CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team begins what will be a very busy 2009 season Sunday at home against Brookville.
The 5 p.m. Jefferson County League opener is the first of 36 games scheduled for the Chiefs by manager Sid Lansberry. Barring cancellations, the total will climb if the Chiefs qualify for the JCL Playoffs.
Curwensville, DuBois, Punxsutawney, Reynoldsville and Brookville are the other teams in the league, which has a 20-game schedule.
Last year, the Chiefs were runners-up to Punxsutawney in the JCL and won the annual Clearfield Independence Day Tournament en route to a 17-14 record.
Four of the seven Chiefs who hit .333 or better won\’t be back.
James Zimmermann (.488), Adam Jury (.459) and Wil Bacharach (.333) are no longer eligible, age-wise, while Parker Herrington (.341) will begin his college education next month.
Zimmermann led the Chiefs in at-bats (86), hits (42), doubles (9) and runs (31) and also drove in 31 runs from his lead-off spot.
Jury was 34-for-74 with a team-high eight home runs and 35 RBIs, Herrington had 29 hits and 21 RBIs and Bacharach had 12 hits and seven RBIs.
Kyle Kline (.250, 22 hits, 17 RBIs) was a fourth Chief in his final year of eligibility last season.
Lansberry figured to have a veteran pitching corps, but Michael Moyer (6-1 is scheduled for knee surgery and Herrington (3-6) received a coveted appointment to the Air Force Academy.
Moyer posted an outstanding 2.10 earned run average with 61 strikeouts and only 21 walks in 50 innings.
Herrington worked 49-1/3 innings with a 4.25 ERA, 67 strikeouts and 36 walks.
Left-hander Corey Bookhamer (2-1, 5.12 ERA for 41 innings) returns along with Justin Hoffman (2-2) and Aaron Sayers (0-1), who pitched a combine 30-2/3 innings.
Trevor Flanagan, Tyler Jacobson, Kyle Timchak and Kyler Kephart round out the mound staff.
Versatile Jarrin Campman (.414, 29 hits, 13 RBI), who can play second base or center field, infielder Derek Danver (.386, 32, 12) and outfielder Hoffman (.371, 23, 11) are the top returning hitters.
Other regulars back in the fold are third baseman Tanner St. Clair (.273), who missed part of the season due to an injury, outfielder Sayers (.258) and first baseman Bookhamer (.255).
The Chiefs play their home games at the Clearfield Area High School diamond and will use the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field for their invitational as well as the Bellefonte Bandits Wood Bat Tournament games they host in June.
Lansberry\’s assistant coaches are Jerry Linsenbigler, Tom Danver and Ed Yeager.
ROSTER
Corey Bookhamer, p-1b; Jarrin Campman, 2b-cf; Derek Danver, ss; Troy Danver, c-of; Trevor Flanagan, p-1b-3b; Shane Harper, of; Justin Hoffman, p-of; Tyler Jacobson, p-3b-2b; Kyler Kephart p-1b-3b; Justyn Knepp of-c; Matt Lonjin c-of; Luke Peterson, if; Andrew Redden c-of; Garrett Samsel, of; Aaron Sayers, p-of; Tanner St. Clair, 3b; Kyle Timchak, p-of; Chad Zurat p-of-1b.
SCHEDULE
(Jefferson County League games in bold face)
May 17 – Brookville, 5 p.m.; 23 – Fox Township, 1 p.m., and Bradford; 24 – Marion Center, 1 p.m., and Punxsutawney, 5 p.m.; 27 – at DuBois, 6 p.m.; 29 – Philipsburg, 6 p.m.; 31 – at Reynoldsville, 2 p.m.
June 2 – Curwensville, 6 p.m.; 4 – at Brookville, 6 p.m.; 7 – Punxsutawney, 5 p.m.; 9 – at DuBois, 6 p.m.; 11 – Reynoldsville, 6 p.m.; 13 – at Curwensville, 2 p.m.; 14 – Bellefonte (DH), TBA; 15 – Brookville, 6 p.m.; 18 – DuBois, 6 p.m.; 19-20 – Four home games in Bellefonte Bandits Wood Bat Tournament; 21 – Ohio BB Rooners, 12 p.m. (tentative); 22 – at Reynoldsville, 6 p.m.; 24 – Curwensville, 6 p..; 26 – at Brookville, 8 p.m.; 28 – at Punxsutawney (DH), 6 p.m.; 30 – DuBois, 6 p.m.
July 2 – Reynoldsville, 6 p.m.; 4-5 – Independence Day Tournament, TBA; 7 – at Curwensville, 6 p.m.; 9-10-12-14-15 – Jefferson County League Playoffs, TBA; 19 – Bellefonte (DH), TBA.
