Baseball Release #4

March 18, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Horizon League Player of the Week

Josh Wallace, Valparaiso
Sophomore IF * Bellefontaine, Ohio
Wallace was 9-for-21 (.429) with three home runs and nine RBI in seven games last week. He had two multi-hit performances while scoring five runs and compiling a .538 on-base percentage for the week. Wallace homered twice and drove in six runs in game two of Wednesday's doubleheader with Marshall. He leads the League in homers (six) and RBI (17) while ranking second with a .389 batting average.

Previous Players of the Week: Zach Rodeghero (Valpo), Feb. 26; Jeff Mercer (WSU), Mar. 4; Ross Vagedes (WSU), Mar. 11.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week

Josh Hungerman, Cleveland State
Junior LHP * Pittsburgh, Pa.
Hungerman allowed one run on five hits in two outings last week. He earned the victory with 11 strikeouts in eight innings versus Evansville on Saturday, allowing only four hits. Hungerman also pitched two scoreless innings at Morehead State on Tuesday, and leads the League with 18 strikeouts this season.

Previous Pitchers of the Week: Brian Long (CSU), Feb. 26; Bryce Shafer (Valpo), Mar. 4; Grant Kohlstaedt (UIC), Mar. 11.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 16

Joe Pauley, Butler
Sr. * IF * Skokie, Ill.
Pauley had five hits in 14 at-bats, including a double and his first home run of the season. Pauley drove in two runs and stole a base during a weekend series at Tennessee Tech.

Kyle Bischof, Cleveland State
Sr. * OF * Louisville, Ky.
Bichoff recorded nine hits in 21 at-bats, including three doubles, in six games. He scored three runs while driving six to lead the Vikings to four victories.

Nick Wichser, Milwaukee
Sr. * OF * Waukesha, Wis.
Wichser scored four runs and drove in five while collecting six hits in 12 at-bats against Milwaukee. Wichser had three hits Friday and two more Saturday, giving him five multi-hit games this season.

Chris Rutta, UIC
Jr. * OF * Rothschild, Wis.
Rutta drove in the game-winning run with a 10th-inning double to push UIC past Northwestern on Thursday. He was 6-for-12 with three RBI and two stolen bases in the three-game series.

Justin Parker, Wright State
Jr. * SS * Fort Wayne, Ind.
Parker returned from injury to hit a pair of home runs, including the game-winning three-run shot in Saturday's opener, versus Eastern Michigan. He was 6-for-12 with eight RBI for the week.

Anthony Porter, Youngstown State
So. * C/DH * Boardman, Ohio
Porter was 8-for-19 at the plate with three runs batted in last week. He hit safely in five consecutive games to close the week, including back-to-back multi-hit games over the weekend.

Joe Ochs, Butler
Jr. * LHP * Noblesville, Ind.
Ochs pitched five scoreless innings in two outings, holding Indiana Tech to four hits with three strikeouts Wednesday and pitching two shutout frames at Tennessee Tech on Sunday.

Brad Lusti, Milwaukee
Jr. * RHP * Menagha, Minn.
Lusti pitched six innings in relief Saturday, fanning seven hitters to earn the victory versus Austin Peay. He allowed one run on four hits, lowering his season ERA to 3.09.

Derrick Miramontes, UIC
Jr. * RHP * Durham, Calif.
Miramontes took a shutout into the eighth inning versus Northwestern on Friday, scattering nine hits and allowing two runs to earn his first victory in a UIC uniform.

Alex Berry, Valparaiso
Jr. * RHP * Olney, Ill.
Berry earned his first collegiate victory Saturday, limiting Dayton to one run on three hits in five innings. Berry struck out five hitters in Valpo's 3-1 triumph.

Greg Robinson, Wright State
So. * RHP * Wilmington, Ohio
Robinson earned the victory in relief, pitching a scoreless seventh inning in the nightcap versus Eastern Michigan. He also pitched two innings in Sunday's series finale, allowing one run.

Eric Marzec, Youngstown State
So. * RHP * Canton, Ohio
Marzec allowed only one hit in five scoreless innings of relief versus Xavier on Saturday. He struck out six batters to earn the victory in the longest outing of his collegiate career.

Around the Horizon League

Flames continue home-field success
UIC improved to 5-7 overall after winning two of three games against Northwestern. The Flames posted a 9-8, ten-inning victory in Thursday's home-opener and split a doubleheader on Friday by winning the nightcap 5-3 after a 6-3 loss in game one.

The Flames have won their home debut in nine consecutive seasons and also own a 24-11 record against Big Ten Conference opposition in head coach Mike Dee's tenure at the school.

Freshman outfielder Steve McGuiggan continued his impressive start at the plate, collecting six hits in 14 at-bats with a double, a home run and four RBI. He leads the Flames with nine RBI this season while ranking fourth in the League with a .364 batting average. Junior infielder Tony Altavilla is sixth on the loop list with a .353 clip at the plate

Junior right-hander Derrick Miramontes carried a shutout into the eighth inning in Friday's nightcap. He allowed two runs in that frame but earned his first victory in a UIC uniform. Miramontes stands second on the League charts with a 2.52 earned-run average.

UIC begins its quest for a seventh consecutive regular-season League title this weekend, hosting Milwaukee in a three-game series. The Flames have two midweek tuneups as Illinois State visits on Tuesday and Purdue-North Central comes to Chicago on Wednesday.

Vikings win four in a row before Sunday loss
Cleveland State begins the week at 5-7 overall after winning four of six games last week. All four victories came in succession---two over Morehead State and one each versus Evansville and Central Michigan---before a loss to North Dakota State on Sunday.

The Vikings are well ahead of their pace from last year, as CSU did not win its fifth game of 2007 until April 3, when the Vikings stood at5-21.

Much of the improvement can be traced to the Cleveland State pitching staff, which leads the Horizon League with a 4.00 earned-run average. Junior right-hander Brian Long leads the way with a 2.52 ERA, fanning 17 hitters in 25 innings. Junior left-hander Josh Hungerman lowered his mark to 3.38 after allowing only one earned run and striking out a career-high 11 batters in eight innings to earn the victory Saturday versus Evansville.

Senior outfielder Kyle Bischof had nine hits in the six games last week, scoring three runs and driving in six. He now leads the team with ten RBI this spring. Senior catcher Josh Geric ranks seventh in the League with a .351 batting average this season.

Cleveland State travels to Duquesne on Tuesday and visits Bowling Green on Wednesday before a home-and-home series against Case Western Reserve on Friday and Saturday.

Penguins prepare for League opener
Youngstown State split six games last week to climb to 3-9 on the season. YSU won two of four games against Xavier, while defeating Cincinnati on Tuesday and losing to Dayton on Thursday.

The victory over Cincinnati was coach Rich Pasquale's first as Penguin skipper.

Sophomore infielder C.J. Morris had five hits in 14 at-bats, scoring three runs and hitting his first collegiate home run versus Xavier on Saturday. Morris was only 1-for-19 last season.

Sophomore catcher/DH Anthony Porter went 8-for-19 to raise his batting average by 113 points (.231 to .344). Porter hit safely in each of YSU's last five games, reaching base in all four plate appearances Wednesday versus Xavier.

Sophomore right-hander Chuck Schiffhauer made his first start of 2008 Tuesday, holding Cincinnati to one run on two hits while striking out seven batters in six innings.

As a team, Youngstown State is hitting .264 in its last six games. The Penguins compiled a team mark of .210 in their first six outings.

Youngstown State travels to Duquesne on Wednesday before opening Horizon League play with a three-game series at Butler this weekend. The set at Butler could include the return of senior Erich Diedrich and junior third baseman John Koehnlein; Diedrich has missed all of 2008 due to injury, with Koehnlein sitting out the team's last nine contests.

Raiders reach all-time milestone
Wright State carries a 3-10 record after splitting four games last week. The Raiders' 10-7 victory in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader versus Eastern Michigan was the 1,000th in the history of the Raider program that started in 1971.

Junior infielder Jeff Mercer continues to lead the League with a .396 batting average. Mercer has 19 hits---six for extra bases---in 48 at-bats this season and has started his Raider career with a 13-game hitting streak.

Junior shortstop Justin Parker returned to action after missing seven games with a back injury, hitting a three-run, walk-off homer in Saturday's opener to give WSU its historic victory and sparking the Raiders with a grand slam in the sixth innning to tie the score in the nightcap. Parker was 6-for-12 with two homers and eight RBI for the week.

Parker has hit safely in his last six games, with sophomore infielder R.J. Gundolff owning a seven-game hit streak.

As a team, the Raiders have hit 12 home runs in their first 13 games, adding three triples and 22 doubles among their 113 hits.

Wright State opens a homestand Tuesday versus Bowling Green. The Nischwitz Stadium run continues this weekend when Valparaiso comes to Dayton for a three-game series to begin the Horizon League schedule.

Crusaders to play first Horizon League game
Valparaiso owns a 4-14 record after splitting four games at Dayton over the weekend. The Crusaders snapped a 12-game skid with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap of Saturday's twinbill and added a 4-3 triumph to close Sunday's doubleheader.

Sophomore infielder Josh Wallace hit three home runs and drove in nine runs during the week. He leads the League with six homers and 17 RBI while ranking second with a .389 batting average. Senior outfielder Zach Rodeghero leads the circuit in runs scored (15), doubles (eight) and hits (23).

Senior outfielder Dan DeBruin owns a nine-game hitting streak after a 9-for-26 week. Freshman infielder Andrew Quinnette added seven RBI last week, including four in the opener of Wednesday's doubleheader versus Marshall.

Two freshmen led the Crusader pitching staff. Steve Godawa posted his first collegiate victory with two scoreless innings of relief Sunday, after Bryce Shafer allowed only four hits in 5.1 innings versus Dayton. Opponents are hitting only .214 against Shafer this season.

Junior right-hander Alex Berry was the winning pitcher Saturday, yielding only one run on three hits in five innings. He struck out five hitters.

Valparaiso makes its Horizon League debut this weekend, traveling to Wright State for a three-game weekend series.

Panthers win two of three at Austin Peay
Milwaukee improved to 3-11 on the season after winning a weekend series at Austin Peay. The Panthers defeated APSU 12-7 (Friday) and 10-5 (Saturday) before dropping Sunday's series finale, 6-4.

The Panthers posted a .347 team batting average for the weekend, with 17 hits Friday as the highlight of a 41-hit weekend. Milwaukee had entered the weekend hitting only .230, but saw that number rise by 30 points in the three games.

Sophomore outfielder Tim Patzman was only 3-for-25 for the season before Sunday, but had three hits, including two doubles.

Senior outfielder Nick Wichser logged six hits in the three games, scoring four runs and driving in five. He has five multi-hit games this year and starts the week with a six-game hitting streak. Wichser leads the team with 13 RBI, while junior first baseman/catcher Josh Groves stands fifth on the League hitting charts with his .360 batting average.

Senior right-hander Adam Ferrell leads the League with a 2.59 earned-run average, with junior right-hander Brad Lusti fourth in that deparment at 3.09. Lusti fanned seven hitters in six innings Saturday, allowing one run on four hits to earn the victory.

Milwaukee begins Horizon League play this weekend with a three-game series at UIC.Bulldogs break into win column
Butler notched its first victory of 2008, defeating Tennessee Tech 3-2 in Sunday's series finale. The Bulldogs ended a season-opening ten-game losing streak by rallying from a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the seventh inning.

Freshman infielder Grant Fillipitch sparked the rally with a two-run double, plating the tying and winning runs. Fillipitch has been the team's most consistent hitter so far in 2008 with a team-best 12 hits and four RBI.

Senior infielder Joe Pauley had five hits in five games, belting his first homer of the season in Friday's series opener at TTU.

The Bulldogs have struggled offensively, scoring more than three runs only once in their first 11 games. Butler has a team batting average of .173 with only 12 extra-base hits.

Junior left-hander Joe Ochs had two strong outings on the mound, pitching five scoreless innings. Ochs struck out three batters in three innings Wednesday versus Indiana Tech and tossed two scoreless frames Sunday at Tennessee Tech.

Sophomore right-hander Tyler Szymczak owns a 1.50 ERA, yielding two runs (one earned) on five hits in six innings over four appearances.

Butler begins the Horizon League slate this weekend, hosting Youngstown State in a three-game set. The Bulldogs battle IPFW in a non-League tune-up on Wednesday.

Teams begin quest for Horizon League title
Six teams open the Horizon League schedule this week, with defending champion UIC hosting Milwaukee while Valparaiso makes its League debut at Wright State and Youngstown State visits Butler. All three series are scheduled to include single games Friday and doubleheaders Saturday.

The League's seventh entry, Cleveland State, begins its loop slate next weekend at Valpo.

Each team is scheduled to play 26 regular-season games in League play, although teams will not complete a full double-round-robin as in years past.

The 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship, presented by the U.S. Army, is set for May 20-25 at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio. Action begins with a single-elimination game that Tuesday before double-elimination play the rest of the week.

Wright State entered the season as the favorite to unseat UIC as the loop titlist (the poll results can be found on page 1).

UIC has won the last six regular-season championships, but has claimed the tourney crown only three times during that run (2003, 2005, 2007). Youngstown State won the title the last time the tournament was played at Eastwood Field in 2004, with Wright State defending its home field in 2006 and Milwaukee capturing the 2002 championship in Cleveland.