The Shanfeldt Way

By: Josh Liddick, Lehigh Sports Communications

There is a reason the catching position is one of the most difficult in all of baseball.

The amount of grit, toughness and perseverance to get through an entire game crouched down, making sure baserunners stay in check and balls don't roll all the way to the backstop is a game in it of itself.

And to have caught 135 games in a four-year career? Unprecedented, especially at this institution.

That's just one thing of many that Jeff Shanfeldt has accomplished in his time at Lehigh.

Twice Jeff was named Second Team All-Patriot League. Twice he was named Academic All-Patriot League. After 133 hits, 96 RBIs and 88 walks that contributed to his career on-base percentage of .389, the list of accomplishments Shanfeldt has stacked up over the years seems endless as he continued his climb as one of the greatest catchers in program history.
25197

But putting all of his accomplishments aside, its Jeff's leadership in the program over the last four seasons that separates him from so many others that have come through Lehigh. Especially this past season, Jeff has seen significant growth within himself that has helped him be more of a leader than he ever was before.

"Overall, I have become more mature," said Shanfeldt. "There's a bigger picture to Lehigh baseball rather than just getting a hit, striking somebody out and when I came into Lehigh, I was way more focused on the individual little things rather than forming a culture, setting an example and giving my teammates something to model after.

"So from an emotional and maturity standpoint, where I am and where other people are in relation to me is something that I've become much more in tune with as I've been here."

Jeff's personal growth from being a typical freshman on the team to being a senior who only cared about the team's success and where the program is heading is something that has not only been evident in himself, but from his peers as well. Being a catcher comes with a ton of responsibility that doesn't get taken lightly, especially at the collegiate level.

"The catcher position inherently comes with leadership," said head coach Sean Leary. "And to watch Jeff mature over his time here, his influence went from just being a really talented baseball player to someone who impacted the pitching staff and someone who has impacted the younger players over the last year and a half, where he took on a mentorship role from the work ethic side and the way he attacks a game hard."
Shanfeldt slide

It's the hard work and dedication to his craft on the baseball diamond, as well as the dedication in the classroom that makes Shanfeldt so respected amongst his peers and the younger players on the team who have looked up to him since day one. Fellow teammate and senior Ryan Malloy has seen this in Jeff while leading alongside him in 2019.

Underclassmen on our team have looked up to Jeff both on and off the field due to his work ethic," said Malloy. "From a baseball perspective, Jeff would always take advantage of early work and give it his all in the gym. He has also seen tremendous success in the classroom, so naturally guys gravitated towards him academically."

So how has Jeff been able to maintain both success on the field and in the classroom as he put together a stellar four years as a Finance and Accounting major with an Anthropology minor that has resulted in a cumulative 3.83 GPA?

"Coming in as a freshman, I made it a point to latch on to a few people and use them as my examples," he said. "In the classroom, it was James Bleming. Every night he would be at Linderman Library working hard and doing what he had to do from a school work aspect. And then from a baseball standpoint, it was Jacen Nalesnik. He was outside hitting every single day working on what he had to work on to be the best hitter in the Patriot League, which he ultimately was at the end of his career.

"So I think I just took role models as soon as I got on campus and ran with it. From that, I found my recipe for success in the classroom and saw myself improving on the baseball field, so I just stuck with that course of action and kept it going."

Playing 135 games behind the plate and maintaining a high grade point average is something that requires the right mentality and attitude in everything you do to accomplish your goals. For Jeff, it was something that came with becoming more mature, but being able to maintain that same level of intensity throughout four grueling years and continuing to push yourself is something that cannot be done just solely on your own.

"I always think to myself when I'm tired while studying, I tell myself I'm not as tired as I am after a four-game weekend," Jeff said. "That's brought me to a whole new level of physical and mental exhaustion where everything else seems easier."
18753

"But from an on-field health standpoint, I just owe everything to my strength and conditioning coaches, Owen, Eric and Dom and then obviously Robbie and Catherine from Sports Med who have been unbelievable in keeping me healthy and getting me ready to play," said Shanfeldt. "The trainers have done so much to prepare my body for the seasons, so my programs were a little bit different from everybody's in the season and around the season. I just owe it to all of them for making me more strong."

Jeff comes from a baseball family and one that has supported him through his entire baseball career, from little league to high school to college ball. Toughness is something he learned from a young age, as he's watched his father Bob and mother Rachel provide for his family over the years. But for his dad to have watched him his entire baseball career to now, it's been a special ride for the Shanfeldt Family to experience together.

"He loves it," said Jeff. "It's been fun to watch him come out. He's always supporting me and always supporting the team, he's always said that 'it's you and me against the world.'

"And I truly believe he means that. He would do anything for his family and it's been awesome to see him come out to the games, that is something I'm going to miss a lot, the opportunity to him and I sharing that."

Jeff will graduate from Lehigh University on Monday morning at Goodman Stadium and his new career is about to start, as he begins his work with Citigroup in their Power and Utilities Investment Banking Division. The lessons learned from his first day at Lehigh to his final day at Lehigh as a collegiate baseball player are ones that will be taken with him for the remainder of his professional career in the workplace.

"I don't think anyone is ever going to out-work Jeff in whatever he does," said Leary. "If he sets his mind at being the best that he's going to put the time in, in the real world that usually ends up with results. If you out-work people in the real world, it's going to transcend, every boss is going to love it, and its also going to result in production.

"Jeff has learned that if he really wants something and puts his time into it, it's going to translate really well. I think where he is going to see the benefit is as you rise up the corporate chain, it's the ability to deal with people and manage people and it's his catching and his leadership on this team will serve him really well in everything he does with his career moving forward."
Better me Better We

Completed Event: Baseball versus Bucknell University on May 3, 2026 , Win , 10, to, 4

Completed Event: Baseball versus Bucknell University on May 3, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 2 , (7 inn.)

Completed Event: Baseball versus Bucknell University on May 2, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 4

Completed Event: Baseball at Seton Hall University on April 29, 2026 , Loss , 5, to, 10

Completed Event: Baseball at Holy Cross on April 26, 2026 , Win , 14, to, 2 , (7 inn.)

Completed Event: Baseball at Holy Cross on April 25, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 3

Completed Event: Baseball at Holy Cross on April 25, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 9 , (7 inn.)

Lehigh University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

James Bleming

Ryan Malloy

Jacen Nalesnik

Jeff Shanfeldt

Related Videos