It was fun following them during their high school careers. But what about the next level?

Several former area baseball and softball players are playing at the college level. Press releases from some of those college programs are offering an update on their progress this season.

Junior Nick Collins has thrown well for the Shawnee State Bears.

Collins, who played for Ironton, is 1-2 in seven games with two starts. In 16 innings pitched, Collins has 11 strikeouts, 9 walks and a 5.06 earned run average.

Another former Ironton pitcher Greg Linn is a sophomore right-hander on the West Virginia Tech staff.

Linn has been in seven games and sports a 1-1 record. He has an 8.47 ERA in 17 innings pitched.

The University of Rio Grande has sophomore pitcher Cory McKnight and freshman catcher Adam Fuller from Fairland and sophomore shortstop Ryan Bloomfield on its roster.

McKnight is 0-0 in six games. In 9.1 innings worked, he has for strikeouts, three walks and an 8.68 ERA.

Fuller has played in 19 games with 17 starts. Fuller has given way to a designated hitter for the most part, but he is 7 of 45 with a home run and eight runs batted in.

Bloomfield has appeared in nine games, one as a starter. He has two hits in six at-bats for a .333 average.

Speaking of former Fairland players, pitcher Michael Hill is a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati after transferring from East Carolina.

Hill has been in 10 games this year with six starts. He has worked 36.1 innings with a 6.19 ERA and a 3-2 record. He had 38 strikeouts and 20 walks.

As for softball, three former players are part of the Shawnee State roster.

Sophomore pitcher Lori Harmon and freshman catch Megan Coomes, both who played at Symmes Valley, and freshman infielder Deidre Perkins of Green are contributing to the Lady Bears season.

Harmon is one of two pitchers on the staff. While Ashley Keen is 7-5, Harmon is 9-4 with a 1.75 ERA in 92.2 innings pitched. She has 57 strikeouts, 14 walks and four shutouts in 13 games, all as a starter.

Shawnee is 16-9 overall.

Coomes has caught 13 games including 11 as a starter although her at-bats have been limited.

Perkins is batting .286 in three games.

Any other statistics of players not mentioned are welcomed.