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Schaffer shines as all-star at Keuka - again

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 22, 2006

Matt Schaffer is a model of consistency. Just ask his teammates and coaches on the Keuka College baseball team.

The 2004 Niagara-Wheatfield graduate – who just finished his sophomore year at Keuka – put together his second solid campaign in as many seasons for the Storm. As a catcher, he also earned Second Team All-North Eastern Athletic Conference honors for the second straight year.

“I was pretty happy; I thought I played the best ball that I could play,” Schaffer said. “Our league was stacked with good catchers, and most of them were seniors. So it was definitely an honor that the other coaches thought I was that good. It was really all I could ask for.”

Schaffer was at or near the team lead in several offensive categories again in 2006.

He tied for first in doubles with 11 and home runs with one. His 31 hits and 19 runs scored both were second on the Storm. His .522 slugging percentage was third, and his batting average of .344 and his 15 RBIs both ranked fourth.

   

Matt Schaffer, a 2004 Niagara-Wheatfield graduate now playing for the the Keuka College Storm Baseball team, finished the 2006 season on or near the top in several offensive categories.

Defensively, his .969 fielding average was among the best of the team’s regulars. He committed just three errors in 25 games.

His batting average actually dropped a few points from last season, but that is because the other teams knew to look for him this time.

“I knew coming in that the other teams respected me as a hitter, and I didn’t see as many good pitches to hit as I got last year,” said the 5-foot-9, 195-pound North Tonawanda resident. “I had to work harder for what I got this year.”

The Storm finished 12-15 in 2006, slightly better than last year’s 11-14 mark. But the team’s biggest improvement came in its NEAC record, which climbed this season to 10-6 and into title contention.

Schaffer, himself, rebounded nicely from a scary injury when he was struck in the head by a high inside fastball last April. He took a couple of months off to fully recover. Now he says he never even thinks about the incident.

“It’s in the past,” he said.

He also credits the team’s improvement with new head coach Chris Arnold, a former captain and All-SUNYAC shortstop at SUNY Cortland. He was the head varsity baseball coach at Dundee Central School last season.

“He’s a big reason we played better this year,” Schaffer said. “He ran the program well and was more disciplined – he didn’t put up with any nonsense or attitude. He knows his baseball, and he’s really well respected.”

Schaffer, who is pursuing a degree in criminal justice at Keuka, now is fine-tuning his game over the summer in the AAABA. He is happy to have two more years with the Storm, and he figures that he will only get better.

“I think we really have a shot at winning the conference next year,” he said. “I want to just keep putting up good numbers, and as a team I think we can really build on this year.”