Baseball earns two all-conference nods
State College, Pa. - Thursday afternoon saw two of Hazleton's best earn all-conference honors in the PSUAC. Senior Charles Karcnher named as one of the eastern division's top infielder along with teammate sophomore Colin Stauffer being recognized as one of the top pitchers in the conference.
#8 Charlie Karchner (West Hazleton, Pa.) 1st Team All-Conference Infielder
Charlie Karchner finished off a great career this spring with another nod as a top player in the PSUAC. The captain's leadership was never more prevalent than in his senior campaign and came up big for the Lions as the field general and lead-off hitter for the squad. Karchner had three separate hit streaks of four games or more and was second in the entire PSUAC with six triples this season. The senior finished the year batting .267 as the pace-setter for Hazleton with 12 RBI and 17 runs scored. Karchner recorded 35 put-outs and a team high 52 assists for the Lions, playing all 25 games at the short-stop position.
#12 Colin Stauffer (Hazleton, Pa.) Honorable Mention Pitcher
With one year under his belt, Stauffer began to shine at the plate and from the mound in his sophomore season. Stauffer led the squad with three wins on the season, striking out 43 hitters in 42 innings pitched. His ratio of 9.07 strikeouts per nine innings were the third best in the PSUAC and he allowed only six extra base hits to opponents all season. Two outings really stood out this season for the sophomore. On March 12, the hurler tossed a two-hit shut-out against Williamson College of the Trades, striking out nine hitters in seven innings of work and later in the season Stauffer picked up a key win for Hazleton against Penn State Schuylkill. In that game, the right-hander struck out six and allowed just one run, allowing Hazleton to pull off a come from behind 2-1 victory. Stuaffer was just as impressive at the plate totaling a .395 batting average with a team high 19 RBI and 22 runs scored.