers ground on both sides. He’s a fluid defender who can make throws from any angle with solid arm strength.”

Bell is a switch hitter and MLB Pipeline said he “could develop 20-home run power if he makes projectable power gains and improvements at the plate.”

During East’s high school season, Bell attracted numerous major league scouts to Griffins games.

This year he won several awards, including the SouthWest Suburban Conference Baseball Athlete of the Year and the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team.

Bell is the second East infielder to be drafted high in recent years, with Ryan Ritter drafted in the fourth round by Colorado in 2022.

Ritter was originally drafted in the 33rd round by the Cubs in 2019, but opted for college and finished his college career at Kentucky.

Evita Griskenas, who weighs a whopping 97 pounds, qualified to represent the US at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

And it’s her second trip to the Olympics.

Griskenas, an Orland Park native and Sandburg High School graduate, is expected to compete in the rhythm gymnastics all-around event beginning Aug. 8.

She finished 12th in the qualifying round at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She is the only member of the U.S. rhythmic gymnastics team to qualify this year.

Griskenas, who speaks three languages ​​and studies at Columbia University in New York, was named USA Gymnastics Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023. She is the first American rhythmic gymnast to win silver and an all-around medal at the World Cup/World Challenge Cup.

Another Brannigan at Wrigley

Orland Park’s Jack Brannigan got a rare chance to pitch at Wrigley Field in 2019 while still in high school as a member of the Marist baseball team. The team took on Nazareth Academy in an East Suburban Catholic Conference game.

His younger brother, Luke, also had a shot at making the Friendly Confines’ field. He’s a member of the Marist boys’ volleyball team that won the IHSA state championship and was invited to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on July 23 before the Cubs took on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Another player from that title team, Mokena’s Nathen Toth, was named to volleyballmag.com’s All-American team last month.

Jimmy Piko, a junior soccer player at Providence Catholic High School from Orland Park, earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT test.

“The challenging curriculum at PCHS has not only taught me the subject matter, but also good study habits and the benefits of hard work,” Piko said in a press release.

“This will benefit me immensely in college because the workload at PCHS is very similar to that of college and the notoriously difficult transition from high school to college will not overwhelm me.”

In addition to the soccer team, Piko is also involved in the Augustinian Youth Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, and the National Honor Society.

• Lincoln-Way East volleyball player Alaina Pollard has enrolled at Indiana University.
• Lincoln-Way West’s Conor Essenburg and East’s Jack Bauer have been invited to the 18U National Baseball Team’s training camp in Cary, NC