University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Men's Baseball
100-Inning Game Another Success
The 2009 Pitt-Johnstown 100-inning game was another big success this year. The coaching staff and players would like to thank everyone for helping us fundraise for the 2010 spring trip to Florida. Due to inclement weather, the game was started on Thursday. Oct. 8 with the team playing 30 innings of the game that afternoon. Torrential rain Friday into Saturday morning resulted in the last 70 innings being played on Sunday, Oct. 11. Eventually, Team Colosimo defeated Team Petrowsky, 32-27. Parents, brothers, sisters and other sponsors played in the game on Sunday and everyone had a great time. Some of the guys need to wear spikes on the field next year, as there seemed to be a sniper in the woodline causing people to get muddy out there. The mothers even took turns batting off of the pitching machine. We had a lot of great food, and we hope everybody had a terrific time. Again, we would like to thank everyone who sponsored our players in this year's event. We listed everyone who sponsored the players to thank them personally... (Corporate Sponsors) (Individual Sponsors)
Head Coach Todd Williams
and Assistant Coaches Rick Roberts and Bill Colosimo
Watkins Named Atlantic Region Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
(INDIANAPOLIS)-Pitt Johnstown baseball player Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) has been selected as the 2008-09 Atlantic Region Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year as named by the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners’ Association (DII CCA)... (Full Story)
Inaugural Baseball Alumni Game a Huge Success
On Saturday, September 26th, 2009, the Pitt-Johnstown baseball team welcomed back 23 alumni for inaugural Alumni Baseball Game. The game was originally scheduled to start at 3 p.m., but due to weather, was moved up to an 11:30 a.m.
The alumni team battled the 2010 version of the Mountain Cat baseball squad in a rainy contest that lasted seven innings before the game had to be called. In the end, the current Mountain Cats defeated the alumni, 6-3. Matt Hanley (Delmont, Pa.) and Ronnie Stenger (Johnstown, Pa.) both belted homeruns for the "old guys", but it was not enough, as the "young guns" prevailed.
Following the game, the alumni and coaching staff went to Morris's in Sidman for dinner and to talk about all the old and good times they experienced.
Head Coach todd Williams hopes this annual event gets bigger each year. The process is already in motion planning next year's event with a golf outing possibly being added to the events.
Coach Williams and the Mountain Cat baseball program wants to thank all the alumni who attended and had a great time.
Watkins Leads Team to New York-Penn League Title
09/17/09...Former Mountain Cat All-American Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) pitched five scoreless innings on Wednesday to lead the Staten Island Yankees to a 5-2 victory over Mahoning Valley in Niles, OH to claim the franchise's fifth Single A New-York Penn League Championship... (New York-Penn League Website)
Ben Watkins Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship 08/07/09...Former Pitt-Johnstown All-American pitcher Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) has been chosen as a recipient of a 2009 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Watkins is just the fourth Pitt-Johnstown student-athlete to receive this prestigious scholarship. The scholarship provides financial assistance for a student-athlete to attend graduate school... (Full Story)
Ben Watkins Tops In Division II In E.R.A. 07/01/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) led NCAA Division II in earned run average at .84 in 53.1 innings-pitched when the 2009 final statistics were released. Watkins, the Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year and a Daktronics Third-Team All-American, was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 40th Round of June's Major League Baseball Draft... (Full Story)
Watkins Drafted By Yankees in 40th Round
06/11/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) became the first Mountain Cat baseball player under Head Coach Todd Williams to be chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft when the New York Yankees selected him in Thursday's 40th round... (Full Story)
Watkins Second-Team NCBWA All-American;
Five Other WVIAC Players Honored
06/04/09...The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) has named Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) a Second-Team NCAA Division II All-American. Concord shortstop/pitcher Donovan Huffer garnerd first-team honors, while West Virginia State outfielder Eric Workman joined Watkins on the second-team. In addition, Fairmont State first baseman Zach Solly, West Virginia State outfielder Bo Darby, and Shepherd closer Kenny Reisinger are listed as an honorable mention picks... (Full WVIAC Release)
Watkins NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year;
Three Others Named to All-Region Teams 05/26/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.), a 2009 Third-Team Daktronics All-American and a First-Team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American, was named the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year on Monday to lead four Mountain Cats who garnered All-Region honors. Pitchers Kaleb Fleck (Claysburg, Pa.) and Eric Faint (Johnstown, Pa.) were Second-Team NCBWA All-Region selections, while senior first baseman Matt Hanley (Delmont, Pa.) was an honorable mention choice... (Full Story)
Watkins ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American 05/26/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior pitcher Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.), the WVIAC and Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, became the second Mountain Cat baseball player to earn named First-Team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors when this year’s teams were released on Monday. Voting was done by members of the College Sports Information Directors’ of America (CoSIDA)... (Full Story)
Watkins Third-Team Daktronics All-American
05/22/09...Four WVIAC baseball standouts, including Mountain Cat right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.), have earned mention on the Daktronics 2009 NCAA Division II All-America Baseball Team. Fairmont State first baseman Zack Solly and West Virginia State outfielder Eric Workman were named to the second team, while Watkins and Concord shortstop/pitcher Donovan Huffer grabbed spots on the third team... (Full Story)
Ben Watkins Garners First-Team All-Atlantic Region Honors by Coaches;
Senior Closer Eric Faint Named to Second-Team 05/19/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.), the Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, garnered another honor when he was named American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings First-Team Atlantic Region on Tuesday. Senior closer Eric Faint (Johnstown, Pa.) was selected to the second-team... (Full Story)
Watkins Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year;
Three Others Named to Daktronics All-Region Teams 05/13/09...Pitt-Johnstown senior right-hander Ben Watkins (Tire Hill, Pa.) was named the 2009 Daktronics Baseball Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday to lead a pair of Mountain Cats who garnered First-Team All-Region honors. Sophomore second baseman Nick Barbera (Harrisburg, Pa.) joined Watkins on the All-Region First-Team, while pitchers Kaleb Fleck (Claysburg, Pa.) and Eric Faint (Johnstown, Pa.) were Second-Team Daktronics All-Region selections. Watkins and Barbera will now advance to the national ballot to become Daktronics All-Americans... (Full Story)
Ben 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 Story)
Last Reviewed: May 18, 2008