Four Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball players and three softball players have been named all-Penn State University Athletic Conference.
Honored in baseball were:
- Mark Shaffer, a sophomore pitcher from Hanover who graduated from South Western High School and compiled an 11-1 record with a 1.25 earned run average
- James Woodring, a senior second baseman from Waynesboro who graduated from Waynesboro High School and hit .402 with 23 runs batted in and 32 runs scored
- Phil Woodring, James' twin brother, a junior shortstop from Waynesboro who graduated from Waynesboro High School and hit .446, including two home runs, 38 RBI, 42 runs scored and 18 stolen bases
- Cody Lytle, a senior third baseman from Watsontown who graduated from Warrior Run High School and hit .411 with 16 RBI, 33 runs scored and 17 stolen bases
Penn College posted a 31-13 overall record and was 19-4 while winning the conference championship under coach Chris Howard. "Mark has been the anchor of the pitching staff, not just in terms of wins and losses, either. He works hard and the way he carries himself on the mound, it's good for the younger guys to see what he's doing. He's a good example for everybody. I think he's the best pitcher in the league," Howard said. "Phil, defensively he's outstanding, he's the catalyst for the whole team. He leads off and you can tell by his average, it seems that he's always on base and always making things happen. He drives in runs. He does it all. He's the guy that gets the team going. He's the best player on the team and he always comes through and that's what the good players do, they come through when you need them. "His brother, James, James kind of gets looked over a little just because of what Phil does, but we wouldn't have won without James. He hits the ball well. He drives in runs. Defensively, he's rock solid. He and Phil work so good together; you can tell they're twins, they work so well in terms of turning double plays and doing things that need to be done to win. We're going to miss James a lot. I don't know that you can replace him, but his shoes are going to be hard to fill," Howard continued. "I'm glad that Cody made it because he's a competitor. He wants to win and he does a great job at third base defensively. He had a stretch where he made every play that you could possibly make. He brings all of the intangibles to the team. There is a toughness about him, that go-getter attitude. He's intense and makes everybody else better that's around him," Howard said. "All four of those guys all are great students. You can be a very successful athlete and get great grades on top of it. These four guys are certainly a testament to that," Howard added. Cited in softball were:
- Tiffany Deihm, a freshman pitcher from Mohnton who graduated from Twin Valley High School and posted a 10-1 record with a 1.25 earned run average
- Lisa Miller, a sophomore left fielder from Cogan Station who graduated from Montoursville Area High School and hit 390 with 20 runs batted in and 30 runs scored
- Michelle McNett, a sophomore second baseman from Canton who graduated from Canton Area High School and hit 380 with 18 RBI and 28 runs scored
The Lady Wildcats, coached by Roger Harris, finished 21-5 overall and were 15-5 in the PSUAC, where they finished second. "This was her first year," Harris said of Deihm. "The girls played well behind Tiffany. "¦ She brought a positive attitude to the mound and the girls responded to that. All winter long, she worked very hard on her pitching. She dedicated herself to the season and it showed when she went out on the ball field. And, she had a good bat," Harris said. Miller and McNett are both "local" players, and the fact that they stood out on the collegiate level is a credit to their previous coaches, Harris said. "The ball players in this area are very well-taught. When you get a ball player from around here, they're good ball players. They are well-coached by their coaches in high school. These are girls who helped pull the team together for the last couple of years," said Harris, whose team captured the conference title a year ago and has gone 44-11 over the last two seasons.