Elizabethtown College Baseball News 
Back to top 5/20/2008 Sam Heaps, Jared Auman named to ABCA Mid-Atlantic Region team FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sam Heaps, Jared Auman Named to ABCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior pitcher/first baseman Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) and senior catcher Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) have been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)-Rawlings All-Mid-Atlantic Region team, which was announced on Tuesday. Heaps was a second-team selection as a utility player while Auman was a third-team choice at catcher for the second consecutive season. It is the sixth straight year and ninth time in 10 years that the Blue Jays have had at least one All-Region selection. Heaps, the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Year, finished 6-1 in 10 starts and ranked third in the conference with a 2.57 earned run average. In 66 2/3 innings of work, he struck out a league-best 60 batters and walked just 17. At the plate, he batted .405 to rank fourth in the conference in hitting, with two home runs and 37 runs batted in. Heaps, who played first base when not on the mound, scored 42 runs and tied for second on the team with 23 walks. Auman was a first-team All-Conference selection at first base in 2008 after being the conference Co-Player of the Year in 2007. He hit .420 to rank second in the conference in batting average, and added a league-best 18 doubles to go with two home runs and 37 runs batted in. He also led the team with 20 multi-hit games and had a 16-game hitting streak during the season. For his career, Auman is tied for fourth in program history in batting average at .381, ranks sixth in hits with 162 and third in doubles with 41. The Blue Jays finished 26-12 overall and won the Commonwealth Conference regular-season championship with a 10-2 league mark. Elizabethtown advanced to the conference title game for the third straight year before dropping a 7-3 decision to Messiah College in the finals. Back to top 5/8/2008 Five Blue Jays named All-Conference, Sam Heaps selected Pitcher of the Year FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Five Blue Jays Named All-Conference in Baseball; Sam Heaps Selected Pitcher of the Year ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Five members of the Elizabethtown College baseball team have been selected All-Commonwealth Conference, as voted upon by the league's five head coaches and released Thursday. Junior Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) was honored as Pitcher of the Year and was a first-team All-Conference selection at both pitcher and utility player. Senior first baseman Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) and junior outfielder Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) were also first-team picks, while sophomore shortstop Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) and sophomore outfielder Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) were second-team selections. Together, they led the Blue Jays to a 26-12 overall record and first place in the Commonwealth Conference with a 10-2 mark. Elizabethtown advanced to the conference championship game for the third straight year before falling to Messiah College in the finals. Heaps, a second-team selection at pitcher last season, finished 6-1 in 10 starts and ranked third in the Commonwealth Conference with a 2.57 earned run average. In 66 2/3 innings of work, he struck out a league-best 60 batters and walked just 17. At the plate, he batted .405 to rank fourth in the conference in hitting, with two home runs and 37 runs batted in. Heaps, who played first base when not on the mound, scored 42 runs and tied for second on the team with 23 walks. Auman, the conference Co-Player of the Year last season, was a first-team choice at catcher last season. He hit .420 to rank second in the conference in batting average, and added a league-best 18 doubles to go with two home runs and 37 runs batted in. He also led the team with 20 multi-hit games and had a 16-game hitting streak during the season. Sheibley, a second-team selection and the conference Rookie of the Year in 2006, batted .373 with a team-high five home runs and 32 runs batted in out of the leadoff spot in the lineup. He scored a team-high 48 runs and led the Commonwealth Conference with 28 stolen bases, the second-highest single season total in program history. Vinagro started all 38 games at shortstop and hit .302 with 18 runs batted in and 35 runs scored. He finished second in the conference in assists with 125 and had 12 multi-hit games. Francis hit .366 with two home runs and a team-high 39 runs batted in while starting all 38 games in center field. He finished second in the conference and on the team in stolen bases with 21, and also led the team in triples (4) and walks (29) while adding five outfield assists. Craig Mease of Messiah was named Player of the Year, while Tom DeAngelis of Widener was voted Rookie of the Year and Albright's Jeff Feiler took Coach of the Year honors. Back to top 5/8/2008 Jared Auman Named Second-Team Academic All-District in Baseball FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jared Auman Named Second-Team Academic All-District in Baseball ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior catcher/first baseman Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine District 2 College Division All-Academic Second Team in baseball, as voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and released Thursday. Auman is a two-time first-team All-Commonwealth Conference selection - at catcher in 2007 and at first base in 2008 - and was the league's Co-Player of the Year in 2007. This season, he hit .420 to rank second in the conference in batting average, and added a league-best 18 doubles to go with two home runs and 37 runs batted in. He also led the team with 20 multi-hit games and had a 16-game hitting streak during the season. For his career, Auman is tied for fourth in program history in batting average at .381, ranks sixth in hits with 162 and third in doubles with 41. Academically, Auman has a 3.42 cumulative grade-point average as a criminal justice major at Elizabethtown. He was named the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation (MASCAC) Scholar-Athlete in baseball for the 2007-08 academic year. To be nominated for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be of at least sophomore academic standing with a 3.2 or higher cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve.
Back to top 5/3/2008 Etown falls 7-3 to Messiah in championship game after winning opener 2-0 ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Messiah Takes Commonwealth Conference Title With 7-3 Win Over Elizabethtown Click here for the game one box score WEST LAWN, Pa. --- Jeremy Stoltzfus pitched a complete game to lift Messiah College to a 7-3 victory over Elizabethtown College in the championship game of the Commonwealth Conference baseball tournament at Owls Field on Saturday. The Blue Jays had forced a second game in the title round with a 2-0 victory over the Falcons, as senior Chris Minakowski (Roslyn, PA/Abington) tossed a four-hitter in his second career start. Messiah scored four runs in the top of the second inning and added single runs in the fifth, seventh and ninth to win the conference for the first time since 2005. Craig Mease led the Falcons by going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Ben Kirk went 2-for-5 and Jon Shenk finished 2-for-4 as Messiah outhit Elizabethtown 11-8. Stoltzfus (4-4) allowed eight hits and struck out two in his second complete game in nine starts this season. The Falcons took two out of three games with the Blue Jays in the tournament after being swept in three games in the regular season series. Junior Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) led the Blue Jays (26-12 overall) by going 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored, while sophomore Ben Yeager (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) finished 3-for-4. The Falcons struck for four runs in the top of the second off Blue Jay sophomore Ryan Barrett (Knox, PA/Keystone), on RBI singles by Ben Snyder, Shenk and Mease and a groundout. Messiah added a run in the fifth on an RBI single by Jordan Zimmerman, but the Blue Jays got on the board in the bottom of the inning as Sheibley hit his fifth home run of the year. The Falcons scored again in the seventh on an RBI single by Kirk to take a 6-1 lead, and the Blue Jays answered in their half of the frame on an RBI single by junior Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove). The teams traded runs in the ninth as Messiah scored on an error and the Blue Jays tallied on a ground out. Barrett (1-2) lasted 1 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays, allowing five hits and four runs. The Elizabethtown bullpen combined to allow three runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings of relief work. In game one, Minakowski, making his second career start after 52 relief appearances, threw a four-hit shutout while junior Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) hit a two-run home run in the second inning to give the Blue Jays the victory. Minakowski (3-2), who lasted just two innings in his previous start in 2006 and whose longest career outing was four innings, struck out one and walked one in the win. He recorded 18 outs by fly ball, and saw just two Falcon runners reach scoring position on doubles in the third and fourth innings. Semanek hit his fourth home run of the year in the second inning after senior Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) led off with a double. Auman finished 2-for-4 for the Blue Jays, the only player on either team with more than one hit in the contest. Elizabethtown finished with a slim 5-4 margin in hits over Messiah. Travis Thome (4-3) took the loss for Messiah in game one, allowing five hits and two runs in eight-plus innings of work while striking out five and walking one. Commonwealth Conference Baseball Tournament Elizabethtown Coll. 2, Messiah College 0 Messiah College 7, Elizabethtown Coll. 3 Back to top 5/2/2008 Blue Jays Advance to Commonwealth Finals With 4-3 Win over Widener ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Blue Jays Advance to Commonwealth Finals With 4-3 Win over Widener, To Face Messiah on Saturday Click here for the Messiah box score WEST LAWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College advanced to the Commonwealth Conference baseball finals with a 4-3 victory over Widener University on Friday night at Owls Field. The Blue Jays will face Messiah College, which moved to the championship round with a 15-4 win over Elizabethtown on Friday afternoon, on Saturday at noon. Elizabethtown must defeat the Falcons twice on Saturday to earn their third consecutive league championship. In the win over Widener, the Blue Jays (25-11 overall) won despite managing just three hits in the contest, and none after the third inning. Sophomore Adam Hartzell (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts) was equally strong on the mound for Elizabethtown, taking a one-hitter into the eighth inning to earn the victory. Widener, which was shut out by Elizabethtown 4-0 in the tournament opener on Thursday, scored in the first inning without a hit as Tom DeAngelis walked, stole second, and scored on a fielder's choice. The Blue Jays answered with two runs in the bottom of the first on RBI groundouts by junior Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) and senior Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy), and added a run in the second on an RBI double by sophomore Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford). After the Blue Jays tacked on a run in the fourth on a fielder's choice, Hartzell shut down the Pride until the eighth when three straight one-out singles, the last by Matt Fischer, cut the Blue Jay lead to 4-2. Sophomore Ryan Barrett (Knox, PA/Keystone) relieved Hartzell and induced two fly outs to escape further damage. In the ninth, Widener put its first two runners on base and a sacrifice moved them into scoring position. A wild pitch brought home one run and moved the tying runner to third, but senior Chris Minakowski (Roslyn, PA/Abington) relieved and got two comebackers to end the game and pick up his third save of the season. Hartzell allowed four hits and two earned runs over 7 1/3 innings to improve to 4-0 on the year, striking out three and walking four. Jerry Benedict (2-3) gave up three runs on three hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings to take the loss for Widener. Against Messiah, the Blue Jays saw the Falcons snap a 2-2 tie with four runs in the sixth inning, then add nine more runs over the final three innings against the Elizabethtown bullpen. Craig Mease went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and five runs scored, while winning pitcher Sheldon Witmer finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored as part of a 17-hit attack by the Falcons. Sophomore Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) finished 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored for the Blue Jays, while Auman went 3-for-5 and scored a run for Elizabethtown. Messiah took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Witmer, but the Blue Jays scored twicein the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Heaps and an RBI single by senior Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central). Mease hit his 10th home run of the season in the top of the third to tie the game at 2-2, and the Falcons went ahead for good in the sixth on two-run singles by Ben Kirk and Jon Shenk. The Falcons added three more runs in the seventh on a two-run single by Jonny Ebersole and an error to take a 9-2 lead. Messiah scored twice more in the eighth on an RBI single by Jordan Zimmerman and fielder's choice, and the Blue Jays answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by sophomore Ben Yeager (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) and a groundout to pull within 11-4. In the ninth, the Falcons scored four more runs on a balk, RBI singles by Witmer and Zimmerman, and an error to close the scoring. Witmer (6-1) worked seven innings for the Falcons, allowing 11 hits and four earned runs while striking out five and walking two. Junior Matt Kutz (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) dropped to 5-3 for the Blue Jays after giving up seven hits and six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. Messiah College 15, Elizabethtown Coll. 4 Elizabethtown Coll. 4, Widener University 3 Back to top 5/1/2008 Sam Heaps throws second straight shutout as Etown defeats Widener 4-0 ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Sam Heaps Fires Seven-Hitter as Blue Jays Defeat Widener 4-0 in Commonwealth Conference Opener WEST LAWN, Pa. --- Junior Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) tossed a seven-hitter for his second consecutive shutout as Elizabethtown College opened the Commonwealth Conference baseball tournament with a 4-0 win over Widener University on Thursday afternoon at Owls Field. The Blue Jays (24-10 overall), who have won the conference tournament in each of the last two years, will face Messiah College on Friday at 3:00 p.m. after the Falcons blanked Albright College 3-0 in Thursday's late game. Heaps (6-1) struck out three and walked three in the first postseason shutout by the Blue Jays since 2001. In his last start, he threw a two-hitter and struck out nine in a 9-0 win over Albright last Friday afternoon. Junior Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in, and threw out a runner at the plate, while junior Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Blue Jays, who won for the 13th time in their last 15 games. The Blue Jays took 1-0 led in the bottom of the fourth inning as senior Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) singled with one out and scored on a two-out RBI single by Semanek. In the fifth, Elizabethtown added another run as sophomore Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on a double to left-center by Sheibley . One out later, Sheibley came home on an RBI single by Heaps to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead. Widener threatened in the seventh, putting runners on first and second with one out. However, Heaps worked out of the jam by inducing a foul out and a fly out to end the inning. The Blue Jays added an insurance run in the eighth as senior Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) walked with two outs, moved up on a single by Semanek and scored on a single down the left field line by sophomore Ben Yeager (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts). In the ninth, the Pride picked up back-to-back singles with one out. Alex Neiman followed with a single to left, but Sheibley threw out the Widener runner at the plate for the second out. Heaps then struck out pinch-hitter Justin Maziarz to end the game. Tristan Harner (6-3) took the loss for Widener (25-13 overall) after allowing six hits and three earned runs in an eight-inning complete game. It was his first career loss to the Blue Jays after three straight wins, including one in last year's conference tournament. Tom Connelly went 2-for-3 for Widener, which will play Albright in an elimination game on Friday at 11:00 a.m. Elizabethtown Coll. 4, Widener University 0 |
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