Pitt Johnstown Mag Summer 2010 ver4 - Pitt-Johnstown Home Page ...

Students Makes the Major League
After transferring to Pitt-
Johnstown from Clarion
University for the 2007-08 school
year, Mountain Cat right-handed
pitcher Ben Watkins saw his life
change dramatically in less than
two years. Watkins, a native of
Tire Hill, Pa. and a graduate of
Conemaugh Township High School,
excelled in the classroom and on
the mound on his way to becoming
a First-Team Academic All-
American and a 40 th -round
selection by the New York Yankees
in the June 2009 Major League
Baseball Draft.
Watkins joined Head Coach Todd
Williams’ starting pitching
rotation in 2008, but it was in 2009
that he showed his dominance.
Watkins, a Second-Team National
Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association (NCBWA) All-
American and the 2009 NCBWA
and Daktronics Atlantic Region
Pitcher of the Year, posted a 7-1
record and led NCAA Division II in
earned-run average at .81. He was
the West Virginia Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Pitcher
of the Year and an ABCA/Rawlings
First-Team All-Region selection.
Academically, Watkins garnered
First-Team ESPN the Magazine
Academic All-America honors and
was tabbed the Atlantic Region
Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a 3.9
GPA in Electrical Engineering
Technology following the 2009 season.
His efforts also earned him an NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship.
Then, in June 2009, Watkins was
drafted in the 40 th round by the New
York Yankees. He posted a 5-0 record
with a 2.47 ERA in 25 appearances
with the Staten Island Yankees in the
New York-Penn League, a low Single
A short-season league. He was
promoted to the Single A Charleston
(S.C.) Riverdogs in the South Atlantic
League for the 2010 season, and he is
currently 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA in 23
appearances.
Watkins returned to Pitt-Johnstown
this fall to complete his degree.
We are Mountain Cat Proud of Student-Athletes!
Shane Valko was named NCAA National Wrestling Champion, National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)
East Region Wrestler of the Year, and NWCA National Wrestler of the Year.
56 student-athletes were named to the Dean’s List last academic year.
12 student-athletes were inducted into Pitt-Johnstown’s first class of the Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society.
18 student-athletes received the Athletic Directors Association’s Achievement Award.
33 student-athletes were named to the 2008-09 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Honor
Roll.
24 student-athletes were named to the 2010 WVIAC Commissioners Honor Roll.
Four wrestlers received All-Academic recognition from the National Wrestling Coaches Association
Women’s soccer and women’s volleyball received the 2009 WVIAC Sportsmanship Award
Student-Athletes performed more than 1,600 hours of service
Student-Athletes raised $6,746 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation
Abby Gearhart was named WVIAC Woman of the Year
(photo courtesy of Ali Single)
2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT ISSUE 13