“When he arrived as a 10th-grader I knew he had the ability and good baseball instincts, but he was young and small, 5-9ish,” Crowley said. “By his senior year, he was one of the best high school pitchers in the area and I knew his college future was bright.”

John Carroll is just the second No. 6 seed to win the BCLtournament title, the other being Towson Catholic in 1989.

The Baltimore Catholic League is celebrating its 50th tournament this week. In order to appreciate where it’s been and where it’s going, here’s the Catholic Review’s look at the 15 players who came out of a Catholic high school in Baltimore and had the most-lasting impact on the game.

By her own admission, “Sister Jean 101” could be the name of an introductory course taught at the Loyola University Chicago these days.

The March 24 semifinals will pit three-time champion St. Frances Academy against Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 5:30 p.m., and Archbishop Spalding against The John Carroll School at 7:30 p.m.

Deacon Austin Bosse won’t be shooting three-point shots or dunking. But he is a vital and senior member of the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, winners of the Northeast Conference tournament and a No. 16 seed in the tournament’s East Regional.

“In a year like no other, it’s just a real tribute to our coaches and our student-athletes and really the entire university,” said athletic director Lynne Robinson.

A historic Baltimore Catholic League season belatedly began Feb. 17 with St. Frances Academy opening its quest for a fourth straight championship with a 96-78 victory at Archbishop Spalding High School.

Catholics in St. Petersburg, Florida, will need to get their napkins ready because some barbecue from Kansas City, Missouri, is coming their way.

Hank Aaron, who was baseball’s home run king for 33 years, overcame racism to make his mark in the game he loved. Aaron died Jan. 22 at age 86.