Bishop McCort’s Pfeil Has Close Ties to Clarion

| June 8, 2017

Pfeil Herm Qual
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (EYT) – Clarion, and more specifically Clarion University, has played a role in the success of the Bishop McCort baseball team that is set to take on District 10 champion Rocky Grove in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals Thursday in Punxsutawney.

(Photo: Bishop McCort manager Chris Pfeil (left) with former Clarion University teammate John Quahliero (right), an assistant coach at Neshannock, and their former Clarion manager Rich Herman (center) during the 2016 PIAA playoffs when Pfeil’s Crushers beat Qualiero’s team to go to the PIAA Class 2A championship game.)

That’s because Crushers manager Chris Pfeil is a Clarion University graduate who credits former Golden Eagle managers Rich Herman and Barry McAuliffe with helping to make him the coach he is today.

“I’ve been very fortunate to learn the game from some very good people, coach Herman being at the top of the list,” Pfeil said. “As the years go by, you realize how important people in your life were. Coach Herman and coach McAuliffe, they cared about their players and helped me in my coaching career. They showed me how to really care and love your players, and, if you do that, you get the most out of them.”

Pfeil, a 1994 Bishop McCort graduate and 1998 CU grad, has definitely been getting the most out of his players.

The Crushers went the PIAA title game in Class 2A last year before losing 3-0 to Neumann-Goretti and are 17-7 this season after a 4-0 win over Freedom in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs. Bishop McCort also won the PIAA Class 1A title in 2012 and lost to Elk County Catholic in the 1A semifinals in 2014. This is its sixth trip to the PIAA quarterfinals in Pfeil’s seven years as the manager.

“I’ve been fortunate to be put in a great situation to come back and coach at my high school,” Pfeil said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. We have a group of kids who have worked extremely hard, do everything we ask them to do. They’ve established a culture of working year round, and we are blessed with great families and a great administration that supports everything we can do. And, like any great team, we have assistant coaches who really care about the kids and our program. I have three former players who came back to our staff. That mean’s a lot. They are guys who went on to play college baseball and came back and joined the staff.”

Bishop McCort manager Chris Pfeil during a game this year at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of Chris Pfeil.

Bishop McCort manager Chris Pfeil during a game this year at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of Chris Pfeil.

Pfeil has great memories of his time spent in Clarion and says attending Clarion University was the best decision of his life.

“When I went up to visit, I fell in love with it,” Pfeil said. “After meeting coach Herman, he absolutely sold me on the program. I really felt he would take care of me and that I would become the best baseball player and student I could be.”

Being in a small town like his hometown of Johnstown made things easy for Pfeil as well.

“I have tremendous memories of going down to the river in the spring,” Pfeil said. “It was an unbelievable experience.

I am fortunate enough to teach and coach at Bishop McCort, and when a student tells me they are considering Clarion, I tell them it is a hidden gem. It’s a neat place to go to school and one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Pfeil said he knew early on he wanted to get into coaching.

“I knew I wanted to coach probably at a young age,” Pfeil said. “My dad was a long-time coach in the area, and I saw what he was able to do to mentor young kids and help them along in their career. He taught me to appreciate the coaches I had. I always wanted to give back and help other kids out.”

See related story: Rocky Grove/Bishop McCort set for PIAA Quarterfinals showdown


Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.

Category: Local News, News, Sports