2014 Baseball News
Former Pitt-Bradford pitcher Aaron Cressley has been selected to the Northwest League’s All-Star game for the 2014 season on Tuesday, August 5.
Five AMCC baseball players were selected to the 2014 ECAC Division III South All-Star Team for the 2014 season.
Pitt-Bradford junior right-handed pitcher Aaron Cressley was selected in the 26th round by the San Diego Padres in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft on Saturday. Cressley became just the second Panther to be drafted since 1998, the first season in Pitt-Bradford baseball history. The only other player selected was Zach Foster. Foster, also a right-handed pitcher, was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 49th round of the 2008 draft. “I am so happy for Cress,” said head coach Bret Butler. “This is exactly what he has been striving for his entire collegiate career. His efforts are paying off and I am so very proud of him. I’m also happy for our pitching coach Zach Foster. Zach did an exemplary job preparing him for this opportunity.” “This means everything to me,” said Cressley. “It has been my dream for my whole life and I can finally say I made my dream come true. I am very thankful to the Padres for picking me up and believing in me. I am truly blessed.” The Corry native got off to a blistering start in his junior campaign and went on to post a 5-4 record and pitched three complete games. He started in all nine of his appearances and tossed a team-high 52.1 innings. He finished with a 2.75 ERA and fanned a total of 76 batters, also first on the squad. Cressley earned a spot on the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference second team for his efforts this year.
Hilbert College seniors Natalie Whitman and John Babosci headline the 2014 AMCC All-Academic Team as recipients of the FAR Award.
The Pitt-Bradford baseball team had two more players, rising senior Kody Johnston and rising junior Zach Bican, sign summer league contracts for 2014.
The AMCC is proud to recognize nine teams for earning the highest collective grade point average in their peer sports as winners of the Team Peak Performer Awards.
Penn State Behrend baseball pitcher Dante DeSantis (DuBois, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) was named to the 2014 Division III Capital One Academic All-American Second Team, announced on Wednesday. Majoring in finance, DeSantis compiled a 3.87 grade point average and was the only Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) player selected to the squad after earning First-Team All-District honors. The senior went 9-3 with a 2.75 earned run average with 57 strikeouts in 2014 with the Lions. He is third on the Behrend all-time list in k's (191), fifth in wins (20), and fifth in innings pitched (200.1).
AMCC Player of the Year Colin Feikles heads a group of conference players receiving post-season recognition by the ABCA and D3 Baseball.com.
With the ECAC tournament win over Bethany College on Saturday, Penn St. Behrend head coach Paul Benim earned his 500th career win. Benim is in his 22nd year as the Lions' head coach. Under his guidance, the Behrend baseball program has accrued Over the past six seasons, the Lions have posted 183 wins while earning an AMCC-best 88 victories. Benim has established the Behrend Lions as one of the best programs in the Mid-Atlantic Region, earning regional and national attention. In the thirteen years prior to taking over, the program had won only 24% of its contests. During Benim's tenure, the program has earned victories in 63 percent of its games, with nearly every school record being broken. The program has made the conference tournament 13 times, won three regular season and five conference tournament titles, and finished as runner-up four times. Benim, the all-time leader in baseball coaching victories at Behrend, is 471-269-3 during 21 seasons and posts a career head coach mark of 553-306-3.
Matt Wolczko hit a go-ahead three run triple in the bottom of the fifth to vault the Penn State Behrend baseball team to a 7-3 victory over Gallaudet in the Eastern College Athletic Conference(ECAC) Division III South Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon at the Behrend Diamond.
The AMCC champions La Roche College Redhawks bowed out of the Marietta (OH) regional of the NCAA Division III baseball tournament with an 8-0 loss to Case Western Reserve University.
On Friday, May 16, the Behrend baseball team and coaching staff visited the Penn State Behrend Child Care Center, located in Knowledge Park. This annual event is part of the team's community service to enjoy time away from the field in a fun atmosphere. "The kids and team had a great time playing outside today. They had a lot of energy and seemed to really enjoy kickball, whiffle ball, duck duck goose," said junior pitcher Tyler Geer. The baseball team also volunteers at Habitat for Humanity as another way to give back to the community.
Several Pitt-Bradford baseball players recently signed summer league contracts with various teams to allow them the chance to continue playing while not in school.
La Roche College outfielder Franzee Barlamas and pitcher Tyler Ferguson have been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Div. III south region Player and Pitcher of the Week.
The 2014 AMCC baseball all-conference team features a stellar starting line-up, including La Roche College second baseman Colin Feikles as Player of the Year and Mount Aloysius College senior Derrick Capiak as Pitcher of the Year.
The Penn State Behrend baseball team will host the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 at the Behrend Baseball Field
