Joe Whitmer after a home run during
his junior year
Former Erskine Baseball
Player Earns All-Star Spot
Joe Whitmer, Erskine College's
all-time leader in homers, RBIs, doubles and runs scored, has continued
his torrid hitting in the professional ranks, earning a trip to the
independent Frontier League's All-Star game by leading the league
in hitting in the first half of the season.
Whitmer, Class of
2000, has a league-leading .379 average with two home runs and 17
RBI, playing for the Canton (Ohio) Crocodiles and Coach Dan Massarelli,
Class of 1994, who recruited Whitmer at Erskine. After leaving Erskine,
Massarelli took over for the Crocodiles last year and brought Whitmer
, All-CVAC as a senior, on this season.
"Joe is a great
hitter and always has been, in high school, in college, and now here,"
Massarelli said. "He's not striking out much and has even stolen some
bases for us."
Whitmer, who is
from Ohio, is starting in left field for the Crocodiles, who began
the season 13-19, 6.5 games out of first place.
"Joe, coming in,
was going to be our fourth outfielder," Massarelli said. "But he came
in during the third game of the season and started hitting and has
been in the line-up ever since."
Whitmer said playing
professionally is different from college, and he is trying to adjust
to the physical and mental rigors of playing every day.
"There's a lot of
wear and tear, and you have to have your mind ready to go each day,"
he said. "You can't get too high or too low about what happened the
day before."
When he found out
he was going to be an All-Star, Whitmer said it was an honor and that
he was happy.
"I'm proud to represent
Erskine and all the people who have helped me get to where I am today,"
he said.
Whitmer gave credit
to his coaches and his own work ethic. He works closely with hitting
instructor Joe Charboneau, the 1980 Rookie of the Year with the Cleveland
Indians. Whitmer said Massarelli "always has a word for me and makes
me work harder."
Whitmer hopes to
make an impression at the All-Star game in Missouri July 12 so he
can be picked up by an affiliated team.
"I could get picked
up anytime as a free agent," Whitmer said. "Who knows?"
Last year Massarelli
coached another of his former players at Erskine in Canton, pitcher
Josh Meurer. Meurer was one of the top pitchers in the league and
was invited to the Texas Rangers camp in the spring. He did not make
the team and gave up baseball.
Massarelli, a native
of the Canton area, left Due West after the 1999 baseball season to
pursue a graduate degree at the University of Akron, where he also
works as an assistant baseball coach.
