Roy-Hart duo earns All-WNY and All-State diamond honors

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Jacob Bruning, left, and Al Xapsos have earned both All-WNY and All-State baseball honors.

Capping off a record setting baseball season this past spring, Roy-Hart now has two players, pitcher Jacob Bruning and shortstop Al Xapsos, who have earned both All-Western New York and All-State Class B honors.

Bruning has earned both first team All-WNY and All-State honors while Xapsos has been selected first team All-WNY and third team All-State. Both are June Roy-Hart graduates.

Bruning posted a 1.51 earned run average on the mound striking out 83 in 53.2 innings of work. At the plate, he hit .438 with 9 doubles, 2 triples, 20 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.

Xapsos hit .427 with 8 doubles, 4 triples, 20 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

The Rams also had two players earn Hnorable Mention on the All-WNY squad, senior Ben Schwab and junior Charlie Bruning.

Schwab hit .416 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run and a team leading 28 RBIs. Bruning hit .432 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 17 RBIs.

The quartet helped Roy-Hart earn a third straight Niagara-Orleans League title, the team’s first ever Section VI and Far West Regional titles and a berth in the state semifinals where the Rams lost to Seton Catholic.

The only other N-O player to earn Honorable Mention on the All-WNY squad was Akron senior Jacob Cummings. He hit .464 and drove in 13 runs.