After 18 years on the Sandburg baseball coaching staff, George Fear is now going to run the show.
Fear, a Palos Heights resident, was hired by the District 230 board on June 26 to succeed Jim Morsovillo as the Eagles head coach. Morsovillo stepped down this spring after 14 seasons.
“Coach Fear has been an integral part of our baseball program for the past almost two decades,” Sandburg athletic director Steve Schanz said in a news release. “His dedication, leadership and deep ties to both our school and community make him the ideal person to carry forward the proud Sandburg baseball tradition.
“His vision for culture building and developing student-athletes on and off the field will continue to strengthen our program for years to come.”
“I look forward to continuing the legacy of excellence and accountability in the Sandburg baseball program,” Fear said in a news release. “I feel very fortunate to teach and coach at Carl Sandburg and serve the Orland Park community.
“Our program will foster a culture of success on and off the field. I am extremely grateful and indebted to coach Jim Morsovillo for his leadership and guidance.”
Fear played high school baseball at Marist and in his senior season in 2003, he hit .479 with eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 40 RBIs and 30 runs.
He went on to have a successful career at Millikin, where he was a two-time team MVP.
Fear is also on the Palos Baseball Organization advisory board along with recently retired Stagg coach Matt O’Neill and Shepard coach Frank DiFoggio.
Fire settle for split
The Chicago Fire played two MSL games in four days and split.
The Fire lost 1-0 to Philadelphia on June 26 at Soldier Field.
Before the game, the Fire’s Philip Zinckernagel was selected for the MLS All-Star Game.
Three nights later, Zinckernagel had a goal and assist in a 3-2 win over Charlotte at Soldier Field. He is the fastest in team history to hit the eight-goal, eight-assist mark as he did it in his 17th game.
Chicago (8-7-4) visits Cincinnati on July 5 in an MLS battle and plays at Minnesota July 8 in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match.
The Fire II (6-4-3) beat Inter Miami II 3-1 on June 25 in an MLS NEXT Pro battle on the road as Trip Fleming had two goals and Claudio Cassano had two assists.
Stars make moves
Though the NWSL is in the midst of a long international break, the Chicago Stars made some moves last week.
They re-signed backup goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood, who is currently injured, and gave a two-year contract extension to defender Taylor Malham.
The team also signed defender Samantha Cary Angel, who played in Sweden, and she will join the team in August.
National champ to lead Shepard
Shepard’s newly named girls volleyball coach Tess Rybowiak had a memorable June on the club circuit, guiding her 1st Alliance White 17U team to the Aspire Division title at the AAU Nationals in Orlando. The team went 14-0 in the tournament.
The Woodridge-based club, which was 50-29 overall after the tournament, has two area players on the roster — Marist’s Isabella Scalise and Mother McAuley’s Emily Zaper.