University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics

         From the 2001 season through the 2004 season, Mr. Rick Baxter was one of NCAA Division II’s top power hitters and played an integral part in laying the groundwork in turning Head Coach Todd Williams Mountain Cat baseball program into one of the top programs in the region.  When his career ended in 2004, Mr. Baxter, an All-North Atlantic Region selection, had established Pitt-Johnstown records in seven statistical categories, including homeruns, runs batted-in, and slugging percentage.
        Mr. Baxter, a graduate of Forest Hills High School and a native of Sidman, Pa., took over the starting position at first base as a true freshman and hit .336 with five homeruns, eight doubles, and 26 RBI.
        That was just the beginning for Mr. Baxter.  As a sophomore in 2002, Mr. Baxter broke the school records for homeruns in a season with 13 and RBI in a season with 52 on his way to guiding the Mountain Cats to a then program-best 28-18-1 overall record.  He ranked 35^th in NCAA Division II in homeruns, 61^st in RBI per game at 1.11, and 64^th in slugging percentage at .673.
        The following year, Mr. Baxter was named First-Team All-North Atlantic Region after finishing 35^th in the country in batting average (.417) and 45^th in doubles per game (.39).  His 16 doubles led the team and tied the school record, while his .417 average, 10 homeruns, 44 RBI, 41 runs, and 60 hits also paced the Mountain Cats.
        Despite playing his entire senior season recovering from a torn labrum, Mr. Baxter continued to put up impressive numbers in 2004 by batting .329 with seven homeruns and 46 more RBI.
        When his career ended, Mr. Baxter, stood atop of nearly every Pitt-Johnstown single-season and career offensive record.  Mr. Baxter’s 173 games-played, 589 at-bats, 207 base hits, 50 doubles, 35 homeruns, and .635 slugging percentage were all Mountain Cat career records.  He is still ranked in the top-four in all of these categories, including tied for the top-spot in career doubles, second in at-bats, hits, RBI, and slugging percentage and third in homeruns.  In addition, Mr. Baxter never hit lower than .327 in a season, and led Pitt-Johnstown in homeruns and RBI in three of his for years.
        Mr. Baxter, who competed in baseball, football, and wrestling at Forest Hills High School, was also a member of the Galliker’s Dairy baseball team that finished as the National Runner-up at the 2001 AAABA Tournament at Point Stadium.
        After graduating with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Environmental Studies and Geography in 2004, Mr. Baxter began his professional career as a Geotechnician for L. R. Kimball in Ebensburg.  After five years, Mr. Baxter joined the EADS Group in 2011 as an Engineer Technician, and remains employed there today.
        Mr. Baxter is still active in the baseball community and has worked with his cousin Rick Roberts at his baseball school, ERA Sports Inc.  He also enjoys spending time in the outdoors fishing and hunting.
        Mr. Baxter and his wife reside in Sidman with their three young children Aubrey (age 2), and twins Briley and Brantley (9 months).
                “Being inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame is quite an honor,” Mr. Baxter said.  “I have many great memories of playing baseball at Pitt-Johnstown.  I made lifelong friendships with the guys I played with, as well as Coach Williams. I was also fortunate to have the support of my family, especially my mother who traveled to many games to watch me play.  I want thank my family and my wife for supporting my baseball career, as well as Pitt-Johnstown for providing me the opportunity to play and further my education.”