News from Oakton June 16, 2015

NJCAA Names Two Oakton Baseball Players to All-American Team
Oakton Community College is proud to announce that baseball sophomore infielders Kevin Smith (Lincoln-Way North) and Tyler Albright (Huntley) have been named as National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans.

Smith of Mokena was one of 13 named to the NJCAA Division II Baseball All-American Second Team, while Albright of Algonquin was selected to the 12-member NJCAA Division II Baseball All-American Third Team.

A shortstop, Smith led Oakton with 53 runs batted in and five home runs while compiling a .405 batting average. Second baseman Albright topped his team with a .418 batting average and 25 stolen bases. He also drove in 44 runs during the 2015 season.

Smith and Albright were key reasons for Oakton’s successful season. The team won the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC), finished with a 41-17 record, and advanced to the finals of the NJCAA Region IV Division II Playoffs.

“Kevin and Tyler are both quality players who represented Oakton well and had great seasons,” said Bill Fratto, Oakton’s head coach. “They also were great leaders on the field and I’m proud of them. Wherever they go, Kevin and Tyler will do well.”

The duo also collected other accolades on the season. Smith and Albright were both named to the All-ISCC First Team and Albright earned MVP honors of the ISCC.

Oakton Prepares for Sculpture Invasion
Oakton's Des Plaines campus, 1600 East Golf Road, is “bracing” itself for an “invasion” of more than 40 sculptures. Sculpture Invasion 2015, an exhibition in cooperation with Oakton’s Koehnline Museum of Art and Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) opens Thursday, July 9, with a public reception from 5 - 8 p.m. The show, which celebrates regional three-dimensional art, runs through September 8.

Sculptures and scale models will be on display in the Koehnline Museum, while an impressive array of outdoor sculptures will “invade” Oakton’s Sculpture Park. This marks the third time the College has hosted a “Sculpture Invasion” exhibition.

“Sculpture Invasion 2015 does not intend to provide a complete survey on the contemporary state of the medium of sculpture, but reflects the diversity of styles and materials that artists have applied since modernism and postmodernism,” said Nathan Harpaz, manager and curator of the Koehnline Museum of Art.

Harpaz added that the range of materials and mediums utilized by the artists includes wood, bronze, steel, stone, fiberglass, and found objects. Works were chosen by CSI, an organization that seeks to expand public understanding and appreciation of Chicago sculpture through exhibitions and public forums.

The Koehnline Museum of Art is currently operating under its summer hours, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

For more information, contact Nathan Harpaz at 847.635.2633 or nharpaz@oakton.edu.