Jared Shaffer

Jared Shaffer's first memories of baseball were as a young child tossing the ball around with his father in their yard. At seventeen, his talents have grown as well as his dedication to the game. His most recent accomplishment was a shortstop position in the American Legion East-West baseball game that was held at RiverSide Park in Harrisburg. He had to go through four tryouts to be considered for a spot on the team and had to outshine thousands of other entrants.

Although anyone who has ever seen Jared play will admit to the fact that he is a natural born baseball player, there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to keep him in tip-top shape. His father continues to help hone his skills and works out along side him year round. They run, work out, and do batting practice as much as possible. "Baseball is a lot of fun to play, especially when you win." Jared's favorite part of the game is when his bat connects with the ball.

During the summer months Jared plays shortstop for the Kiski Valley Legion team and during the fall he is a member of the Allegheny Pirates, which is a traveling fall ball team. The Legion's record for this year was 11/9. He is currently participating in showcases where college scouts show up and check out the players' performance. He would like to play in college and then some day professional baseball. But, he chuckled, "I think that's everyone's dream."

When Jared isn't in baseball mode, he devotes a great deal of time to church activities. He is an active member of the North Apollo Church of God's youth group. His involvement includes going to summer camp where they attend youth classes, services, and other activities. In addition to the many charity drives he participates with, he also helps collect canned goods every year from the Apollo area to donate to the food bank. Jared also likes to spend time with his parents, Amy and Bob, and brothers, Jeremy, Jon, and Jake. Besides their common interest in baseball, they also enjoy hunting and fishing.

Jared is a remarkable athlete who has learned to apply the effort and perseverance necessary to succeed in life. He doesn't hesitate to step up to the plate and swing at each new challenge with everything he has.