Bradenton baseball player Michael Ohlman named to Texas League All-Star Game
Bradenton's Michael Ohlman is on a roll.
It was a neat honor when the Lakewood Ranch High alum was named Texas League Player of the Week this month. The strapping 6-foot-5 Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals catcher was just warming up.
Big Mike was voted to the Texas League All-Star game June 30 at Corpus Christi.
Bet Team Ohlman's already made flight and hotel reservations.
"How did I get so lucky?" mom, Tracy, said on Facebook. "Love him!"
After being traded to St. Louis by Baltimore last February, the 24-year-old has gone on to be the Double-A Texas League's top offensive catcher. Through 43 games he was tied for a third-best 35 RBI and was hitting a sixth-best .309 with six home runs and nine doubles.
Mike bashed two homers last Saturday night in an 11-8 win over the visiting Northwest Arkansas Naturals before a sellout crowd of 7,560.
"He's swinging the bat well," manager Dann Bilardello told OzarksSportsZone.com. "I'm just real happy how it's going."
Having mentors in Bilardello and hitting coach Erik Pappas, both former major league catchers, is significant.
"We've had many meetings just sitting, talking the game -- throwing, receiving, handling the staff, calling a game," Mike said. "It doesn't happen overnight. I've come to realize you have to trust the process."
Jack and Darlene Stewart, the belle of North Baltimore, are wed 61 years June 30.
Dorothy and Phillip Leone are wed 60 years.
And Lisa and Andy Gugliemini are wed 10 years.
B'town native Stephen Michael Moleski was seventh in Shear TV's monthly rankings of the Top 100 makeup artists worldwide. He lives in Atlanta and has his own
product line, Smoke and Mirrors Beauty. Moleski's A-list clientele ranges from Jennifer Hudson to Gwyneth Paltrow to Julianne Hough to Carrie Underwood.
Dan and Karen Weaver are 39. Again.
So is Melody Swank.
Sandi LaMania, executive assistant of student affairs at State College of Florida, is retiring from the school after a phenomenal 42 years. She began working as a student-helper when it was Manatee Junior College and is one of the few employees who worked for each of the college's presidents and knew the original faculty. Her proud family are parents, Jack and Annette Shaffer; sister, Karen Jasmer; and daughters, Sierra and Stephanie.
Lifelong Bradentonian Barbara Anderson is 90 years young.
Manatee High's Class of 1975 40th reunion is Aug. 6-8. Contact Marsha Hunt LaVallee at 941-748-5981 or Marianne Barnebey at mariannebarnebey@gmail.com for details.
Wedding bells rang last Sunday for Pat Maxwell and Bob Tabor at Westside Christian Church. Her son, Chris, and his wife, DeeDee, hosted a rose-strewn reception their home.
Mildred Hill's family, friends and admirers celebrated her birthday at Der Dutchman. She is 107 years young.
Judge John Lakin of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court just visited Ireland. He's a member of the American Bar Association's International Section Europe Committee and spoke with members of the Irish Judiciary and lawyers in Dublin. Given Lakin's loquaciousness and all those Irish with the gift of gab, their sessions had to be a pip. Not to mention long.
Speaking of Ireland, got an interesting email from Sue Bryant. Said a friend had inherited an uncle's small two-bedroom home with land in County Cork, which is where my grandfather, Patrick Sullivan, came from. Anyway, Sue's friend didn't know what to do with the house and was taking suggestions. My 2 cents: KEEP IT!
Vin's People, which appears Fridays, welcomes reader contributions. Email: vinspeople@gmail.com or call 941-962-5944
This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton baseball player Michael Ohlman named to Texas League All-Star Game."