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Clayton, 4 others earn Horizon recognition
Special to The Vindicator
YOUNGSTOWN
As first reported on Tuesday, Youngstown State senior Tom Clayton was named Horizon League baseball player of the year, and four of his teammates earned all-league recognition.
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Youngstown State senior baseball player Tom Clayton, a Poland native, ranks fi fth in the country in batting average with a .452 mark. He was a career .274 hitter for the Penguins before this season.
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Youngstown State’s Tom Clayton (22) and Andrew Heck (8) of Duquesne wait for the official ruling on a close play at second base during Wednesday’s game at Eastwood Field in Niles. Clayton was safe, and the Penguins went on to win 22-8.
Clayton was joined on the first-team all-league squad by shortstop Jacke Healey, who was also a first-teamer in 2009.
Seniors Aaron Swenson and Eric Marzec earned second-team honors, and freshman Neil Schroth was named to the all-newcomer team.
Clayton finished the regular season batting .414 with 43 runs, 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 44 RBIs in 47 games. He leads the Horizon League with a .713 slugging percentage, and he ranks second in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage and fifth in home runs.
In conference games, he led the league with eight home runs and 77 total bases, and his 30 RBIs ranked fifth. He led the country in hitting for two weeks.
Healey was voted first team at shortstop for the second consecutive season. becoming the sixth player in school history to earn first-team all-conference accolades in back-to-back years.
Healey, who was moved to third base at the start of May, is batting .352 with 12 home runs, 61 runs scored and 58 RBIs this year. The 12 homers and 61 runs are school records, and his 58 RBIs are tied for the school mark.
He leads the Horizon League in runs while ranking second in home runs, second in total bases, fourth in steals, fifth in RBIs, seventh in hits and seventh in slugging percentage.
Swenson, the 2008 Horizon League pitcher of the year, leads the league this season with seven wins and ranks second in strikeouts and innings.
Marzec, an outfielder and pitcher, was named second team as a utility player for the third consecutive year. He is 3-3 with five saves on the mound, and he has batted .338 with six homers and 27 runs scored and 28 RBIs at the plate.
Schroth hit .297 with 17 runs scored in 33 games at second base during the regular season.
Valparaiso’s Bryce Shafer was named the Horizon League pitcher of the year, while Milwaukee’s Cameron Amsrud was named relief pitcher of the year.
UIC’s Matt Serna and Milwaukee’s Chad Pierce shared newcomer of the year.
The Penguins (21-32, 9-17 HL) open Horizon League tournament play today at 4 p.m. against UIC (22-28, 15-9).
Youngstown State is guaranteed two games in the double-elimination tournament, and won’t play again until Thursday.
The opponent and time for that game won’t be determined until late tonight.