Baseball Weekly Release #10

April 10, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Player of the Week

Bart Babineaux, UIC
Senior Outfielder * New Iberia, La.
Babineaux belted three home runs during an 8-for-14 week, clearing the fence in each game at Cleveland State. He also drove in six runs, walked five times, and stole three bases in four games last week. Babineaux posted a 1.214 slugging percentage for the week and now leads the League with a career-high nine homers---including eight in his last nine games.

Pitcher of the Week

Eric Shaffer, Youngstown State
Senior Left-hander * Akron, Ohio
Shaffer came within one out of a shutout versus Wright State on Saturday, picking up his third win of the season. The senior scattered ten hits---all singles---over 8.2 innings, striking out three. The outing was his longest since a nine-inning stint at Cleveland State on May 18, 2003. He also threw one hitless inning of relief in YSU's victory at Duquesne on Wednesday.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 9

Bobby Cash, Cleveland State
Sophomore * 2B * Hudson, Ohio
Cash went 7-for-9 (.778) in three games versus UIC, collecting three RBI and scoring a pair of runs. He went two-for-three and drove in a run in CSU's 9-8 victory on Sunday.

Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * OF * Franklin, Wis.
Goetz posted 12 hits in 22 at-bats (.545) with three runs scored and three RBI. He had six doubles and a triple among the 12 hits for a .909 slugging percentage.

Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
Freshman * 1B * Cincinnati, Ohio
Hamilton had six RBI and hit his first home run of the season versus Toledo. That was part of his .583 (7-for-12) week in which he also compiled a .643 on-base percentage.

Lou Gattozzi, Youngstown State
Junior * SS * Strongsville, Ohio
Gattozzi batted .444 (8-for-18) with six RBI, helping YSU to a 4-1 record last week. He hit safely in every game and had two hits in each contest versus Wright State over the weekend.

Jeremy Hartman, Cleveland State
Freshman * RHP * Austintown, Ohio
Hartman picked up the victory in the Vikings' 8-7, 10-inning triumph over UIC to end CSU's 18-game skid Sunday. Hartman allowed two hits and one run in 3.1 innings of relief.

Don Phillis, UIC
Freshman * LHP * Streator, Ill.
Phillis won both of his starts last week, pitching two scoreless frames versus Bradley, and limiting Cleveland State to one run on hits in 6.1 innings. He retired 19 of the last 22 men he faced.

Rick Cavaiani, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * RHP * Appleton, Wis.
Cavaiani had his third consecutive strong start, allowing two runs (one earned) in 7.1 innings. He struck out a career-high nine batters, and now has a 1.21 ERA with 25 K's in his last three starts.

Robert Barrett, Wright State
Senior * RHP * Sacramento, Calif.
Barrett gained his fourth straight win, giving up only two runs (one earned) in 6.2 innings versus Youngstown State. He overcame four Raider errors and struck out a career-high seven men.

On Deck for the Horizon League

Mid-week games are usually an opportunity to keep sharp without the pressure of conference implications. This week is the exception to that rule, however, as all six Horizon League teams see League action on Tuesday. Doubleheaders include Cleveland State at Youngstown State, along with Wright State at Butler plus UIC at UW-Milwaukee.

On Wednesday, action shifts away from loop play with Youngstown State stepping outside the League to face Kent State, while Cleveland State hosts Niagara and UW-Milwaukee visits Chicago State.

The weekend's schedule begins Friday night with Wright State at UIC for a single game. Those teams conclude the series with a doubleheader Saturday, while the other two sets begin with twinbills that same day. Youngstown State is at UW-Milwaukee, while Butler travels to Cleveland State.

Each of those two pairings concludes with a single game on Easter Sunday. By the end of the weekend, each team will have played at least 14 of the 30 games on its Horizon League schedule, with Wright State at Butler (17 apiece) actually crossing the halfway point over the weekend.

Around the Horizon League

Flames' streak ends, but bats stay hot
UIC won three of four games last weekend, improving to 15-12 overall including a 12-3 mark in its last 15 games. The Flames remain atop the Horizon League standings at 7-2 in loop play.

The torrid pace has been fueled by an offense which averages 8.0 runs per outing in its last 12 games. Senior outfielder Bart Babineaux leads that attack, with eight home runs in his last nine games, including one in each of the last three. He now leads the League with nine homers and ranks second with 25 RBI.

Sophomore infielder Mark Hallberg hit four doubles and drove in five runs during the three-game set at Cleveland State, and his 9-for-16 (.563) week included a five-hit outing in Saturday's opener. Hallberg, who had four doubles and five RBI in Cleveland, is riding a 13-game hitting streak and is tied for fifth in the League with a .333 batting average.

Senior catcher Justin Johnson added six hits and seven runs scored in four games last week. Johnson's .321 average put him ninth on the League charts. Junior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. tops the circuit charts with 27 runs scored.

On the mound, freshman left-hander Don Phillis won both of his starts, improving to 4-4 by yielding only one run and six hits in 8.1 innings last week. He took a perfect game into the fifth at Cleveland State before settling for a 9-2 victory, his fourth of the season.

Raiders riding pitching staff
Wright State split four games last week, moving to 15-12 overall and 7-5 in the League. WSU dropped a doubleheader at Youngstown State on Saturday but salvaged Sunday's finale behind senior right-hander Robert Barrett.

Barrett pitched 6.2 innings, moving to 4-0 on the season. Only UIC's Don Phillis can match his four victories among Horizon League pitchers, but Barrett's work helped overcome four WSU errors and a modest four hits by the Raider offense. Barrett struck out a season-high seven batters and walked only one.

Junior right-hander Joe Smith earned his League-high sixth save of the season Sunday, throwing two shutout innings with three strikeouts. He has 29 strikeouts in 22.2 innings, a rate of 11.51 per nine innings this season. Smith has allowed only two earned runs for a 0.79 ERA, and has held opponents to a .184 average.

As a staff, Wright State tops the circuit with a 3.94 team ERA and three shutouts.

At the plate, junior infielder Ross Oeder leads the League with four triples, and his .445 on-base rate is third-best among Horizon League players. Oeder shares fifth position on the League hitting charts with his .333 average and is also fifth with 23 runs scored.

Freshman first baseman Jeremy Hamilton had his first collegiate homer and six RBI in Tuesday's victory at Toledo.

Panthers sweep into third place
UW-Milwaukee improved to 5-4 in the League and 12-13 overall after a 4-1 mark last week. The Panthers swept Butler to open their home schedule

UWM pitchers limited the Bulldogs to five runs in the three games, dropping the team's season ERA by 0.76 points. UW-Milwaukee hurlers fanned 26 batters and allowed only 13 hits in 28 innings for a .134 average.

At the plate, senior outfielder Mike Goetz is expected to be atop the national charts with his .516 batting average and .602 on-base percentage. The NCAA releases its first official numbers Tuesday afternoon. Goetz has hit safely in 24 of the team's 25 games and leads the League in hits (49) and stolen bases (nine).

Senior first baseman Joe Nowicki batted .375 (6-for-16) with seven runs scored and five RBI last week. Nowicki is tied for second in the League with 26 runs scored, while his 23 RBI are fourth-best (one behind teammate Rob Brockel). Nowicki's .347 average is fourth on that loop chart, as well.

On the mound, senior right-hander Rick Cavaiani has posted a 1.21 ERA with 25 strikeouts in his last three outings, covering 22.1 innings. He is now fourth in the League with a 2.83 ERA for the season. Junior right-hander Mike Rauwerdink has 29 strikeouts, one more than Cavaiani.

Bulldogs go from streak to streak
A week after posting a 4-0 record, Butler dropped all five outings last week. That run included a three-game sweep at the hands of UW-Milwaukee as the Bulldogs fell to 12-17 overall and 6-6 in the League.

Sophomore left-hander Bryan Bokowy had a season-high nine strikeouts in eight innings in Saturday's opener, but took a tough-luck loss. His nine K's were one short of his career-high (set last season) and give him 17 in his last two outings.

Bokowy owns a 3.26 ERA, putting him fifth in the League and one spot ahead of sophomore teammate Brian Deter (3.46). In League play, Bokowy's ERA is at 2.45 with 24 strikeouts in 29 innings of work.

Freshman infielder Kyle Cox had only one at-bat in BU's first 23 games this season, but has gone 6-for-16 with six RBI in the team's last six outings, including a grand slam versus Marian on Wednesday.

Senior second baseman Jeff Brown extended his hitting streak to a team-best 13 games, while junior outfielder Dustin Bucalo had an 11-game run snapped last week. Brown is sixth in the League with 22 runs scored.

Junior catcher Joe Dempsey and junior outfielder Tony Barnes have each hit five homers, tying them for third on the League charts in that category. Barnes is also fifth with 22 RBI.

Penguins approaching break-even mark
Youngstown State won four of five games last week, including two against Wright State. The Penguins' 12-13 overall mark includes a 4-5 League ledger.

YSU started the season at 0-7 but has now won four consecutive weekend series, taking two of three in sets versus Morehead State, Xavier, Butler, and the Raiders.

Sophomore right-hander Chuck Schiffhauer threw only 6.1 innings in 2005, but has stepped into the weekend starting rotation. He allowed only one run on two hits in a career-high six innings Sunday, lowering his season ERA to 3.25. He has surrendered only two earned runs in his last 22 innings.

At the plate, sophomore catcher Erich Diedrich and senior catcher/outfielder Brandon Caipen remain among the League leaders in several offensive categories, with Diedrich atop the list in RBI (32), second in base hits (40) and homers (six) plus third in batting average (.370). Caipen is second with 26 runs scored, fifth with nine doubles, and seventh with a .327 average. Sophomore infielder Josh Page ranks second in the League with his .371 average.

Vikings go the extra inning to end skid
Cleveland State snapped an 18-game losing streak Sunday, edging League front-runner UIC 8-7 in ten innings. The Vikings, who also took the Flames to extra frames in the opener before falling, now stand at 2-21 overall and 1-8 in the League.

Freshman right-hander Jeremy Hartman gained the victory, allowing only two hits and one run in 3.1 innings of relief. The win was Cleveland State's first since March 7.

At the plate, CSU hit .310 for the weekend. Freshman first baseman Ryan Baechel hit his second homer of the season Saturday. Both have come in League play, with the first against Butler last weekend.

Senior second baseman Steve Chinn remains 11 walks away from the school standard of 93, held by A.J. Shubic (1988-91). Chinn tops the current Viking charts in batting average (.314), RBI (15) and hits (27). Chinn has also committed only two errors in 112 chances for a .982 fielding percentage.

Sophomore infielder Bobby Cash raised his season average by 87 points over the weekend, going 7-for-9 against the Flames.