Garren Black of Oswayo Valley captured the biggest piece of Big 30 hardware this year when he won the Baseball Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season, but nine other Pennsylvanians were also named to the softball and baseball teams in 2018.  

Unlike the basketball awards where players are grouped into first, second and third team selections, the baseball and softball awards featured the top 15 players from the 26 schools in New York and PA in no particular order.

Here are the representatives from the Keystone State:

Baseball

Gavin Babcock, Oswayo Valley: Behind Black, Babcock was the best hitter for an Oswayo Valley team that advanced to the district championship game and the second round of the state playoffs. Babcock batted cleanup for the Green Wave and hit .443 with 27 RBI and 26 runs scored. Amazingly, Babcock didn’ts strike out a single time in the regular season. Babcock joined Burgett (both juniors) as the only PA baseball/softball players that weren’t seniors.

Garren Black, Oswayo Valley: The senior southpaw was the best player on the best team in the area for the second year in a row. Black earned his second consecutive Big 30 Player of the Year Award by doing a little bit of everything: he went 9-1 with a 0.99 ERA, 87 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 56 2/3 innings on the mound while hitting .517 with seven homers, five doubles, 28 RBI, and 22 runs at the plate. Black, who will continue his baseball career at Penn College, was also named D9Sports.com District 9 MVP for the second year in a row.

Blake Burgett, Coudersport: Burgett helped lead Coudersport to a successful 12-4 campaign as both a key contributor on the mound and at the plate. Burgett was recognized for his arm when he was named the pitcher of the year in the Northern Allegany League Small School division. Burgett struck out 28 batters in 26 ⅓ innings of work, finishing with an ERA of just 1.33. Burgett was also a problem for opposing teams at the plate, driving in 14 RBI and posting a .433 batting average.

Ryan Graves, Oswayo Valley: The third Green Wave member selected to the Big 30 team, Graves was a vital contributor to the OV offense and was also solid in his appearances on the mound. Graves hit .442 with seven extra-base hits to go along with his 16 RBI, but really turned up his play in the postseason. During OV’s four playoff games, Graves’ average went up almost 50 points. On the hill, Graves appeared in eight games (four starts) and posted a 3-1 record with 17 strikeouts and a 1.43 ERA.

Dan Manion, Bradford: Manion led the Owls’ (10-11) offense in the three-hole this season. The first baseman and pitcher hit .481 with two home runs and two RBI at the plate. He led the Northern Allegany large school division in batting average and also upped his on base percentage to .610 with 15 walks on the season. Manion is committed to playing Division I baseball at St. Bonaventure next season.

Adam Shaffer, Cameron County: Shaffer will join Manion as teammates at Bonaventure next year, as Shaffer has also earned a scholarship for his play as a first baseman and pitcher for the Red Raiders during his high school career. Although Cameron County struggled to a 6-11 record in 2018, Shaffer continued to be dominant. He hit .481 on the season with 12 RBI and 15 runs scored. The southpaw was also Cameron County’s best pitcher, winning three of his team’s six games while striking out 47 batters in 33 innings. Shaffer also started on the mound in the Red Raiders’ first round playoff game against eventual D-9 champion DuBois Central Catholic. He allowed just one run over 5 ⅔ innings pitched before reaching the pitch count limit.

Softball

EmmaRae Easton, Coudersport: Osgood’s Coudersport teammate also posted big offense numbers, hitting .420 with six extra-base hits and 20 RBI. Easton was named to the Big 30 team for the third consecutive season and will be playing D-I softball at St. Bonaventure next year. Easton’s teammate, Shaelyn Black, was also a finalist for the Big 30 team. Black, a junior, had six home runs and 32 RBI for Coudersport.

Joplin Osgood, Coudersport: Osgood helped Coudersport to a 14-6 record that included an appearance in the PIAA tournament — the only PA Big 30 school to reach that mark. Osgood hit .470 with 15 doubles, five home runs and 23 RBI. Osgood was also a rock solid infielder for the Falcons, posting a .925 fielding percentage. Like Woodard, Osgood will continue playing softball next season at Allegheny College.

Camryn Thomas, Otto-Eldred: No statistics were available for Thomas, but the senior had another strong season for the Lady Terrors. Thomas spearheaded an O-E team that went 13-6  and earned a trip to the D-9 playoffs. In addition to being named to the Big 30 team for softball, Thomas was a first-team recipient on the Big 30 basketball squad. The three-sport athlete will be attending Duquesne University for volleyball next year.

Abbey Woodard, Smethport: Woodard keyed Smethport’s 15-3 season that earned the Hubbers first place in the Northern Allegany small school division. Woodard hit .495 with 23 extra-base hits that included six triples and five home runs. Her strong season earned her the league MVP in the Northern Allegany League. Woodard, a four-year starting catcher at Smethport, will continue her softball career at Division II Mansfield University next year.