– Alex Grimsley and Frank Henry-Ala are signed, filling the the two scholarships that were vacated by the departure of Mike Scott and Haminn Quaintance. Yet Geno Ford isn't done signing kids just yet.

A third scholarship has become available by the departure of Gabe Garcia and Ford plans on using it wisely, possibly on another Brazillian. Rodrigo Peggau, a 6-foot-8, 230 pound forward from the Patterson School in North Carolina is one player that has been offered a scholarship by the Flashes. Ole Miss, the College of Charleston, Marshall and St. Louis have also offered.

Peggau initially signed a letter of Intent to play basketball next season at James Madison, but a coaching change and a knee injury altered his plans. The injury knocked Peggau out of all but five games last year.

Kentsportsreport.com's Steve Hare said that Peggau is scheduled to have his torn meniscus repaired on Monday. He will have four weeks of rehabilitation.

His games sounds like a good fit for the gritty, hard-nosed Kent State style of basketball…

"I'm more hustle than technique," he told Steve Hare. "I'm the guy that sees a dead ball and it's not dead for me; I'll jump on it. I don't care if I bust teeth; I'm going to jump on it. A lot of college coaches tell me that they appreciate how I play hard."

You can read Steve Hare's story in entirety over at kentsportsreport.com.

Other Notes…..

– Jim Christian added his first assistant coach at TCU Tuesday. Former Iowa State assistant Jean Prioleau will join Christian on the bench. You can read about that here.

– Although the Horned Frogs haven't said one word about the possibility of Eric Haut joining Christian, it has all been confirmed by Christian himself.

"Eric Haut will be the new director of basketball operations, coach Jim Christian said. Haut spent three seasons at Kent State with Christian." the Star-Telegram reported at the bottom of this link.

it has been a long and winding road for former Kent State standout baseball player John Van Benschoten. The No. 8 pick in the 2001 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates saw a quick ascension to the major league roster in 2004. Injuries have crippled him ever since.

Van Benschoten missed the entire 2005 season with surgery to both shoulders. It wasn't until last season when he rejoined the Pirates, to less than stellar numbers.

He was once again recalled on Sunday and saw his first action of the season in Tuesday night's extra-inning loss to the Mets 5-4 at Shea Stadium. Van Benschoten was saddled with the loss after giving up two hits, two walks, a run, and balking in just 1/3 of an inning.

The poor performance could be looked at as more of a glitch than a full blown malfunction. Pittsburgh Tribune Review beat writer Rob Biertempfel says that Van Benschoten is finally regaining the velocity he once possessed.

Van Benschoten looks at pitching out of the bullpen not as a final chance, but as a building block he told Biertempfel. You can read that story here.

With the recent success of Rick Ankiel as a outfielder one has to begin to wonder if John Vanbenschoten could undergo the same conversion if injuries continue to plague his pitching ability.

Van Benschoten holds the single season home run record for both the Mid-American Conference and Kent State after he belted 31 home runs his senior season (2001). He then played out field and first base for the Flashes. He was inducted in the the Varsity K Hall of Fame in February.

If injuries continue to mount should the Pirates consider the change?

Cornerback Jack Williams was drafted were the prognosticators were expecting Sunday. Williams, who struggled much of last season with injury, was selected in the fourth round (119) by the Denver Broncos.

This couldn't be a better situation for him. Although the Broncos have a plethra of defensive backs on the roster, Williams will get an oportunity to learn from some of the greats. Future Hall of Famers John Lynch and Champ Bailey will be able to teach him a thing or two about the NFL.

Williams is also best friends with former Flash and current New Orleans Saints Defensive back Usama Young, who dealt with the same situations last season. He should also be there to guide Williams through the porcess of entering the NFL.

Defensive lineman Colin Ferrell also found a new home Sunday. After the conclusion of the draft Ferrell got a call from the Indianapolis Colts. He signed a free agent contract and will be reporting to Colts camp.

The Kent State women's golf team should be fairly comfortable heading into this weekend's Mid-American Conference Tournament at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course in Indianapolis. Since the inception of the program 10 years ago, the Flashes have won the title every year.

The Flashes haven't just won nine consecutive titles, they have destroyed the competiton winning by nearly 38 strokes on average.

In the latest Golfstat Division I National Rankings the women's team is ranked 13, while Golfweek ranks a triumvirate of KSU golfers in its top 100. Senior Kira Meixner (35), junior Kirby Dreher (50) and freshman Martina Gavier (88) all made the cut, no pun intended.

Kent State men's basketball coach Geno Ford signed two players to the program for next season: Frank Henry-Ala and Alex Grimsley.

Henry-Ala is a 6-foot-7 forward originally from Pasadena, Calif. He comes to Kent State after averaging 10 points and 10.4 rebounds per game last season at Motlow State Community College (Tenn.).

"Not only is he a versatile player who can do several things well, he is an extremely high character kid that I expect to excel as a student-athlete in our program," Ford said.

Henry-Ala began his collegiate career at Big West Conference member University of California-Davis, playing in 21 games in the 2006-07 season.

Grimsley is a 6-foot-7 forward from Batesville High in Indiana. Last season he averaged 19 points and eight rebounds.

"Alex is a blue collar type of player who has a high skill level and is deceptively athletic." Ford said. "He is a cerebral player who will have a very good career at Kent State."

Sophomore softball pitcher Kylie Reynolds knows a thing or two about winning awards. As a freshman, the Georgia Native picked up Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. She is already fourth on the Kent State all-time strikeout list with 449 strikeouts. IN JUST UNDER TWO SEASONS.

So what did she do this week? How about won her fourth MAC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season. Reynolds is now 8-0 with a .50 ERA in eight MAC starts. She is 14-2 overall with a 1.14 ERA.

It is safe to say Reynolds is well on her way to rewriting the Kent State softball record books.

Former Kent State shortstop Emmanuel Burriss, currently of the San Francisco Giants, didn't take much time at all reaching the Major Leagues. The 33rd pick in the 2006 draft took just two years to make his major league debut in Sunday's 8-2 win at St. Louis. He was a late inning replacement for starting shortstop Brian Bocock.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that Burriss could get the start Monday night. MLB.com has a really nice story on Burriss debut and call up, which you can read here.

The San Francisco Chronicle also has a nice write up Burriss's family making the trip to the game. You can read that here.

According to Baseball America, Either Bocock or Burriss is expected to claim the shortstop position in San Francisco by 2010.

Burriss is known for his speed and defensive ability. As a switch hitter, Burriss is a considered a contact hitter with virtually no real power. He can be a terror on the base paths.

Burriss hit .360 for the Flashes in 2006 with a .446 OBP and 42 stolen bases. For his complete minor statistics check it out here.

The Kentsportsreport.com is reporting that Geno Ford has inked his first recruit.

Six-foot-five 210 pound Alex Grimsley, a senior at Batesville (Ind.) High School, will be joining the Flashes for next season. He averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a senior helping lead his team to the Indiana Final Four.

Grimsley will be expected to play the three or the four (forward) for the Flashes.

"It was getting down to the nitty-gritty and it was between UNF and Kent State," Grimsley told Steve Hare of the Kent Sports Report. "I figured Kent State was the best place for me; it's only four hours away and it's close to my family so they can come watch me play."

The Rivals story is here.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine, a Wadsworth High School and Kent State graduate, shut down the Chicago White Sox Saturday night earning his first career complete game and shut out. Sonnanstine allowed just three hits in the win andis 2-1 on the season.

Sonnanstine has seen mixed results in his short pro career. In four years of minor league baseball Sonnanstine struck out 463 hitters, walking only 75. His minor league ERA sat at 2.58. Yet in his major league debut last year his ERA jumped to 5.85 in 22 starts.

Tonight's start Sonnanstine was able to rely on his fastball and let his other pitches work off of that. Check out the AP story here.

All the Kent State softball team needed Sunday was three runs to beat rival Miami. They all came on just one fourth-inning swing of the bat. Freshman designated hitter Jess Carmichael, a Dalton graduate, hit her fifth home run of the season Sunday.

The three-run shot to left field gave the Flashes a 3-2 win and its 30th victory of the season. It is now the third straight year the Flashes have won 30 games or more.

The game also featured another strong pitching performance by sophomore pitcher Kylie Reynolds, last year's Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year. Reynolds (16-4) pitched a complete game, giving up no earned runs and striking out 11.

She now has 192 strikeouts and, as of April 15, leads the MAC in strikeouts. Teammate Gabe Burns (currently 150) was second in the conference.

A random softball note:

Although baseball and softball are rooted the same, the games can still be very different. Softball often times offers a much quicker pace and differing strategies. One obvious strategy that is used more is slap hitting. One could argue that Kent State sophomore outfielder Lauren Brocklehurst has mastered the art of the slap hit.

Brocklehurst is currently hitting .345 on the season with 30 hits in 87 at bats. All 30 of those hits have been singles giving her a .345 slugging percentage. She is yet to record an RBI this season.