Elzer inducted into Behrend Hall of Fame
Shane Elzer knew he had some unique and rare abilities as a baseball player.
He just wasn’t able to get it to all come together until he reached the campus of Penn State Behrend in Erie.
Elzer blossomed there.
That led to him being inducted into Behrend’s Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday. Elzer is one of seven inductees in the 2016 class.
“I really think coming to Behrend gave me a new opportunity, a fresh start, and a chance to refocus,” said Elzer, a 2002 graduate of Trinity High School. “I had new coaches, a new group of teammates, different and more difficult opponents.
“It really gave me a chance to focus on my skill set. Fortunately, everything started to click for me.”
Elzer, an outfielder, was a three-time All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference selection and American Baseball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic All-Region pick from 2003-2006. He was a two-time team Most Valuable Player and helped the Lions to the AMCC and ECAC championships as a freshman in 2003.
“Behrend was just becoming a very good team and program and I was fortunate to be part of it,” the 33-year-old Elzer said.
His coach, Paul Benim, said it was the program that was fortunate to land Elzer and have him develop into a standout player.
“Shane was an exceptional player for us,” Benim said. “His athleticism and cool demeanor, coupled with his incredible ability to hit and run just made him a fantastic player for us.
“If he were taller, he would have played at a bigger school. Shane had that kind of ability. He was an integral part of our team as a freshman. He was arguably the best player on what was already a really good team. He came ready to practice or play every day. He’s one of just a handful of guys we’ve had here who were truly five-tool players.”
As a senior in 2006, Elzer had 56 hits with 18 doubles, then the third-most doubles in a season for the Lions. As a switch-hitter, Elzer finished with a .378 career batting average while holding the school record for triples in a season (8), career triples (23) and doubles (41).
He was Behrend’s Male Athlete of the Year and named to the Academic All-District team in 2006.
“When I look back, it was pretty amazing,” Elzer said. “My offensive profile was quite different in college and much different than it was while I was going through the youth leagues and then through high school.
“I overcame some things in college. I learned how to hit the ball the other way. I learned to stay back on curveballs and changeups. Some of my statistics were a function of the size of our field. It was massive and I hit a lot of gaps, which led to the extra-base hits.”
In his career, a little more than 40 percent of Elzer’s hits went for extra bases. As a senior, he batted .406.
Elzer had a career .600 slugging percentage and .468 on-base percentage for a four-year OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.068. He had a career fielding percentage of .985.
“Shane is certainly worthy of making this hall of fame,” Benim said. “It’s hard to get into it in your first year of eligibility. There’s only a couple I have been around like him.
“I am so thrilled for him. He’s an active participant in our program. He has a great family and a great job. I know this is a pretty exciting moment for him.”
Elzer thinks back to the tour of Behrend he took during his senior year at Trinity.
“Coach Benim made a big push,” Elzer said. “We took the tour in the dead of winter. There was six feet of snow on the ground. The campus was beautiful. I was considering going to the University of Miami. But I decided to stay closer to home and take advantage of an opportunity to play baseball.
“This is a tremendous honor. It’s not Cooperstown but when you look at who is in this hall of fame, it’s impressive. To be recognized for something you love is humbling and gives you a real great feeling.”