FOUR GOLDEN EAGLES NAMED PSAC-WEST ALL-CONFERENCE
Warner, Roller 1st team; Yackovich, Shaffer 2nd team
Four Clarion University baseball players were named PSAC-West All-Conference in a voting by league coaches.
Senior catcher Jason Warner (Nescopeck/Berwick) and junior relief pitcher Chuck Roller (Warrington/Central Bucks East) were first-team selections, while sophomore first baseman Jake Yackovich (Murrysville/Franklin Regional) and junior starting pitcher Adam Shaffer (Cranberry/Cranberry) were second team choices.
In earning his second straight first-team catcher selection, Warner led the Golden Eagles in RBIs (28), triples (3), stolen bases (6 of 8) and slugging percentage (.497) while finishing second in batting average (.340), doubles (11) and home runs (2). His numbers in PSAC-West games were just as solid with a .355 average (22 of 62) with six doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Warner, who was also second-team All-Region in 2005, finished his 4-year Clarion career with a .357 batting average (202 of 566) with 37 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs and 109 RBIs while slugging .488. He had a career on-base percentage of .416 while stealing 27 bases.
Roller, who was a second-team PSAC-West and second-team All-Region relief pitcher a year ago, earned first-team honors this season by tying for second in the PSAC with seven saves while going 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 games, all of them relief appearances. He pitched 22.1 innings and allowed 14 runs, nine of them earned, on 20 hits and four walks while striking out 24.
In his three years at Clarion, Roller has pitched in 53 games, 48 out in relief, and is 6-6 with 20 saves and a 6.04 ERA. Since being turned into a full-time closer last year, he has 16 saves with a 2.74 ERA in 37 appearances.
Yackovich had a breakout season in 2006 hitting .333 good for third on the team. He added eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 RBIs while slugging .480 with an on-base percentage of .400. Defensively, he committed just four errors in 274 chances for .985 fielding percentage
The sophomore has a career batting average of .293 with 13 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 24 RBIs.
Shaffer also enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2006 leading the PSAC in ERA (1.84) while allowing just 10 runs, nine of them earned, in 44.0 innings of work. A hard-luck pitcher most of the year, he finished with a 2-4 record in eight games, seven of them starts. He had three complete games. Opponents hit just .218 off him with only 11 extra-base hits. He struck out 21 and walked 25.
In three years at Clarion, Shaffer is 4-10 with a 4.06 ERA in 27 appearances with 16 starts. He has five complete games while also saving three contests.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES – Clarion finished 14-32 overall and 7-13 in the PSAC-West under seventh-year head coach Scott Feldman while finding itself in the PSAC Playoff hunt into the final weekend … In 2005, Clarion was 25-22-1 overall and 12-8 in the PSAC-West while earning a share of the PSAC-West title, its first PSAC-West title since 1984 … Roller’s nine saves in 2005 set a school record … Feldman, who has a career record of 108-192-1 was PSAC-West Coach of the Year in 2005.