Baseball Weekly Release #10

April 23, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
Sophomore 1B * Cincinnati, Ohio
Hamilton batted .444 (12-for-27) with four doubles, three home runs and ten RBI, leading the Raiders to a 5-1 week. He also scored six runs, while pushing his League-leading RBI total to 39 for the season. Hamilton hit the three homers during a four-game weekend series versus Youngstown State, scoring five runs and driving in eight against the Penguins while compiling a .483 on-base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week

Steve Crnkovich, UIC
Freshman RHP * Downers Grove, Ill.
Crnkovich won the award for the second time this season after recording his second complete-game in a 6-1 victory at Butler on Saturday. Crnkovic allowed seven hits and one (unearned) run, striking out six without walking a batter. He retired the Bulldogs in order in five of the nine innings and lowered his League-leading earned-run average to 1.71 for the season.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 22

Joe Dempsey, Butler
Sr. * C * Stow, Ohio
Dempsey drove in eight runs in four games, including seven in the series finale versus UIC on Saturday---his second 7-RBI game of the year. He hit .353 with a .529 slugging percentage.

Josh Geric, Cleveland State
Jr. * C * Canfield, Ohio
Geric rapped out eight hits in four games, scoring three runs and driving in three. He had five hits in 12 at-bats during a three-game series versus UW-Milwaukee.

Larry Gempp Jr., UIC
Sr. * OF * Ingleside, Ill.
Gempp hit .409 with six RBI in five games, including a perfect 4-for-4 outing to open Saturday's twinbill at Butler. He was a triple short of the cycle and reached base in all five trips to the plate.

Jesse Hart, UW-Milwaukee
Jr. * 2B * West Allis, Wis.
Hart went 10-for-19 (.526) in four games, posting three doubles while driving in four runs and scoring four. He extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State
Jr. * DH * Bay Village, Ohio
Diedrich batted .476 (10-for-21) in five games, including two doubles, two triples and a home run. He had four multi-hit games and struck out only once in 23 plate appearances.

Brian Deter, Butler
Jr. * RHP * Indianapolis, Ind.
Deter gained the Bulldogs' only win of the week, allowing two earned runs (five total) on 11 hits in seven innings versus UIC on Saturday. He struck out three for his second win of 2007.

Brandon Hewitt, Cleveland State
Sr. * LHP * Eastlake, Ohio
Hewitt gained his first victory of the season by pitching a complete game Saturday versus UW-Milwaukee. He allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits for the 10-3 triumph.

Robert Michalkiewicz, UW-Milwaukee
Sr. * LHP * Menasha, Wis.
Michalkiewicz won his fourth straight start, defeating Cleveland State 11-5 on Saturday. He allowed one earned run on five hits in five innings and is now 4-0 in League action this season.

Jason Bennion, Wright State
Sr. * LHP * Taylorsville, Utah
Bennion went 1-0 with a save in four outings last week, pitching 7.2 scoreless innings. He got the win Sunday versus Youngstown State with 4.1 frames of scoreless relief, allowing only two hits.

Joe Antinone, Youngstown State
Jr. * RHP * Steubeville, Ohio
Antinone had two scoreless outings and allowed four hits in 4.1 innings of work last week. He held Wright State to three hits in 3.2 frames of Saturday's opener.

Around the Horizon League

Flames' bats come alive in 4-1 week
UIC improved to 20-14 overall and 11-4 in League play with four victories last week. The Flames out-slugged UW-Milwaukee 14-11 on Tuesday and took two of three games at Butler over the weekend.

Freshman right-hander Steve Crnkovich continued his impressive debut campaign with a complete-game seven-hitter Saturday, allowing only an unearned run in a 6-1 victory over Butler. Crnkovich leads the League with a 1.71 ERA which would be the League's best since 1989. Crnkovich has walked only 13 batters in 63 innings of work this year.

Senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. ranks fourth in the League with a .383 batting average after a four-hit outing in Saturday's opener. Gempp batted .409 in five games last week.

The Flames' double-play combination also ranks among the League's top offensive contributors, with senior second baseman Nick Rainwater eighth in hitting at .344 and senior shortstop Chad Schroeder second in runs scored (35) and stolen bases (12). Sophomore third baseman David Cales, who doubles as the Flames' closer, posted his League-leading ninth save of the year on Friday.

Junior infielder Micky Pingree went five-for-nine with four doubles, a homer and six RBI last week. He is batting .405 against League pitching this season.

Raiders run through competition
Wright State won five of six games last week to climb to 21-14 overall and 14-7 in the League. The Raiders scored 60 runs in the six contests, including 37 in a four-game set at Youngstown State.

Sophomore first baseman Jeremy Hamilton led the way with three homers and eight RBI against the Penguins, lifting his League-leading RBI count to 39 for the season. Hamilton scored five runs in the set versus Younsown State, and compiled a 1.000 slugging percentage for the week.

Hamilton also paces the circuit with 19 doubles and five triples, while ranking second in home runs (five) and third in batting average (.385).

Senior second baseman Ross Oeder leads the League with a .418 average. His 49 runs scored and 17 stolen bases also are the loop's best marks in those categories, while sophomore shortstop Justin Parker is fifth with a .374 batting average.

Senior left-hander Kyle Kearcher logged his League-leading sixth victory of the season. Kearcher is 6-3 and ranks fourth on the League charts with a 3.12 ERA this season. Senior right-hander Garret Holleran is fifth in the League with a 3.30 ERA.

Senior left-hander Jason Bennion recorded a win and a save in four outings last week, pitching 7.2 scoreless innings of relief.

Panthers stay on level ground in League
UW-Milwaukee split four contests last week, winning two of three at Cleveland State after a Tuesday loss to UIC. The Panthers enter the week at 8-8 in the League and 9-22 overall. UWM has won nine of its last 17 games following an 0-14 start under first-year coach Scott Doffek.

Senior outfielder Ross McCoy rapped out the 48th double of his career Saturday, eclipsing the school record of 47 held by Charlie Reschke (2002-05).

Senior left-hander Robert Michalkiewicz won his fourth consecutive start Friday, and is now 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA in League action. Overall, the lefty owns a 1.45 ERA in his last four outings, including a 0.39 mark (one earned run in 23 innings) in his last three. Michalkiewicz now holds the school record with 43 career starts, one more than Aaron Bushong (2000-04) and Chad Sadowski (1997-2000).

Michalkiewicz has walked only two batters in 39 innings against League opponents this season, and six in 62.1 innings overall.

Junior second baseman Jesse Hart ranks sixth in the League with a .370 batting average but has lifted that mark to .412 in League play. Senior outfielder Rob Brockel is tied for second in the circuit with five homers---four coming in loop competition, including a pair against UIC on Tuesday.

Vikings continue showing improvement
Cleveland State has already matched its victory total for the entire 2006 campaign (10-42), starting the week at 10-26 overall and 7-7 in the League. The 7-7 start is the best in League play since 2000 for CSU, which lost 22 of 28 loop contests last spring. The Vikings dropped two of three games versus UW-Milwaukee and now visit League front-runner UIC this weekend.

The team's improvement can be traced to the continued development of the CSU pitching staff. Senior left-hander Stephen Procner shares the League lead with 50 strikeouts and has held opposing batters to a .232 average this season. Procner tops the circuit charts with 69.2 innings of work and has thrown three complete games in 2007.

Sophomore lefty Josh Hungerman ranks second in the League with a 2.96 ERA in 51.2 innings of work, posting 43 strikeouts to stand third on that list.

Senior infielder Rich Ranells is hitting .349 (15-for-43) in 11 games this month. Ranells has scored five runs and driven in eight, and has lifted his season average to .270. Senior outfielder John Westra leads the team with a .277 clip, 21 runs scored and 18 RBI, with junior infielder Bobby Cash hitting .271.

Friday's game, played in front of a school-record crowd of 1,011, marked the formal dedication of Pipe Yard Stadium.

Penguins struggle at start of homestand
Youngstown State fell to 5-11 in the League and 12-24 overall after dropping three of four games to Wright State over the weekend. The series was the start of an 18-game homestand which continues with this weekend's series versus Butler.

Junior designated hitter Erich Diedrich batted .476 with a .905 slugging percentage, five runs scored and five RBI in five games last week, collecting ten hits including two doubles, a triple and a home run. Diedrich posted four multi-hit games for the week and now has 13 for the season, ranking seventh in the League with a .360 batting average. He also leads the League with six home runs and ranks third with 31 runs batted in.

Sophomore third baseman John Koehnlein remains second on the League batting-average charts but climbed over the .400 mark with ten hits in 20 at-bats last week. Koehnlein is now up to .403 on the season with a League-high 62 hits, and owns the top average (.420) in loop play.

Senior right-hander Andy Svitak is tied for second in the League with six saves this season. Another member of the YSU bullpen, junior right-hander Joe Antinone, through 4.1 innings of scoreless relief in two outings last week, including a 3.2-inning effort versus Wright State on Saturday.

Bulldogs fight for victory in series finale
Butler carries a 13-24 mark into the week, climbing to 6-14 in League play after salvaging the finale of a three-game set versus UIC. The Bulldogs travel to Youngstown State this weekend after mid-week contests against cross-town foe Marian and Cincinnati.

Senior catcher Joe Dempsey drove in seven of the Bulldogs' runs in Saturday's 19-10 victory. Dempsey posted his second seven-RBI contest of the year with a 4-for-5 effort in which he was a home run short of the cycle. Dempsey lifted his season average to .306 average, and is tied with senior outfielder Tony Barnes for second on the League charts at five homers apiece. Dempsey also leads the Bulldogs with 30 RBI.

Junior shortstop Joe Pauley has scored a team-high 26 runs while compiling a .294 batting average in 2007. Senior outfielder Dustin Bucalo boasts a .318 average in platoon duty this spring.

Butler leads the League with 22 home runs, but the pitching has carried the Bulldogs so far in 2007. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Kruszka ranks third on the loop charts with a 3.12 earned run average despite a 2-5 record, while junior right-hander Jon Dages is seventh in the circuit with a 3.78 ERA. Dages leads the League with 50 strikeouts in 69 innings of work (second only to Cleveland State's Stephen Procner at 69.2 on that chart).

Crusaders load up on home cooking
Valparaiso won four of five games last week, defeating Northwestern 10-1 on Tuesday before takng three of four against Centenary over the weekend. The Crusaders carry a 14-20 mark into Wednesday's game at Notre Dame, prior to a weekend set at Oral Roberts.

Senior outfielder Brian Rzepka paced the Valpo offense with a .474 batting average (9-for-19) with four doubles. He hit safely in all five contests---including a three-hit efort Saturday versus Centenary---and scored six runs. Rzepka now has an eight-game hitting streak and lifted his season average to .330.

Freshman left-hander Matt Evans recorded his first two collegiate victories, getting the win with three scoreless innings at Northwestern and getting two outs Saturday. He held opposing hitters to a .188 average for the week.

Senior Michael Arensdorff now has 247 hits in his Crusader career, needing four more to tie Mark Pedersen for the school record. Arensdorff also ranks third in school history with 143 runs scored.

Arensdorff's .357 batting average this season ranks second in the Mid-Continent Conference, two spots ahead of senior catcher Josh Piazza (.348), who brings a 12-game hitting streak into the week.

League schedule goes back to weekend play
After two weeks of midweek and weekend action, the Horizon League schedule reverts to weekend-only play for final four weeks of the regular season.

First-place UIC (11-4) hosts Cleveland State (8-8), with those two teams meeting for the first time in 2007 after weather conditions canceled the first series (April 6-7 in Cleveland). A fourth contest could be added to this weekend's original three-game slate to make up one of the three match-ups lost earlier. That decision will be made later this week.

Wright State tries to maintain its lock on second place, bringing its 14-7 League ledger to UW-Milwaukee (8-8) in a re-match of their earlier series. The Panthers took two of three games in Dayton on March 30-31.

Youngstown State (5-11) hosts Butler (6-14) in the weekend's other action. The Penguins swept three games in Indianapolis earlier this year (March 24-25), outscoring the Bulldogs by a composite score of 30-12.

All six teams will compete at the 2007 U.S. Army Horizon League Championship, scheduled for May 23-27 at UIC's Les Miller Field. UIC is chasing its sixth consecutive regular-season title, while Wright State won the tournament crown on its home field last spring.