Hall of Fame
Johnstown native Casey Long will go down as one of the most prolific power hitters in Pitt-Johnstown baseball history. In only a three-year Pitt-Johnstown baseball career, Long belted 39 career home runs on his way to garnering 2006 Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) National Player of the Year honors, two All-Region honors, and helping to guide Head Coach Todd Williams and the Mountain Cats to their first ever NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region Tournament berth.
Mr. Long burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2002 with a home run against Virginia State University in his second collegiate at bat. He went on to finish that season with a .368 batting average, 46 RBI, and a Mountain Cat freshman record 12 home runs, which ranked 29th in Home Runs Per Game nationally.
The following year, Mr. Long transferred to the University of Pittsburgh to play Division I baseball in the Big East Conference, before re-enrolling at Pitt-Johnstown in 2004.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Mr. Long was forced to take a red-shirt in 2004, but rejoined the Mountain Cats for the 2005 season and hit .341 with a team-best 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 42 games-played.
However, it was his senior year in 2006 that Mr. Long and Pitt-Johnstown made history by earning a spot in the NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region Tournament. Led by Mr. Long’s career-best .401 batting average and Pitt-Johnstown single-season records of 17 home runs, 63 RBI, and .814 slugging percentage, the Mountain Cats advanced to the regional tournament and finished with a program-best 33-18 record.
Following the 2006 season, Mr. Long was named the ICAA National Player of the Year and earned spots on both the American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA) All-North Atlantic Team.
Nationally that season, he ranked eighth in Home Runs Per Game, 20th in RBI Per Game, and 11th in Slugging Percentage.
Mr. Long finished his stellar Pitt-Johnstown career with a .370 batting average, which still ranks fifth in Mountain Cat history. His 17 homeruns, 63 RBI, and .814 slugging percentage in 2006 remain Pitt-Johnstown single-season records, while his 39 home runs and .641 slugging percentage sit atop the Mountain Cat career records. Mr. Long also ranks sixth in career doubles with 41.
That summer, Mr. Long had a chance to sign professionally with the Slippery Rock Sliders of the Frontier League, but chose to complete his dual major in History and Citizenship Education with a minor in Political Science at Pitt-Johnstown and do his student-teaching to prepare himself for his own career in education.
From 2008 through 2015, Mr. Long taught Social Studies at Forest Hills Middle School and coached baseball at several local high schools while working on his Master’s Degree in Education in Curriculum and Instruction at Clarion University and his Principal Certification at Indiana University (PA).
Mr. Long was hired as the Assistant Principal at Penn Cambria High School for the 2015-16 school year, before being named the Associate Principal at Derry Area High School a year later.
Mr. Long also works with Pitt-Johnstown in reviewing student-teacher graduation portfolios with local high school administrators and current Education Department professors.
Mr. Long was a former two-time Mid-Atlantic Coaches Association Pennsylvania All-State choice at Greater Johnstown High School. Mr. Long played summer baseball in the Johnstown AAABA, where he was named Rookie of the Year, won two batting titles, and earned Most Valuable Player honors from 2000-2003.
Mr. Long and his wife Kristin reside in Portage with their son Nico.
“I am both very humbled and honored at my induction into the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame,” Mr. Long said. “I credit the hard work, support, and sacrifice of my family, coaches, teammates, and training staff, all of whom allowed me to compete at a high level during my collegiate baseball career.”
