GREENVILLE — Phil Double simply did not want to endure a spring without baseball.

The Seneca Valley High graduate and junior outfielder for the Thiel College baseball team was told in December that he had a partial tear of the meniscus in his right knee.

“I could've had surgery, but it would have wiped out my junior season,” said Double. “I decided to just play through it.

“When we play back-to-back games, it gets a bit sore, but it doesn't slow me down.”

His stats prove that much.

Entering Friday's game against Grove City College, Double is ranked either first or second on the team in batting average (.359), slugging percentage (.500), on-base percentage (.456), hits (23), doubles (9) and RBI (12).

In a 9-3 win over Allegheny College on Thursday, Double went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in.

“From day one, he's been putting in the time to get better,” said Thiel coach Joe Schaly of Double. “He's always getting in extra (practice) swings and has been the most consistent hitter for us this season.

But the Tomcats are used to production from the Evans City native.

As a sophomore in 2010, Double batted .333, scored 27 runs and drove in 26 while starting all 40 games.

“In my freshman season (2009), we had three senior outfielders and they were all really good,” said Double. “I knew I would get my chance in my sophomore year.”

The biggest change for Double between high school and the college game was his spot in the batting order. He is now in his second season as the Tomcats' No. 3 hitter.

“In high school, I usually batted toward the bottom of the order just because we had such a potent lineup,” he said. “Moving to the third spot was a big change. You see the pitcher's best pitches.”

Double has also changed his approach at the plate.

“I used to keep my hands close to my body, but I've shifted them back,” he said. “That gives me more power. I want to hit at least 20 doubles and walk more than I strike out this season.”

His importance to the team does not end when he puts his bat down.

“He's in right field this year for us, but he saw time at all three outfield positions as a sophomore,” said Schaly. “He's capable of playing left, center or right and has an accurate arm.”

Double, the starting left fielder on Seneca Valley's Quad A state championship team in 2007, played for a summer collegiate team in Kentucky last summer. He plans to join Mars II's Eagle County League team this year.

Despite Double's success in 2010, Thiel finished 15-25. The Tomcats are 11-8 so far this season.

Note: Butler graduate Eric King is a middle infielder for the Tomcats. He has totaled eight hits, 11 runs and seven RBI while starting 16 games.