BASEBALL: Male Athlete of the Week, Shippensburg's Cordell Shannon has career outing

There's no doubting how dominant Shippensburg's Cordell Shannon has been on the mound this season.

In 32 innings, he has given up just one earned run – that's a 0.22 earned run average. He has a 4-1 record, averaging over a strikeout per inning (36) and has headed the pitching staff of the best team in the Mid Penn Colonial Division. And the peak of his season and high school career, so far, came last Monday against Northern York.

In a 4-1 win for the Greyhounds, Shannon was in command. He didn't give up a hit until there was one out in the seventh inning, and he finished off the one-hitter with six strikeouts and just one walk. He is this week's Public Opinion Male Athlete of the Week.

"I would definitely say that was the best game of my high school career," Shannon said. "I was getting ahead with the fastball early, and I noticed right away that they were struggling with my offspeed stuff. So I just continued to attack the zone early and go to the curveball once I got ahead."

Ship coach Nate Rosenberry said, "He was in command from the get-go. He was very focused, worked ahead and finished guys."

A senior committed to pitch for Millersville in college, Shannon dedicated himself to the sport in the offseason. A Public Opinion honorable mention in basketball his junior year, Shannon skipped out on winter sports this season to pack on some muscle.

He said, "I worked with a personal trainer from September through February, and I put on about 15-20 pounds. It has really helped me this season."

Shannon has also helped the Hounds at the plate, batting .358 with five doubles and 16 RBIs. Shippensburg was ranked No. 4 in the District 3 Class AAA standings through the weekend, which puts it in line for a home playoff game.

Rosenberry said, "The biggest thing for us is to just keep getting better every day, and Cordell will be a big part of that."

"I just want to win that first playoff game," Shannon said. "We should have a home game, and that will be pretty exciting. My main goal is to just help the team and stay consistent the rest of the way."

Bobby Shannon, Shippensburg

Sport: Baseball

Position: Pitcher/first base

Grade: Senior

Parents: Bobby Shannon and Angel Cordell

Other interests: He likes to hunt, fish and play other sports.

Favorite team: New York Yankees

Pro athlete most admired: Clayton Kershaw

Three people he'd like to have dinner with: Kershaw, Derek Jeter and Aaron Rodgers

Statistics: Shannon had a career performance against Northern York last week ... He came up two outs shy of a no-hitter, giving up just one hit, and finished with 6 strikeouts to lead the Hounds to a 4-1 win ... He has a 4-1 record this season with a 0.22 earned run average in 32 innings ... He also has 36 strikeouts.