The County League baseball legend of Penn State long snapper Tyler Yazujian

Minutes before taking the field against the Howard Hawks, members of the Lemont Ducks sat in a circle, popping sunflower seeds and laughing.

Tell him about the pancakes. Tell him about the pancakes.

Lemont pitcher Zach Smeal — with a grin — obliged, narrating his favorite story about former teammate Tyler Yazujian, the longtime Penn State long snapper/County League baseball player.

“So we had a tournament out at Shaner Field,” Smeal started, shaking his head still with disbelief. “And in between games, we stopped at IHOP. Tyler probably put away 12 or 15 pancakes. He was hosing them. Then he went out and pitched six innings, and we got the win.”

The Ducks were chuckling, and Smeal beamed. They miss their teammate — and the feeling is mutual.

Yazujian, who graduated in December, joined the Lemont Ducks of the Centre County Baseball League in the summer of 2014 and played with them for three seasons.

Yazujian likely won’t be back for a fourth. He’s committed to testing the NFL waters, and if that doesn’t pan out, the Academic All-American has a government job outside the nation’s Capitol lined up and ready to go.

Even though he’s not with Lemont this summer, the Ducks will always consider Yazujian a teammate — and vice versa.

“It’s always nice to have another great friend-group like that,” Yazujian said. “Everybody really cares about baseball, and they put everything they have into it. That’s why I really liked playing for that team. Guys would come and go, but it was the same feel. It was the perfect balance for me, honestly.”

Yazujian, who played baseball long before taking up football as a kid, found out about the County League after his sophomore season at Penn State. He was in Happy Valley for the summer to lift with the Nittany Lions, but didn’t have to take any classes and had some free time to fill.

A former Penn State equipment manager who previously played for Lemont knew Yazujian’s passion for baseball and suggested he join the Ducks.

“I forget if it was a practice or a game,” the long snapper said. “But I showed up, met everybody, had a warm welcome and took it from there.”

Little did he know he’d make such an impact and come away with some of his closest friends.

Yazujian played shortstop, pitched and hit in the middle of the Ducks’ batting order. He was “a bull,” according to Lemont manager Melissa Hicks.

“People always get shocked because he’s pretty fast,” Hicks said of the 235-pounder. “I mean, he did sprints at football practice. He was always getting to first.”

Even if it meant barreling through an opposing player.

Yazujian can’t recall the year or team he did it against, but he remembers the aftermath. The “bull” chopped an infield grounder and tried to leg it out. The throw took the first baseman off the bag and up the baseline.

That’s where Yazujian met him.

“It was unintentional,” the former Nittany Lion said. “But I think I won the battle.”

Added Hicks: “He just plowed right through him.”

For Smeal, that and the pancake tale were his favorite Yazujian stories. But the thing he remembers most was his teammate’s commitment.

Sure, without taking classes in the summer of 2014, Yazujian had a little extra time. But during his three County League seasons, he was still training with the Nittany Lions.

On a normal weekday, Yazujian worked at the College of Information Sciences and Technology in the morning before going to the Lasch Building for an afternoon workout. Straight from Lasch, Yazujian drove to Spring Creek Park, changed in his car and ran over to meet up with the Ducks.

He rarely missed a practice or game.

“We kind of expected him to take County League for what it is,” Smeal said. “But he came every day ready to work as hard as he could. He never gave it less than 100 percent. He did everything he could for the team.”

That’s part of the reason why the Ducks miss Yazujian so much.

On the field, he was a key member. Off the diamond, he was a friend.

After games, Yazujian and a handful of players went to Olde New York for a beer or two. Ducks first baseman Kieran Kempton recalled “great battles of darts” at The Brewery.

Kempton — as friends do — also remembered giving Yazujian a hard time for his botched snap in the Ohio State game that led to a safety.

“I’m pretty sure he got a text message from me that night,” Kempton said with a laugh.

Added Yazujian: “All my close friends (texted me). That got swept under the rug with the W, though, so that’s good enough for me.”

It worked for his Lemont teammates, too.

While it’s hard for the Ducks not to have Yazujian around — “I miss him every day,” Smeal said — they’re all pulling for him to make it in the NFL.

Yazujian, who recently attended a rookie mini-camp with the Detroit Lions, is keeping his phone volume on loud the next few years. He’s hoping a professional opportunity opens up.

And if it doesn’t, working for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in northern Virginia isn’t a bad gig, either.

Whatever happens, he has supporters in Lemont.

“He’s the consummate Penn State athlete,” Hicks said, looking out at the Spring Creek Park field. “Dedicated, enthusiastic, respectful. He’s what everybody says Penn State athletes are and should be. He’s a good kid.”

A kid who will always be a Lemont Duck.

This story was originally published July 1, 2017 at 7:47 PM with the headline "The County League baseball legend of Penn State long snapper Tyler Yazujian."