YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Following their second consecutive 3A baseball semifinal appearance, the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks made their presence felt at year-end honours, both at the conference and regional levels.

Six Shamrock players were named to the 3A West All-Region First or Second Team, while three Rocks made the All-Conference roster.

Topping the list was senior Nomar Topete, who was named 3A Conference Defensive Player of the Year and 3A West Player of the Year for his excellence on the mound and at bat. Right next to him was Mickey Fox, who won Regional Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference awards. Ivan Guzman is also nominated for All-Conference honors on the second team.

But this successful year would not have been possible without top leadership. That’s where head coach Judd Thrower came in, and after another 20-win season, he was named Regional Coach of the Year and reached the semi-finals for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile, a new era in Phoenix Suns basketball was born with the appointment of Frank Vogel as the next head coach on Tuesday. Vogel addressed the media and Suns community late last week after being hired on a five-year, $31 million deal.

“This is the beginning of a new era in basketball for the Phoenix Suns and it will be an exciting one. We are committed to bringing in championship-level talent. We’re going to try to bring culture,” Vogel said. “We’re going to be a talented team, but we’re also going to be a rough team that plays harder than our opponents every night. And we’re going to be a team that makes this community proud.”