Leading off today: It's way too early to tell whether he'll eventually be the pride of the Yankees, but Chris "Cito" Culver certainly has a reason to be proud today.

   Perhaps not the eventual replacement for Derek Jeter, Culver is at least a candidate for the job down the road after being selected 32nd overall by the Yankees with the last pick of the first round last night in Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

   "He's really a strong kid, a great kid," Yankees director of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer told The New York Post.

   The last shortstop the Yankees selected in the first round was C.J. Henry (2005), who proved to be a bust. The 6-foot, 180-pound Culver, who had previously committed to play for the University of Maryland but now is almost certain to sign with the Yankees, batted .561 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs as a senior. He also had a 3-0 record and two saves with a 0.00 ERA on the mound.

   He's the highest pick from the Rochester area since the Kansas City Royals made Pittsford Sutherland pitcher Mike Jones the 21st overall pick in 1977.

   More draft news: The Kansas City Royals took George Washington standout shortstop Mike Antonio in the third round with the 86th overall. That makes him the highest New York City high school player taken in more than a decade.

   The 6-foot, 190-pound senior was regarded as a first-round candidate earlier in the year.

   "I feel like a proud father,” George Washington coach Steve Mandl told The New York Post. "I’m excited for him and I’m anxious for him to get started. I can’t wait to follow him. I always said I expect to see him in two years at the show. I still believe that, especially with Kansas City. He has an easier road there."

   Suffern right-hander Robbie Aviles, who was projected as a high pick before suffering a partially torn elbow ligament last week, was selected 210th overall by the

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Cleveland Indians in the seventh round. That likely takes him out of the running for a million-dollar signing bonus, but there may nevertheless be enough money on the table to persuade him to pass up a scholarship from the University of Florida.

   I did not see any over New York scholastic players listed in the first 10 rounds of the draft, which concludes tomorrow.

   State playoffs: Rob Ierace scored on an errant throw in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Valhalla a 4-3 win over Pine Plains in the NYSPHSAA Class C regionals.

   Trailing 3-1 the Vikings got consecutive singles from Ierace, Mark DeMilio and Jason Dillon in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score. Ierace finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

   Tom Longo came on in relief in the third inning after six Valhalla walks had staked Pine Plains to a 2-0 lead. He went 8 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run and struck out six.

   "I just love being out there on the mound," Longo told The Journal News. "I just want to be out there every game."

   Two-time defending state champ Mechanicville was down to its last strike with no one on base before rallying to score three runs in the seventh inning to squeak past Canton 4-3 in the state Class B softball regionals at Potsdam.

   Canton ace Kacie Wenthworth had pitched 20 consecutive shutouts entering the game.

   The big blow was a two-run single by winning pitcher Anna Arceneaux in the top of the seventh.