Top 10 Clarkson Highlights - #9 Clarkson Baseball Reaches Liberty League Title Round for 7th Time in 15 Years

The Top 10 Clarkson University Athletic Department Highlights of 2016-17 were carefully selected by the Clarkson Sports Information Staff. Top 10 Clarkson highlights will be posted on Mondays throughout the summer.

When junior Will Coleman came up with a knee injury during the first conference doubleheader of 2017, things didn't look great for the Clarkson University Baseball team. The Golden Knights, already lacking in experience with only 11 upperclassmen on a roster of 35 players and lacking depth in their starting rotation, could ill afford the absence of a two-time conference all-star and innings-eater like Coleman, who had tossed nearly 100 quality innings in his two previous seasons.

However, as usual, head coach Jim Kane and the rest of the coaching staff somehow willed the Golden Knights back to the Liberty League Tournament for a fourth straight year and for the 12th time in the tournament's 15-year existence. While Clarkson came up short in securing its third title in less than a decade, the Knights nevertheless found themselves in the championship round for the seventh time in 15 years, the second most title round trips in the league.

While the loss of Coleman certainly was a hit to the Golden Knights' depth, several players stepped up when the opportunity presented itself. Senior lefthander Ted Wilson was his usual dominant self, posting a 7-0 record with a 2.66 earned run average through 61 innings to earn Liberty League First-Team All-Star honors for the second straight season. Junior Andrew Smith sported just a 1-6 record in his first year as a starter, but he and sophomore Mike Bubniak combined to toss more than 80 innings and gave the Knights' offense a chance in plenty of games.

While Wilson's expertise on the mound was expected, the biggest breakout star for the Golden Knights in 2017 was senior outfielder Dom Pirro. The strong-armed outfielder had always patrolled center with aplomb, but in his first 300-plus at bats in college, Pirro had always flashed potential with just middling results. It all came together during his senior campaign as he won the conference's batting title with a .412 mark and topped the Knights in runs scored (34), hits (56), total bases (74), homers (3), stolen bases (9), on-base percentage (.464) and slugging percentage (.544). Classmate Chris Miller couldn't quite match his otherworldly 2016 season when he led the league in hitting, on-base percentage and slugging, but he still ranked in the top 10 in the league in hits (43) with a .323/.408/.429 line with just seven strikeouts in 152 plate appearances. Clarkson's third outfielder Ben Knauf also enjoyed steady success on offense to go along with his splendid defense, hitting .306 with seven stolen bases.

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Players Mentioned

#18 Mike Bubniak: LHP; 5' 11"; Sophomore; L/L

#8 Will Coleman: RHP/UT; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#24 Ben Knauf: OF; 6' 4"; Junior; R/R

#11 Chris Miller: OF; 6' 0"; Senior; L/L

#22 Dom Pirro: RHP/OF; 6' 1"; Senior; R/R

#2 Andrew Smith: RHP; 6' 2"; Junior; R/R

#31 Ted Wilson: LHP; 6' 2"; Senior; L/L

Players Mentioned

#18 Mike Bubniak
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; L/L
: LHP

#8 Will Coleman
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: RHP/UT

#24 Ben Knauf
: 6' 4"; Junior; R/R
: OF

#11 Chris Miller
: 6' 0"; Senior; L/L
: OF

#22 Dom Pirro
: 6' 1"; Senior; R/R
: RHP/OF

#2 Andrew Smith
: 6' 2"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#31 Ted Wilson
: 6' 2"; Senior; L/L
: LHP