Hall of Fame
John Seitz of York Haven, Class of 1982, was one of the finest baseball players in the history of Shippensburg University. He was an All-American pitcher who was one of the keys to the Red Raiders’ drive to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship in 1981.
Seitz arrived at Shippensburg in the fall of 1978 after a standout high school career at Red Lion High School. He made a big impact with the team his freshman year in 1979. He compiled a 5-1 record with a 2.36 earned run average while helping Shippensburg win the PSAC Eastern Division title and earn a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament. Shippensburg finished the year with a 31-15 record and Seitz was named third team All-Region.
In 1980 the team competed in the NCAA tournament again. The Red Raiders finished with a 24-9 record and Seitz had a 3-1 won-loss mark. The following year Seitz had his best season.
Early in the 1981 season he pitched a no-hitter against Mt. St. Mary’s. He was one pitch away from a perfect game when he walked a batter on a 3-2 count. The success continued the rest of the year. Seitz finished the season with an 8-2 won-loss record and a 2.58 earned run average. He struck out 63 batters in 69 2/3 innings pitched, an average of 8.13 per nine innings. Shippensburg won the PSAC championship and Seitz was MVP of the team. He was first team All-Region, first team All-Conference and third team All-America. Following the 1981 season he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the sixteenth round but elected to remain at Shippensburg to earn his degree.
In 1982 Seitz had a 5-3 record and a 3.68 earned run average. He was second team All-PSAC as the Red Raiders finished the year with a 27-15 record. For his career Seitz had a record of 21-7 and a 3.19 earned run average. At the time of his graduation Seitz held the career record for victories. It still is the second highest total in team history.
After the season Seitz signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves and then he played four years in the minor leagues, reaching Class AA before he retired from professional baseball. He played with the Bradenton Braves in Florida, the Anderson Braves in South Carolina, the Utica Blue Sox in the New York-Penn League and then after his contract was acquired by the New York Yankees, he played for the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees in Florida.
Seitz became a control room supervisor at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant where he helds a senior reactor operator license. He also became a member of the Izaak Walton League of America.
