And after a cool spring weather-wise, mother nature went crazy yesterday, blistering athletes with temperatures in the 90s. Which meant in-season conditioning became a major factor for all the athletes involved.

Here’s a quick roundup of winners, losers (though to be politically correct, they are runners-up), and more, including clips from the local sports media…

FRIDAY:
Westhill wins Class LL Baseball Title
I slammed Westhill pitched T.J. Hickey’s mound antics in a post a few weeks ago. He’s recovered nicely and, on the mound, became the go-to guy a lot of us saw during the football season. As he kept Masuk batters in check, Bobby Migliazza and Greg Smith led the offense in a 12-1 win up at Palmer Field in Middletown.

The clips: Stamford Advocate game story; Stamford Advocate sidebar; Connecticut Post.

Also Friday: Darien takes volleyball title; Staples wins again in Class L.

SATURDAY
The links:

• Masuk phenom Rachele Fico shuts down Naugatuck: Connecticut Post; New Haven Register.
• Law upsets Ludlowe for Class L baseball title: New Haven Register; Connecticut Post.
• Danbury takes Division II girls lacrosse championship: News-Times; News-Times sidebar.
• Prefect ending for New Fairfield lacrosse team: News-Times.
• Prep tops Ridgefield in 3OT to take Class L lacrosse title: Connecticut Post.
• Darien girls defeat Wilton again for girls lacrosse championship: Stamford Advocate.
• Blue Wave Boys make it a lacrosse sweep: Stamford Advocate.

David Speer is already a legend for pitching Staples to the FCIAC championship as a sophomore. But he’s not the only 10th-grader to step up for the Wreckers. First baseman Grant Moss delivered a two-out bases-loaded single in the top of the seventh that proved to be the game-winner…

The next batter Westhill senior ace T.J. Hickey faced was Mike Rutski, who walked to make it a 3-1 game. Hickey responded with words for the home plate umpire, and kicked some dirt on the way back to the mound. Certainly he didn’t show the same composure as he had in last-second wins for the Vikings on the football field…

Speaking of Hickey, who likes to have the ball in his hands in big-pressure situations, his costly play in the seventh opened the tide for Staples. Vin Lametta hit a slow-roller towards shortstop and reached out to bare-hand the ball. He dropped the ball, but recovered in time to throw to first-baseman Steve Rivera, who was late getting to the bag and dropped the ball in front of a diving Lametta…

While concession stand prices were a reminder that the FCIAC Championship Game was played in a minor league ballpark, the Bridgeport Bluefish did very little Saturday - if anything - to promote itself in front of hundreds of potential attendees. Let this be a rule of thumb: Parking a Bluefish-wrapped P.T. Cruiser near the entrance and having the team’s URL under the main scoreboard does not guarantee fans coming back to enjoy the main tenant’s product. And with the All-FCIAC teams being honored as well, this was a missed marketing opportunity for the Bluefish, who are struggling at the gate so far this season…

Stamford head coach Bob Augustyn was honored as the FCIAC Coach of the Year on Saturday, just one day after announcing his retirement. He will continue to be a guidance councilor at the school, but said he is looking forward to some of the little things - like April vacation and spring training - that many of us take lightly…

After being named to the All-FCIAC first-team on Saturday, he went out and pitched a complete-game four hitter against Westhill to give seventh-seeded Staples its first FCIAC championship in 23 seasons.

He now has an FCIAC tournament MVP trophy, but he’s not old enough to have a driver’s license. But the composure he showed on the mound at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard makes you think he’s pass Driver’s Ed. with flying colors.

After all, Westhill managed just one in the first two innings of error-plagued Staples baseball.

“The errors weren’t really that costly. They came at the right time, they didn’t come back to haunt us.” Speer said. “It’s just been the perfect year.”

Speer (8-0) began the season as a reliever for the Wreckers. But he solidified the Staples rotation with a shut-out at New Canaan on April 11, and has not looked back.

“When you bring kids to play in a minor-league ballpark, they’re going to be nervous, there are going to be errors,” Staples head coach Jack McFarland said. “But Speer has got flawless mechanics. Every pitch has a different speed, so you can’t time him.”

But Speer can still walk around the halls of Staples and go unnoticed, McFarland said.

Or maybe that’s not the case anymore.

“He’s a straight-A student, he doesn’t talk much, so teachers in the hallway will ask me to point him out. So I’ll find a 6-foot-4, 210-lb. person and say ‘there he is, right there.’” McFarland said. “He wears his pants up to [his chest], he’s got braces and a ballcap, and he’s just 15 years old, but he’s a master on the mound.”

Mike Samela, his battery mate and a senior captain, says he didn’t even know anything about Speer until this season.

“He’s something special,” Samela said. “He’s got ice in his veins. He’s not your normal sophomore, he looks like he’s been pitching on the varsity for years.”

Next stop for Staples: A Tuesday-night game at McMahon in the first round of the CIAC Class LL tournament. The Wreckers defeated McMahon 8-7 in an FCIAC semifinal game this past Wednesday. Westhill will host Naugatuck in a first round game Tuesday afternoon.

Click below for more sights and sounds from the FCIAC championship postgame:

In the second inning of the Vikings’ 17-5 win over Greenwich, Migliazza hit two grand slams.

The first was a line-drive laser over the 341 foot sign in left center field at Cardinal Yard, reports WGCH-AM sports director Rob Adams, who witnessed the feat.

The second one, Adams said, was a bomb.

No player in CIAC history has even hit two grand slams in the same inning. And according to the National High School Record Book, Migliazza is just the 20th player to ever hit two grand slams in one inning.

Migliazza will play Division I baseball at Seton Hall starting this fall.

Trinity Catholic star Da’Shena Stevens, who is heading to St. Johns, stole the show with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks, three assists, and three steals in the West team’s 99-73 win in Bridgeport on April 12.

Buck did pump in 14 to pace the East, but Stevens showed why she was heavily recruited as well.

“I’ve just grown over the years, whether it was with leadership or whether it was developing my game more,” Stevens said. “I really enjoyed my high school career, I’ve been through so much with my team, and my teammates have been there for me.”

Though Buck spent most of her time covered by AAU rival and future UConn track athlete, Notre Dame-Fairfield’s Candace Williams, Stevens did get a chance to take in the Southington star’s performance.

“She’s a great player,” Stevens said. “She plays tough, but I think we both did.”

Westhill senior Jess Williams, who will play next season at Division II Southern Connecticut, received the Ken Lieberman Hustle Award for her performance. Williams had a game-high 21 points.

Three players received $500 scholarships to be used towards their college education as well: William Bass (Bassick), Richard Holmes (Danbury), and Chris Payne (Wilton).

Wilton’s Tim Eagen was introduced as the FCIAC’s coach of the year by his mentor, Tom Fujitani, who he served under as an assistant coach for several years, and thanked his assistant coaches and the Warriors’ booster club for its efforts in helping to build a top-notch program. Ridgefield’s Kevin Callahan introduced one of his former players, New Fairfield’s Andy Buchsbaum, as the SWC’s coach of the year.

Carl Cairo (Greenwich) and John Pereira (Pomperaug) received their league’s respective assistant coach of the year awards.

The scholar-athletes honered were:

• William Bass, Bassick
• Nick Verderosa, Bethel
• Chris Green, Brien McMahon
• Kenneth Cobb, Bridgeport Central
• Steven Moss, Brookfield
• Jeffrey Farrell, Bunnell
• Greg Passineau, Canterbury
• Richard Holmes, Danbury
• George Rhein, Darien
• Matthew O’Laughlin, Fairfield Ludlowe
• Thomas Marx Jr., Fairfield Warde
• Jonathan Meyers, Greenwich
• Scott Hickling, Joel Barlow
• Victor Ciancetta, Masuk
• Chris Lemoine, New Canaan
• Patrick Cassidy, New Fairfield
• Jonathan Henion, New Milford
• Eric Puffer, Newtown
• Cyprian Oyomba, Norwalk
• Patrick Purrell, Notre Dame-Fairfield
• Stephen Barton, Pomperaug
• Tyler Strittmatter, Ridgefield
• Michael Dinihanien, St. Joseph
• Jason Zins, Staples
• Justin Shumyhora, Stratford
• John O’Leary, Trinity Catholic
• Jameson Cherilus, Trumbull
• John Midy, Westhill
• Dylan Hannum, Weston
• Chris Payne, Wilton

Also honored were a few unsung heroes of the game, the referees. Without them, of course, the games wouldn’t count in the standings. Bob Seirup, who has been working with the Fairfield County Football Association for 54 seasons, was honored as its official of the year. Bill Vasutro was the Colonial Football Association’s honoree.