Area seniors shining for Rockford College

Biz Janusick (Hall) and the Regents’ softball squad soaked up some sunshine in Florida over spring break, finishing 2-8 on the road trip to Fort Meyers for the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, earning both their wins on the final day of action. The senior outfielder is off to a hot start to the season, leading RC batting .421 with eight hits, including four doubles and a triple. Rockford will have their home opener Monday against Maranatha Baptist Bible College.

Former St. Bede Bruin Jimmy Polster is suiting up for his senior season with the Rockford College baseball squad. The Rockford nine kicked their season off with a seven-game road trip to Arizona for the Russ Matt Greater Pheonix Invite. The senior infielder is hitting .308 with four hits and three runs scored while starting four games for Rockford (3-4).

• A pair of local products, sophomore Sam Sons (St. Bede) and junior Brittney Forney (Hall) also headed south for the spring, traveling with the Fighting Scots of Monmouth College down for a seven-game season-opening road trip to Clermont, Fla. Sons is hitting .286 while starting five games in the outfield, and Forney is batting .222 while amassing a 5.65 ERA and 0-2 record in four appearances on the pitching rubber, starting all seven games for Monmouth (3-4).

• Two-time BCR Player of the Year Reid Clary (Princeton) is swinging a hot bat for the Prairie Starts of the University of Illinois Springfield, hitting a hefty .378 to tie for the team lead. The freshman catcher has tallied 14 hits and five RBIs while starting 10 games for DII UIS (2-12), in their first year of action as a program.

• Former St. Bede standout Sara Stariha is leading the Bucs of Beloit College with a blistering .393 average at the plate this spring, registering 11 hits and scoring a team-leading eight runs. The senior infielder has started all 10 games this spring for BC (2-8).

• Former Storm softballer Rachel Whiteside and the Dutch of Central College are on a roll to start off the season, winning 14 straight to post a 14-2 mark to open their 2011 campaign — good for a No. 10 NFCA DIII ranking. Whiteside is hitting .200, while starting 13 games at third base for Central.