Tom Shafer earned All-America honors and was a two-time selection to the All-Southern Conference First Team during his Mountaineer baseball career from 1960-62.
Hailing from Morgantown, Shafer primarily was a pitcher but also played first base and outfield. He earned All-Southern Conference First Team honors in 1961 and 1962, while being named an Amateur Baseball Federation Second Team All-American in 1961. Shafer became the first WVU baseball player (along with teammate Ed Tekavec) to be selected as an All-American for baseball only.
On the mound, Shafer pitched 20 straight scoreless innings, 27 straight innings without giving up an earned run and 23 consecutive innings without walking a batter. As a junior in 1961, he posted a 6-2 record on the mound with an ERA below 2.00 and had a 9-2 record as a senior in 1962 with an ERA also below 2.00.
He held the school’s ERA record upon graduation for 125 or more innings pitched at 1.69. He is sixth all-time in strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 3.01 average. Shafer also is sixth all-time in single season victories with nine, pitching in an era when the team only played 30 games a season.
For his career, he earned 17 victories on the mound while striking out 204 and allowing 41 earned runs in 218.1 innings pitched. At the plate, he had six career home runs with 27 RBIs and led the team with four home runs in 1962.
The Mountaineers won Southern Conference titles in 1961 and 1962, advancing to the NCAA District III playoffs both seasons.
In 1962, Shafer was named the Atlantic Coast Athlete of the Year by Coach and Athlete Magazine. He was signed by the New York Yankees and advanced to Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens. Shafer’s career was cut short by arm injuries.
He graduated with honors from WVU in the College of Engineering and is credited as the person responsible for the interlocking baseball WV emblem that the program used from 1962-2010.
Following his baseball career, Shafer served as an officer in the US Army, completing his tour of duty as an artillery captain. After early engineering jobs in the glass, steel and consulting fields, Shafer’s career evolved into information systems. He spent more than 20 years with Martin Marietta and then Lockheed Martin after a corporate merger. Shafer retired as vice president of information systems, supporting key national government defensive, civil and aerospace programs and agencies.
He resides in Warrenton, Virginia, with his wife of 50-plus years, Roberta. They have a daughter, Suzanne, and grandchildren, Jack and Lily.
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