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Watkins Tabbed WVIAC Pitcher of The Year

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ATH09_029_WatkinsBen_TBen Watkins Tabbed WVIAC Pitcher of the Year;
Five Others Named to All-Conference Teams 
     05/01/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) was named the 2009 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (WVIAC) Pitcher of the Year on Thursday to lead a pair of Mountain Cats who garnered First-Team All-WVIAC honors, and four others who were named to all-conference teams voted on by the leagues 15 head baseball coaches.  Sophomore right-hander Kaleb Fleck (Claysburg, Pa.) joined Watkins as a First-Team All-WVIAC selection... (Full WVIAC Release)
     Eric Workman, who starred for Southern Division champion West Virginia State University as an outfielder and pitcher, took Hitter and Player of the Year honors.  Workman led the regionally ranked Yellow Jackets with a .460 batting average and 51 runs scored.  The Ivydale, WV senior also notched a 6-0 mound record with a 1.80 earned run average.  Fairmont State (WV) University’s George Yanchak was voted the WVIAC Coach of the Year after leading his squad to an unexpected Central Division title.  Yanchak, a former West Liberty standout, guided the Falcons to their first divisional title in five seasons.  The second-year head coach led his team to a 9-5 mark in Central Division play and a 14-22 overall mark.
     Watkins, a three-time WVIAC Pitcher of the Week recipient in 2009, led Pitt-Johnstown with a 7-1 record and a .84 earned-run-average in 53.1 innings-pitched.  Watkins allowed just seven runs all seasons, five of which were earned.  Watkins also struck out a team-best 63, while walking only four.  In this week’s NCAA statistics, Watkins, a graduate of Conemaugh Township Area High School, ranks second in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (.68), fifth in E.R.A. (.84), 19th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.64), 22nd in hits allowed per nine innings (6.59) and 50th in victories (7).
     Joining Watkins on the All-WVIAC First-Team is Fleck, who will pitch this summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League.  Fleck posted a 6-2 record and a 2.61 E.R.A. in 48.1 innings of work.  Fleck finished second on the team behind Watkins with 55 strikeouts.  Nationally, Fleck ranks 32nd in strikeouts per nine innings (10.25), 55th in E.R.A. (2.61) and 77th in hits allowed per nine innings.
     Senior first baseman Matt Hanley (Delmont, Pa.) and senior closer Eric Faint (Johnstown, Pa.) were named Second-Team All-WVIAC.  Hanley led Pitt-Johnstown in batting average (.426), hits (63), homeruns (10), runs batted-in (55), total bases (108), slugging percentage (.730) and on-base percentage (.488).  Hanley is 45th in the nation in runs batted-in per game (1.25), 46th in batting average (.426), 53rd in slugging percentage (.730) and 57th in runs batted-in (55).  Faint ended the season with a 5-1 record and a team-high five saves.  His 1.32 E.R.A. in 34 innings-pitched was second on the team.  Faint ranks 53rd nationally in saves with five.
     The Mountain Cats also had a pair of Honorable Mention All-WVIAC choices in sophomore second baseman Nick Barbera (Harrisburg, Pa.) and senior shortstop Matt Petrowsky (Johnstown, Pa.).  Barbera led Pitt-Johnstown in at-bats (149), runs (49) and walks (25) and was second in batting average (.362), hits (54), doubles (14), triples (3) and total bases (83).  Petrowsky, who played in only 24 games due to an injury, batted .346 with three homeruns and 20 RBI.  Petrowsky also scored 30 runs.
     Pitt-Johnstown wrapped-up the 2009 season with a 29-15 overall record.  The Mountain Cats also finished third in the WVIAC Northern Division with a 9-7 record.
     Additionally, West Liberty State (WV) College catcher Derek Daugherty earned the Shannon Stewart Heart & Hustle Award.  The Cambridge, OH sophomore was also named to the honorable mention squad after bouncing back from a serious shoulder injury.
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