Former Pinecrest and East Carolina star Seth Maness pitched an impressive 1 1/3 innings in his spring training debut for the St. Louis Cardinals last week.

Relieving Adam Wainwright with two outs and two on in the top of the third inning of a game against the Houston Astros, the right-hander struck out Chris Carter. He then finished his only appearance so far this spring by striking out the first two batters in the fourth before retiring Rick Ankiel on a fly ball to center field.

Beginning his third pro season, Maness was named the 2012 Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year after compiling a combined record of 14-4 at their Palm Beach (Fla.) and Springfield (Mo.) farm clubs.

Nick Collins is picking up from where he left off as the Union Pines “Hit-man” as a freshman catcher and designated hitter for the University of Georgetown baseball team. He was behind the plate on Monday in the Hoyas’ 4-3 victory over Valparaiso in a game played in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Batting .333 through the team’s 5-4 start, Collins stroked a run-scoring double in the middle of the Hoyas’ three-run eighth inning rally that decided the game. He went 1-for-3 on Saturday as a designated hitter in a 5-2 loss to Michigan.

The team has five more games in Florida before returning to Washington, D.C., next week.

Seth Breasseale, a teammate of Collins at Union Pines last year, is seeing action at first base for Barton College. His first hit as a collegian was a two-run double against Catawba in the Asheboro Tournament played last month at McCrary Park.

Citadel sophomore Bailey Rush broke a 4-4 tie in a game against Winthrop two weeks ago with a two-out, two-run double to right-center. The runs held up for a 6-4 victory. The former Pinecrest shortstop is playing third base this season for the now 8-5 Bulldogs.

Another former Patriot, Joey Vecchione, is seeing action in a reserve role as a sophomore centerfielder for the University of Richmond.

Dylan Harris, a former Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year at Pinecrest, is a member of the UNC-Wilmington men’s golf team. The sophomore recently shot 73-76-74—223 at the Del Walker Intercollegiate Classic in Long Beach, Calif., to finish in a tie for 38th place.

The Seahawks came in eighth in the event won by Long Beach State. They continue their West Coast swing with a tournament in Bandon, Ore., that begins today.

Contact Charlie Bergmann at cbergmann@nc.rr.com.