All Said and Done, Great Year for Johnstown Area Baseball.

                     The 2012 Baseball season has been kind to our area on all levels. The Johnstown area is not always known for its prowess on the baseball diamond, but this will go down as a season for the ages. The combined success of individuals and teams has really made 2012 a season to remember. The quality of Baseball for such a small area is astounding. The success by teams and individuals now will only improve it further for future players

Colin Harrington

        The success of two local players on the Division One Baseball scene has given the area a spot on the map. Colin Harrington is a Bishop McCort graduate that plays for the University of Virginia.  Virginia has been a high profile baseball program the past decade, and Colin has played a role in that success. Harrington played in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska in back in 2011. The Cavaliers played on a National TV stage against eventual National Champion, South Carolina. Harrington posted a 2 hit performance against the Gamecocks in a loss. The 2012 season proved to be even better for Harrington. He took on the role as the everyday right fielder. Harrington finished second on the team with a .305 batting average and was named to the ACC All Tournament team. Virginia appeared in the NCAA tournament but failed to advance past the regional level. Harrington figures to be a prominent player for the next two seasons. The other local standout is Forest Hills graduate, George Roberts. Roberts had an outstanding 2012 for Kent State University. Roberts posted a .364 batting average and drove in 66 runs. He helped lead the Golden Flashes to the 2012 College World Series. The underdog team surprised the nation as they took down the number one ranked team, Florida. Roberts played a huge role in that game with two hits and two runs batted in.  Roberts will enter his senior season as one of the top returning First Basemen in the entire country. The two players combined have legitimate major league draft hopes and will open up doors for college recruiters to come back to the area.

Bishop McCort

          The 2012 Bishop McCort Baseball team brought back a PIAA Class A State Championship. The Crimson Crushers roared to a 24-2 record and outscored opponents 68-14 in postseason play.  The fundamentally sound Curshers batted .367 as a team, posted a .952 team fielding percentage, and stole an unreal 131 bases. The Crimson Crushers were led by seniors Jesse Cooper and Christian Leech. Cooper will continue his career at Division II Seton Hill, while Leech will go on to play at strong Division III program in Washington & Jefferson College.  The Crushers won the state title with plenty of Sophomores and Juniors playing prominent roles, and they figure to be one of the favorites for the next couple years. The Crimson Crushers were the only local team to bring home the title, but they were not the only team that impressed the state.  The North Star Cougars shocked a lot of people by reaching the Western Final in Class AA. The Cougars posted a 19-5 record and lost to a good Riverside team in the state playoffs. The run by North Star was led by two juniors, Tony Straiser and Brantley Rice. North Star will be back again next year, and they will not be surprising anyone next time around.

2012 Boilers

              The Summer Baseball circuit was another impressive run put on by local baseball players. The City's Pony and Colt programs excelled once again in 2012. The Colt League which is comprised of 15 and 16 year olds sent two teams to represent the league in the satellite tournament in Struthers, Ohio. The satellites are entry level tournaments on the road to the Colt World Series. The Breakers put on a good weekend in Ohio and advanced to the next step in North Carolina. They finished 1-2 in North Carolina against strong competition, but they represented the area well. The B. Hale Boilers of the Pony League have recently advanced to the Pony League World Series in Washington, Pennsylvania. The Boilers are no strangers to the event held in Washington, as this is their sixth trip. They will see competition from across the country, and even across the world. They will look to bring back the World Championship for the first time in their history.  The Boilers are comprised of 13 and 14 year olds that will be upcoming freshmen in high school. The success by the kids at a young age points to a promising feature for local high schools, and perhaps more division one baseball players.  The coaches and volunteers that work with these teams and players help create a strong foundation for their High School, and potential college careers.
        The city's national showcase for its baseball skills has come to an end. The AAABA Baseball tournament features teams from all over the East coast and Johnstown gets to take on teams from outside the area. The league is a wooden bat league for high school and college ages kids and has held its National Tournament in Johnstown for nearly 70 years.  The city's two representatives were the Berkley Hills Renegades and Martella's Pharmacy. The teams combined for just a 1-4 record, but the future looks bright. The key players from the local high school teams will be playing roles in the coming years, and the successful players from the Pony and Colt teams will be coming through the system. The success on the state level in high school, and the success on an interstate level for the younger kids will only pay dividends for Johnstown's AAABA future.
                  Johnstown has not always been known for great baseball. The tides appear to be turning. The success on all levels is encouraging. The time put in by the coaches, volunteers, and instructors is paying off. There will be more state championships. The number of division one players will go up. Johnstown will see a National Championship in AAABA sooner rather than later. The talent and the passion is here. The 2012 season will be one to remember, but also one to build for the future.