Baseball Release #2

March 4, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Player of the Week

Jeff Mercer, Wright State
Junior 1B * Bargersville, Ind.
Mercer was 7-for-12 at the plate with two home runs, five runs scored and six RBI in three games at Washington State. He went 4-for-4 with a double and both homers coming in Friday's series opener. Mercer also scored twice in the series finale on Sunday.

Pitcher of the Week

Bryce Shafer, Valparaiso
Freshman RHP * Wabash, Ind.
Shafer allowed one unearned run on four hits in 7.2 innings versus Austin Peay on Friday. The right-hander struck out seven batters and walked only one but was not involved in the decision after APSU scored four runs in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 2

Grant Fillipitch, Butler
Fr. * IF * LaGrange Park, Ill.
Fillipitch collected five hits during the four-game series against 17th-ranked Kentucky, compiling a .500 batting average with two multi-hit games and two runs batted in.

Josh Geric, Cleveland State
Sr. * C * Canfield, Ohio
Geric hit .455 (5-for-11) with a double, a homer and two RBI in three games at Charlotte. He scored a pair of runs over the weekend and belted his second homer of the season on Saturday.

Steve McGuiggan, UIC
Fr. * CF * Burnsville, Minn.
McGuiggan sparked the Flames lineup with five hits in ten at-bats in three games. He scored twice and drove in three runs, including his first collegiate home run on Saturday.

Josh Wallace, Valparaiso
So. * IF * Bellefontaine, Ohio
Wallace had five hits in nine at-bats during two games, including a 3-for-6 outing with a homer, two runs scored and two RBI versus Indiana on Sunday.

Jared Wagoner, Butler
Fr. * RHP * Vincennes, Ind.
Wagoner allowed one run in three innings versus 17th-ranked Kentucky on Saturday. He scattered five hits while striking out three in his first collegiate action.

Brian Long, Cleveland State
Jr. * RHP * Pittsburgh, Pa.
Long posted his second strong outing of the season, allowing only two runs (one earned) on four hits in a six-inning stint at Charlotte on Sunday. He struck out two and walked two.

Derrick Miramontes, UIC
Jr. * RHP * Durham, Calif.
Miramontes held 13th-ranked Baylor to one run on one hit in 5.2 innings on Saturday. He retired ten consecutive batters at one point but was not involved in the decision.

Brad Lusti, Milwaukee
Jr. * RHP * Menahga, Minn.
Lusti pitched seven innings Saturday against Saint Mary's [Calif.], allowing two runs on three hits. He was not involved in the decision as SMC rallied against the UWM for a 5-4 victory.

Rylan Ostrosky, Wright State
Jr. * RHP * Edmonton, Alberta
Ostrosky made his first two appearances of 2008, allowing one earned run on seven hits in five innings while striking out five batters at Washington State.

Around the Horizon League

Flames take two of three in Texas
UIC improved to 2-4 on the season after winning twice in the QTI Baylor Classic. The Flames defeated Stephen F. Austin 9-3 on Friday before falling to the host school 5-4 on Saturday and posting a 7-4, six-inning victory over Illinois on Sunday.

The Flames, who had scored only five runs in their first three games of the season at Tulane, recorded 20 runs in the three contests in Waco.

Newcomers Steve McGuiggan, Tony Altavilla and Kevin Coddington led the way for UIC, with McGuiggan collecting five hits in ten at-bats in the leadoff spot. McGuiggan opened Saturday's game with his first collegiate homer and had three RBI during the weekend. Juniors Altavilla and Coddington combined for a 9-for-20 mark at the plate with five doubles and three runs scored.

Junior right-hander Derrick Miramontes allowed one run and only one hit in 5.2 innings Saturday, retiring ten consecutive Baylor batters at one point. He struck out two in his second consecutive strong outing, lowering his season earned-run average to 3.09. Opponents are hitting only .154 off of Miramontes.

Freshman infielder Jason Ganek provided a spark at the bottom of the lineup, driving in three runs with a 1-for-2 outing on Sunday.

The Flames open a four-game weekend series at Vanderbilt on Thursday.

Crusaders come up empty in Tennessee
Valparaiso fell to 2-4 after losing all three games over the weekend. The Crusaders allowed four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 5-4 defeat at Austin Peay on Friday before suffering a 9-3 setback to Illinois State on Saturday and losing a 17-14 slugfest to Indiana on Sunday.

Senior outfielder Zach Rodeghero has hit safely in all six games this year---including four multi-hit efforts---and owns a ten-game streak dating to the end of the 2007 campaign. He owns a .520 batting average in the early portion of this season, collecting 13 hits in his first 25 at-bats of with a League-high nine runs scored.

Sophomore infielder Brett Bivens tops the League charts with nine RBI, including three on Sunday. Bivens is batting .381 following his four-hit performance against the Hoosiers and is an integral part of the Crusader attack that boasts a .312 team average.

Freshman right-hander Bryce Shafer yielded one unearned run on four hits in 7.2 innings Friday but was not involved in the decision as Austin Peay scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory.

Valparaiso travels east for a seven-game road trip this week, starting Tuesday at North Carolina State with stops at Duke and UNC Greensboro before a four-game weekend series at West Virginia.

Vikings swept in Charlotte
Cleveland State dropped to 1-5 on the season after a three-game sweep at the hands of Charlotte. The Vikings suffered two one-run defeats---3-2 in ten innings Friday and 5-4 on Sunday---and were defeated 11-4 on Saturday.

Senior catcher Josh Geric led the Viking attack with five hits, including a double and a home run in the series. He was 2-for-3 in the opener Friday before a 2-for-4 effort featuring that round-tripper on Saturday. Geric has hit safely in five of CSU's six games and tops the Viking charts with a .389 average and two homers for the year.

Senior infielder Alex Kerins notched back-to-back multi-hit games Saturday and Sunday after starting the year with only one hit in his first ten at-bats.

Junior right-hander Drew Fronczek owns a 1.17 earned-run average in 7.2 innings of work spanning four appearances this season. He fanned five hitters in 2.1 frames Friday.

Junior right-hander Brian Long lowered his season ERA to 1.93 after allowing only two runs (one earned) on four hits in six innings Sunday. Long, who was not involved in the decision after Charlotte scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, has struck out ten batters in 14 innings this year.

The Vikings visit in-state rival Cincinnati for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday afternoon with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

Panthers winless in California
Milwaukee owns a 1-6 record after being swept in four games at Saint Mary's [Calif.] over the weekend. The series opened with a 9-4 defeat Friday before 5-1 and 5-4 losses Saturday and a 7-1 setback on Sunday.

UWM batted only .183 as a team in the series despite senior infielder Jesse Hart's 5-for-15 effort for the weekend. Hart drove in five runs but had a 12-game hit streak snapped in the series finale.

Sophomore infielder/catcher Josh Groves extended his errorless-game streak to 61 and has fielded his last 196 chances without a miscue. Groves also boasts a .375 batting average with team-high totals of two home runs and seven RBI.

Junior right-hander Brad Lusti yielded only three hits in seven innings Saturday's nightcap but was not involved in the 5-4 decision. Lusti reduced his season earned-run average to 1.46.

Lusti has allowed only two earned runs on eight hits in 12.1 innings this season, but the rest of the Panther staff owns a 8.55 composite ERA with 44 earned runs on 70 hits in 46.1 innings of work.

The Panthers open a four-game weekend series at Centenary on Friday night. The schedule includes a doubleheader Saturday and a single contest Sunday.

Raiders still searching for first victory
Wright State slipped to 0-6 after three losses at Washington State over the weekend. The Raiders fell 13-4 on Friday, 14-10 on Saturday and 7-4 on Sunday.

The Raiders have opened the season with six consecutive losses for the first time since 2003. The six-game skid is WSU's longest since a ten-game streak from Apr. 20-May 7, 2005.

Junior first baseman Jeff Mercer led the Raider attack with a 7-for-12 weekend featuring five runs scored and six RBI. He has hit safely in all six games this weekend including a 4-for-4 effort with a double and a homer in the series opener on Friday. He is batting .455 (10-for-22) this season.

Senior outfielder Ross Vagedes collected five hits in 12 at-bats, belting two home runs and driving in five runs. He raised his season batting average to .348, while sophomore catcher Gerald Ogrinc added six hits and four RBI in the series.

Junior first baseman Jeremy Hamilton remains sidelined by a hamstring injury. Hamilton, who hit .374 with nine homers and 62 RBI last season, has had only two at-bats so far in 2008.

The Raiders travel to Charleston, S.C., for three games this weekend. The slate starts with WSU meeting UNC Asheville on Friday before games at The Citadel on Saturday and versus Evansville on Sunday.

Bulldogs start slowly in Kentucky
Butler opened the season with four consecutive losses at 17th-ranked Kentucky. The Bulldogs dropped the first three contests by scores of 14-1 (Friday), 14-0 and 21-2 (Saturday) before a 12-4 defeat on Sunday.

Butler played errorless defense in the finale after committing seven errors leading to ten unearned runs in the first three games. The Bulldogs also collected nine hits Sunday after being held to 12 in the first three contests.

Senior outfielder Nate Hart logged three of those hits Sunday, with freshman infielder Grant Fililpitch adding two hits and two RBI. Fillipitch hit .313 in his first collegiate action.

Senior infielder Ryan Neat went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the nightcap Saturday. His three hits for the weekend included a double and his first collegiate home run.

The Bulldogs travel to Dayton for a single game Wednesday before opening a three-game weekend series at Murray State. That set includes a doubleheader Saturday before a Sunday matinee.

Note: Youngstown State had a three-game series with Pittsburgh canceled due to snowy conditions. The Penguins return to action Friday in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Alabama.