Sky's the limit for Pitt-Greensburg outfielder after brilliant freshman season

You can call him Jim Bob or even by his real name, if you like. But please, don’t refer to James Domer as Jim or Jimmy or any other variation.

It’s not that Pitt-Greensburg’s sensational freshman outfielder wouldn’t answer to those names, but virtually no one uses them to refer to him.

“Nobody calls me Jim. I’m Jim Bob,” Domer said before revealing the mystery behind his perpetual and somewhat silly nickname. His sister, he said, just 3 years old at the time, wanted to call him Sophie. Somehow, inexplicably, the family settled on Jim Bob.

“I honestly don’t mind it,” he said. “I’ve heard it my whole life.”

No matter what name you prefer to call him, you wouldn’t be wrong by using “Great.” Why not, after the record-breaking year he’s enjoyed at UPG?

For starters, Domer finished third in batting in the Division III Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference with a .439 average in his first college season at UPG (21-16, 7-7).

There’s a lot more to it than that.

“He’s a special player, a special young man,” Pitt-Greensburg coach Scott Adams said.

He also set UPG single-season records for triples (six), hits (68) and RBIs (56), he made just two errors while playing in center field and he finished the year with 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts.

When the dust had settled, Domer was voted the rookie of the year in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

What’s more, he and UPG freshman designated hitter Colin Solinski (Plum), the Bobcats’ top two players in most offensive categories, were voted to the all-ECAC team.

For all the attention Domer has received since coming to Pitt-Greensburg from Connellsville, where he earned team MVP honors and was first- and second-team all-section in consecutive seasons, he’ll tell you there’s never an end to improvement.

“Sure, there were times this season where I’m like, ‘That’s crazy,’ when someone points out something,” Domer said. “I know I put up some numbers. But really, I’m not ever going to be satisfied.”

Adams, when told that, just laughed and agreed.

“That guy strives for perfection every time he plays the game,” he said. “Look at the season he had, and he still comes in frustrated with his performance. He could hit two screaming line drives right at someone and act like he failed. He’d run through a wall for you. He’d do whatever he needed to get the job done.”

Domer wanted to stay close to home after leaving Connellsville and chose UPG over Division III Saint Vincent and Penn State Fayette, a United States Collegiate Athletic Association affiliate.

He also received some interest from Division II West Virginia Wesleyan and Bryant & Stratton, a Buffalo, N.Y.-based junior college with several campuses, including in Cleveland, where he was considering attending.

In just one season at UPG, at least, it has worked out well for Domer, who also earned all-region honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association and d3baseball.com.

Domer also earned the AMCC Newcomer of the Year Award and is among six UPG players voted to the all-AMCC team.

Besides Domer, other first-team selections were fellow freshmen Nate Mankoski and Ben Aftanas (Valley).

Solinski, who led UPG in batting and ranked second in the AMCC with a .469 average (53 for 113), and seniors Jace Cappellini (Albert Gallatin) and Randy Hubbard were named to the third team.

With a year behind him, Domer is looking to make another jump next season. He insisted he’s capable of playing at a higher level, whether it be at UPG or in a different classification.

After all, he batted over .400 (68 for 155) as a college freshman but never hit .400 in a season at the high school level.

A visit to Seton Hill out of high school didn’t quite work out, but just maybe that could change, he said.

“I feel like I played with a bigger chip because of that,” Domer said. “What I want to do is probably move up when a bigger opportunity presents itself.”