Retrievers catch a first

Catonsville (Map, News) - Shawn Retz is golden in the field. And he has an award to back it up.

Retz, an Arbutus native, won an NJCAA Division II Gold Glove Award for his stellar play at first base at the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville. The 20-year-old was among the first group to receive the award from Rawlings in its initial season of honoring college baseball’s top fielders.

In his first year at Catonsville, Retz, who transferred from CCBC-Dundalk last season, posted a .966 fielding percentage, making only two errors in 378 attempts. “It is a heck of an honor for him especially because it was his first full year at first base,” said Catonsville coach Dan Blue.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder led the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference with 55 RBIs, tied for second in home runs (six) and batted .368 — all while recovering from a broken hand. He helped Catonsville (31-17) win the MDJUCO title for the third time in five seasons.

Retz was named Catonsville’s Male Athlete of the Year and attracted the attention of UMBC coach John Jancuska. Retz is heading to the Catonsville campus with a shot at starting for the Retrievers in the spring.

“They seemed eager to get me,” said Retz, who chose UMBC over St. Louis University. “I want to work toward a degree in business management and marketing, and I am looking forward to competing at the next level and hopefully moving on further.”

With the graduation of Retrievers first baseman Steve Gale, Retz could make an immediate impact for UMBC. Jancuska is excited at the prospect of adding such a complete player to a team that struggled through injuries to finish 16-40 last season.

“The stats speak for themselves, and he gets the job done,” Jancuska said. “He works out all the time and demonstrates the ability to provide power. He has as much an opportunity as anybody to step in right away and compete.”

kconnor@baltimoreexaminer.com