(Posted May 15, 2006)

Huntingdon, PA - The Juniata College baseball team is reaping the rewards of one of the most successful seasons in the program's history as the Eagles placed a program-record eight players on the 2006 All-Commonwealth Conference Baseball Team as selected by the conference's eight head coaches. Juniata placed seven players on the 14-player first team as seniors Troy Beaver (Bellwood-Antis/Bellwood), Walt Goedkoop (Manheim Township/Lancaster), David Saintz (Titusville/Titusville) and Zach Sternberg (McCaskey/Lancaster) junior Jeff Hayes (Indian Valley/Lewistown) and sophomores Jason Enoch (Hempfield/Landisville) and Dan Kauffman (Penn Manor/Conestoga) earned the honor. Sophomore Steven Wilk (Blairsville/Hollidaysburg) was the lone Juniata player to earn second-team All-Conference honors. In addition, Enoch was tabbed as the Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year.

Goedkoop claims first-team All-Conference laurels for the third-consecutive season and for the second time as a designated hitter. The senior knocked out six home runs in his final season, which tied him for second place on the team. He ranked third on the team with 36 RBI while posting a .290 batting average with 36 runs scored. Goedkoop was selected as the Commonwealth Player of the Week once during the year, and he was also the MAC Baseball Scholar Athlete. He closes his career ranked in the Juniata career top-five in hits, runs, home runs, doubles and RBI along with holding a career batting average of .314.

Saintz also claimed the third first-team All-Conference selection of his career after being a named to the team following his freshman and sophomore seasons. The senior outfielder ranked first or second in virtually every offensive category for Juniata in his final season. He was tops on the team with 14 doubles, 13 triples and 19 stolen bases, while he was second in runs, hits, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. He established new career-bests with 57 hits and 42 runs scored on the year, while hitting .326. He also posted a team-best .390 average in Juniata's 21 conference games. Saintz also became Juniata's all-time leader in hits, runs scored and triples in his final season. He closed his career with 189 hits and 142 runs scored.

Beaver claims All-Conference honors for the second time in his career after claiming second-team honors in his junior year. The senior centerfielder enjoyed the finest season of his four-year career as he established new career highs in virtually every category. He broke the Juniata single-season records in both hits and runs scored as he knocked out 62 hits and crossed home plate 55 times. He also led Juniata with a .479 on-base percentage, tied for the team lead in doubles and was second in stolen bases. He hit safely in 31 of Juniata's 43 games and had 18 multi-hit games. Beaver became the first Juniata baseball player in the history of the program to be selected as the National Division III Player of the Week.

Kauffman earns All-Conference honors for the second time in as many seasons after receiving second-team honors as a freshman. Hitting in the clean-up spot he broke the Juniata record for home runs in a season as he belted a conference-best 15 round trippers. He also set a new Juniata single-season mark with 53 RBI and led the team and the conference with a .694 slugging percentage while also drawing a conference-best 45 walks. He hit .299 on the season with 23 extra-base hits while also scoring 40 runs which ranked fourth on the team. After two seasons Kauffman already ranks third in Juniata history in career home runs and is in the top-10 in career RBI

After three seasons as Juniata's starting catcher, Sternberg claims the first All-Conference honors of his career. He enjoyed his finest offensive season as a senior, while also helping to guide one of the top pitching staffs in the conference. He helped Juniata's pitchers compile a team ERA of 4.85 which was more than two runs better than its opposition, and he threw out six would-be base stealers on the season. Offensively he recorded the second-best batting average among the regular starters as he hit a career-best .333 on the year. He was also one of three players to hit .300 or better in the team's conference games. Sternberg also drove in 21 runs while scoring 18 times and posting 33 hits. Each of those totals were career highs and he matched a career-best with a pair of home runs on the season.

Enoch's first-team All-Conference selection was the first of his career, though he was the Commonwealth Conference Co-Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He led the team and the conference with eight victories on the mound as he finished the year with an 8-1 record. He also led the conference in innings pitched as he tossed 84 2-3 innings while making nine starts. His 3.51 ERA was second-best among the Juniata starters and was fourth in the conference. Opponents hit just .235 against him on the season, a mark that ranked second in the Commonwealth. Enoch's 60 strikeouts led the team and were second in the conference, and he also claimed two saves on the year. He was twice named the Commonwealth Pitcher of the Week.

In his second season as Juniata's closer, Hayes claimed the first All-Conference laurels of his career. The junior was one of two relief pitchers picked for the team as he led the conference with four saves on the year. He pitched in a team-high 18 games on the season and allowed just six earned runs in 25 2-3 innings, good for a team-best 2.10 ERA. He fanned more than a batter per inning on the season as he punched out 22 hitters on the year. Hayes did not allow an earned run in 14 of his 18 appearances. While establishing a new career-high with four saves, he also posted a 5-1 record in relief, which established a new personal best for wins in a season.

In his first season with Juniata Wilk claimed the first All-Conference nod of his career. After assuming the starting third base position, he was one of the team's most productive hitters as he batted .328, the third-best total on the team. He knocked out 39 hits on the season while scoring 40 runs and driving in 20 runs. He finished the year with 10 extra-base hits, including three home runs, and a .487 slugging percentage which was fourth-best among the regular starters. Wilk was named the Commonwealth Player of the Week on one occasion during the year after he delivered a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to propel Juniata past Messiah for a conference win.

Juniata established a new program record with 30 victories on the season as the Eagles finished the year with a record of 30-12-1. The team also earned a berth in the Commonwealth postseason for the third-consecutive year. The team's senior class, which includes 10 players, closed their career with exactly 100 victories over four seasons.

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