Juniata | Campus News Article 1521 Juniata College Quad
Juniata College

Campus News

Juniata College

(Posted May 10, 2005)

Huntingdon, PA - Following a season in which the team established a new program record for wins in a season, the Juniata College baseball team earned five spots on the All-Commonwealth Conference Team as chosen by the conference's eight head coaches. Juniors Walt Goedkoop (Manheim Township/Lancaster) and Will Russell (Tyrone/Tyrone) both earned first-team recognition while Troy Beaver (Bellwood-Antis/Bellwood), Cody Zong (Lewistown/McVeytown) and Dan Kauffman (Penn Manor/Conestoga) claimed second-team honors. In addition, Juniata freshman Jason Enoch (Hempfield/Landisville) was selected as the Commonwealth Co-Rookie of the Year. The five All-Conference selections are the second-most the team has enjoyed since the conference began selecting a first and second team in 1998.

Goedkoop continued to build on his reputation as one of the top offensive players in the conference as he claims first-team honors for the second-straight season, this time as a designated hitter. The junior led the team and the conference with 49 RBI, which established a new Juniata single-season record. He also clubbed a team-best eight home runs and led the Eagles in total bases and slugging percentage. He hit .336 on the season, tied for second-best on the team, and ranked second with 45 hits. He was the only Juniata player to start all 42 of the team's games, and he hit safely in 27 of those contests. Fourteen times during the campaign he had at least two RBI in a game, and also had two games in which he drilled two home runs. Goedkoop was selected as the Commonwealth Player of the Week on two occasions during the season.

Russell picks up first-team All-Conference honors for the first time in his career, after earning second-team recognition as a sophomore. The Eagle second baseman knocked out 56 hits on the year which tied the Juniata single-season record. Those hits helped him post a team-high .376 batting average while also ranking second on the club with 33 RBI. Thirteen of his hits went for extra bases as he notched 11 doubles and two triples. He crossed the plate 29 times on the season, and hit safely in 33 of the 40 games in which he appeared. Russell posted 16 multi-hit games on the year, and had hitting streaks of 10 and seven games. He was also the team leader in defensive assists from his second base position, and was selected as the team's most valuable player following the season He grabbed Commonwealth Player of the Week Honors for his strong performance on the team's spring trip to Arizona.

Zong, a junior pitcher, earns the first All-Conference laurels of his career. After a solid sophomore season, he emerged as Juniata's ace in his junior season. He tied for the team lead with five victories as he went 5-2 on the year with a 3.27 earned run average. His ERA was the best among the regular starting hurlers, and he was also tops on the team with five complete games. He posted one shutout on the year, and limited opponents to just a .208 batting average in 55 innings. He was even better in conference games during the season as he went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA in his six regular-season conference starts. He ranked second on the team with 39 strikeouts on the season and fanned five or more batters on three occasions. Zong was selected as the Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week once during the season.

Beaver also receives All-Conference honors for the first time in his career. The junior played infield and outfield for the Eagles, but served primarily as the team's regular centerfielder. At that spot he posted career bests in nearly every offensive category. He hit .336 on the year, which tied him for second on the team. His 43 hits was the third-highest total on the team and he ranked second on the squad with 35 runs scored. He also tied for the team lead with 13 stolen bases, while he was caught stealing just four times. Twenty-six of his 43 hits came in conference games, and he batted .366 against conference foes during the year. Beaver hit safely in 30 of the 39 games in which he played, and posted a 14-game hitting streak during the middle of the season.

Kauffman emerged as one of the top power hitters in the conference in his freshman campaign. He closed the season with seven home runs which ranked second on the team and fourth in the Commonwealth Conference. His seven homers rank as the sixth-highest single-season total in school history. He posted a .537 slugging percentage on the season, which ranked second on the team and his .448 on-base percentage was the best mark among the starters. He reached base 29 times via a walk in his rookie campaign, which was tops on the team, while he also scored 26 runs with 29 hits. Five of his seven homers came in Commonwealth Conference games. Kauffman also contributed 23 RBI in his inaugural season, which was fourth on the team.

Enoch captures Co-Rookie of the Year honors for his efforts on the mound and in the field. The freshman played in 32 games as either Juniata's third baseman or shortstop, while also making nine appearances on the mound. He led tied for the team-lead with five wins on the year, and his 51 strikeouts led the squad. Those 51 batters fanned is the third-highest single-season total in school history. In his first collegiate start he struck out 15 batters in six innings to earn one of his four wins against conference opponents. He finished the year with a 3.58 ERA, but that dropped to 1.59 against conference foes. He posted a team-high two shutouts on the season and completed three games. Enoch also recorded 21 hits and scored 20 runs and added 13 RBI as a position player in his first season.

Juniata ended the season with a program-record 25 victories, and earned a spot in the Commonwealth Conference postseason for the second-consecutive season. The Eagles went 15-6 in the Commonwealth during the regular season, good for a second-place finish in the conference. Juniata has topped the 20-win mark each of the past three seasons, and the Eagles lose just four players from this year's team.

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