CLEARFIELD – With 13 of last year\’s top 14 players in the fold, the Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team should be one of the 2008 Jefferson County Legion League title contenders.
The Chiefs earned second place in 2007 by winning nine of 10 games in the second half.
They finished 13-7 in the JCL and 21-10-1 overall, claiming top honors in their four-team Independence Day Tournament and posting a 2-1-1 record in the Bellefonte Bandits Wooden Bat Tournament.
Their team batting average was .325, while the pitching staff\’s earned run average was 4.19.
Manager Sid Lansberry\’s club, which had its non-league home opener against Indian Valley rained out Saturday, is booked for a 5 p.m. JCL home game against Brookville Sunday at the Bison Sports Complex.
A trio of college players and most of this year\’s Clearfield Area High School team that is preparing for the District 9 Class AAA Playoffs give the Chiefs a solid nucleus.
The returnees with college experience are James Zimmermann (Lock Haven University regular second baseman), Adam Jury (Slippery Rock University reserve shortstop) and Kyle Kline (Penn State-Behrend junior varsity infielder).
Jury, whose rookie season at SRU was short-circuited by a broken thumb, hit an astounding .583 for the Chiefs last season. Despite playing only 19 games, he led the team in hits (42), doubles (13) and runs batted in (32) and was second in runs (34) and home runs (3). He struck out only three times in 72 official at-bats.
Zimmerman led Clearfield in home runs (7) and runs (37) and was second to Jury in hits (39), doubles (10) and RBIs (29).
His .355 average for 27 games ranked third.
Kline was second in hitting with a .359 average on 28 hits, including six doubles. He drove in 23 runs and scored 20 in 22 games.
The other returnees who saw action in at least 18 games are infielders Jarrin Campman (.345 with 29 hits and 22 RBIs in 24 games), Justin Hoffman (.276) and Derek Danver, pitchers-first basemen Corey Bookhamer (.213) and Michael Moyer (.211), catcher-outfielder Wil Bacharach (.277) and outfielders Chris Barr (.326), Aaron Sayers (.308), David Ryan (.256) and David Welker (.255).
Campman, Danver, Moyer, Bookhamer, Ryan and Welker are Clearfield Area High School regulars. Other Bison starters who will be vying for playing time are catcher Matt Lonjin, shortstop Parker Herrington and outfielder Tanner St. Clair.
Bookhamer (6-5 with a 5.16 earned run average) and Moyer (4-3 with a 2.44 ERA) were the mainstays on last year\’s pitching staff.
Bookhamer worked 55-2/3 innings in 14 games, allowing 75 hits and 41 earned runs while striking out 32 and walking 32.
Moyer piled up 51-2/3 innings in 13 games. He gave up 18 earned runs, struck out 40 and walked 41.
Jury (2-0, 4.44 ERA in 12-2/3 innings) and Zimmermann (1-0, 3.62 ERA in 11-2/3 innings) were utilized mostly in relief, both appearing in six games on the mound.
Sayers (0-1, 7.90 ERA in 18-2/3 innings) and Welker (2-0, 2.33 ERA in 9 innings) also were involved in decisions.
Pitcher-catcher-infielder Brandon Evans was 2-0 with a 6.36 ERA in 11 innings and was No. 4 in hitting at .352 with 19 hits and 15 RBIs in 17 games.
Lansberry\’s assistant coaches are Tom Danver, Jerry Linsenbigler, Don \”Bear\” Stewart and Ed Yeager.
ROSTER
Wil Bacharach, c, of; Chris Barr of, dh; Corey Bookhamer p, 1b; Isaac Butler p, of; Jarrin Campman, if; Derek Danver, if; Parker Herrington ss, 2b, p; Justin Hoffman, of, 3b; Adam Jury, ss, p; Kyle Kline, 3b, 1b; Matt Lonjin c, of; Michael Moyer, p, 1b; Andrew Redden p, c, of; David Ryan, of; Aaron Sayers, of, p; Tanner St. Clair, of; Kyle Timchak, of; James Zimmermann, if, p.
* * *
SCHEDULE
(Home games in capitals, Jefferson County League games denoted by (*)
May
17 – Mifflin County, postponed; 18 – BROOKVILLE (*), 5 p.m.; 25 – PUNXSUTAWNEY (*), 5 p.m.; 27 – DUBOIS (*), 6 p.m.; 29- at Reynoldsville (*), 6 p.m.; 31 – CURWENSVILLE (*), 5 p.m.
June
2 – at Bellefonte, 6 p.m.; 3 – at Brookville (*), 6 p.m.; 7 – DUBOIS (*), 5 p.m.; 10 – REYNOLDSVILLE (*), 6 p.m.; 12 – at Curwensville (*), 6 p.m.; 16 – BROOKVILLE (*), 6 p.m.; 18 – PUNXSUTAWNEY (*), 6 pm.; 20-21-22 – Bellefonte Bandits Wooden Bat Tournament; 23 – at DUBOIS (*), 6 p.m.; 26 – at Reynoldsville (*), 6 p.m.; 28 – CURWENSVILLE (*), 5 p.m.; 29 – at Mifflin County, 2 p.m.
July
1 – at Brookville (*), 8 p.m.; 3 – at Punxsutawney (*), 8 p.m.; 5-6 Independence Day Tournament; 7 – DUBOIS (*), 6 p.m.; 10 – REYNOLDSVILLE (*), 6 p.m.; 12 – at Curwensville (*), 5 p.m.
