Baseball Weekly Release #11

April 24, 2006

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Player of the Week

Justin Wilson, Wright State
Senior * OF * Greenville, Ohio
Wilson batted .611 (11-for-18) in five games last week, including a four-hit performance at Butler which featured a two-run homer in an 8-3 victory. He also had five hits versus Youngstown State, scoring five runs in the three games. He crossed the plate eight times last week, including at least once in each contest, while driving in five runs and posting a 1.111 slugging percentage.

Pitcher of the Week

Zach Peterson, UIC
Junior * RHP * Minnetonka, Minn.
Peterson earned his third award of 2006 after a stellar performance at Butler on Sunday. He allowed only one hit and struck out a career-high nine hitters in eight innings, allowing only one (unearned) run and one hit. Peterson retired the first 11 batters in order before an error on a dropped fly ball. Following an RBI single by the next hitter, Peterson also retired the final 13 Bulldogs he faced.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 23

Stephen Gill, Butler
Senior * OF * Merrillville, Ind.
Gill hit .474 (9-for-19) with a .789 slugging percentage last week. He had four doubles plus a triple, and scored seven of the team's 23 runs. He hit safely in four of BU's five games.

Anthony Hurley, Cleveland State
Senior * OF * Cleveland Heights, Ohio
After going 0-for-20 in his first three-plus years, Hurley went 3-for-4 with three RBI versus Bowling Green in his second career start. He added two singles versus UW-Milwaukee for a .556 week.

Justin Johnson, UIC
Senior * C * Chaska, Minn.
Johnson batted .400 (6-for-15) with three home runs and ten RBI, pacing UIC to a 3-1 week. He homered in all three games versus Butler, posting a 1.500 slugging percentage for the series.

Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * OF * Franklin, Wis.
Goetz led the Panthers with a .563 (9-for-16) clip, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Goetz scored five runs and drove in three as UWM won three of four games.

Brandon Caipen, Youngstown State
Senior * C/OF * Tallmadge, Ohio
Caipen posted three multi-hit games, batting .450 (9-for-20) for the week as YSU won three of five contests. He drove in five runs and stole a pair of bases last week.

Brandon Hewitt, Cleveland State
Junior * LHP * Eastlake, Ohio
Hewitt allowed three runs in 13 innings over two appearances. He held Bowling Green to two runs on six hits in seven innings, and worked six frames of six-hit relief versus UW-Milwaukee.

Mike Rauwerdink, UW-Milwaukee
Junior * RHP * Sheboygan, Wis.
Rauwerdink allowed only four hits in five innings as part of a combined shutout versus Cleveland State. He struck out four to earn the victory, one of the team's three last week.

Robert Barrett, Wright State
Senior * RHP * Sacramento, Calif.
Barrett shut down Youngstown State's bats on Saturday, throwing eight innings of shutout, three-hit ball. He allowed only one runner past second base for his sixth win of the season.

Joe Smith, Wright State
Junior * RHP * Cincinnati, Ohio
Smith appeared in all four WSU victories, posting a win and two saves. He allowed four hits in 6.1 shutout innings, striking out 10. He leads the League with nine saves this season.

Lucas Engle, Youngstown State
Sophomore * RHP * Marysville, Ohio
Engle threw his first career complete game in a nine-inning victory over Wright State on Saturday. He allowed four runs (two earned) on ten hits, striking out a pair of Raiders.

Horizon League Players of the Week

Feb. 21 - Bart Babineaux, UIC
Feb. 28 - Brian Shoup, Wright State
Mar. 7 - Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Mar. 14 - Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State
Mar. 21 - Ross McCoy, UW-Milwaukee
Mar. 28 - Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Apr. 3 - Joe Dempsey, Butler, and Bart Babineaux, UIC
Apr. 10 - Bart Babineaux, UIC
Apr. 17 - Steve Chinn, Cleveland State

Horizon League Pitchers of the Week

Feb. 21 - Robert Michalkiewicz, UW-Milwaukee
Feb. 28 - Joe Smith, Wright State
Mar. 7 - Zach Peterson, UIC
Mar. 14 - Josh Vollmer, Butler
Mar. 21 - Garret Holleran, Wright State
Mar. 28 - Zach Peterson, UIC
Apr. 3 - Robert Barrett, Wright State
Apr. 10 - Eric Shaffer, Youngstown State
Apr. 17 - Joe Skinner, UIC

On Deck for the Horizon League

As the Horizon League schedule enters the home stretch---the League Championship begins one month from today at Wright State's Nischwitz Stadium---the race for positions brings added pressure to several upcoming series, including a pair of sets this weekend.

Wright State stands in second place but travels to UW-Milwaukee for a trio of contests, beginning Friday night. The Raiders (12-9 in League play) are 1.5 games up on third-place UWM (9-9), and a Panther sweep would flip those teams in the standings.

A similar situation surrounds the series which has fourth-place Youngstown State (8-10) hosting current #5 Butler (8-13). That three-game series starts Saturday, as does the third series this weekend in which League front-runner UIC (14-4 in loop action) hosts Cleveland State (6-12).

Around the Horizon League

Flames remain atop League standings
UIC swept a three-game series at Butler, scoring 31 runs to rebound from a 7-6, 10-inning loss at UW-Milwaukee on Tuesday. UIC has now won 19 of its last 24 and starts the week at 22-14 overall, 14-4 in the League. All four of those loop losses have been by one run, with three coming in extra innings.

Senior outfielder Bart Babineaux now holds two-thirds of the League triple crown with circuit-bests of 14 homers and 44 RBI. He is hitting .344 overall (eighth in the League) but .443 with 12 homers and 31 RBI in loop play. Babineaux also leads the League with a .758 slugging percentage and is second in on-base percentage (.459) plus third with eight stolen bases. He had a 15-game hitting streak and an 18-game RBI streak snapped Sunday.

Junior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. had four doubles as part of his 7-for-16 stat line. Sophomore infielder Mark Hallberg is tenth in the League with a .333 average after a 7-for-17 week.

On the mound, junior right-hander Zach Peterson allowed only one hit in eight innings Sunday. He retired the first 11 batters and the last 13 he faced, holding Butler to one unearned run and one hit. He lowered his season ERA to 2.13. Junior left-hander Joe Skinner is 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA in League action. As a team, UIC owns a League-best 3.73 ERA and has walked only 74 hitters in 321 innings.

Raiders defending home field
Wright State improved to 21-16 overall and 12-9 in the League after winning four of five contests last week. The Raiders took two of three from Youngstown State after mid-week victories versus Butler and Kent State.

The Raiders continued their run of success at home, now standing at 14-5 at Nischwitz Stadium. WSU has outscored its opponents 120-67 in Fairborn, setting the stage for this year's League Championship at that facility May 24-27.

Senior outfielder Justin Wilson's 11-for-18 showing at the plate has moved him to seventh in the League with a .349 average for the season. Junior third baseman Ross Oeder continues to lead the League with four triples and is seventh with a .429 on-base percentage, while senior catcher Aaron Garcia shares the loop lead with 14 doubles.

On the mound, senior right-hander Robert Barrett pitched eight shutout innings versus YSU, allowing only three hits. He is now 6-0 on the season and leads the League in victories and ERA (1.44). He has allowed seven earned runs in 43.2 innings this season, stirking out 30 while walking only nine.

Junior right-hander Joe Smith has nine saves this season, six coming in League play. In 12 appearances against Horizon League foes, he has allowed no runs and only eight hits plus five walks while striking out 25.

Panthers slug their way back into third place
UW-Milwaukee carries a 17-18 overall mark and 9-9 League ledger after winning three of four last week. The Panthers outlasted UIC 7-6 in ten innings Tuesday but dropped the series opener at Cleveland State. UWM bounced back with 27 runs in the next two games, including a 16-0 shutout in Saturday's nightcap.

The Panthers hit nine home runs last week, including three from senior first baseman/DH Zak Rivera at CSU. UW-Milwaukee leads the League with a .323 team batting average and also tops the circuit in homers (34), doubles (87), on-base percentage (.401), and slugging (.494).

Senior outfielder Mike Goetz had another stellar week, going 9-for-16 (.563) with five runs scored. He raised his nation-leading average to .529 and tops the Horizon League charts with a .608 on-base rate, along with loop-highs of 74 hits, 39 runs scored, 14 doubles and nine stolen bases. He has hit safely in 34 of 35 games this season, including each of the last 11.

Senior first baseman Joe Nowkicki ranks sixth in the League with a .356 batting average which includes six homers and 36 runs scored.

On the mound, Panther relievers allowed only one run on six hits in 14.2 innings (a 0.61 ERA) last week. Junior right-hander Mike Rauwerdink tossed four of those innings for his fourth win of the year. Senior right-hander Rick Cavaiani's 43 strikeouts this year are third-best in the League.

Penguins treading water
Youngstown State stands at 17-23 overall and 8-10 in the League after a 2-3 week which included a win over Cleveland State but two losses in three games at Wright State. The series loss at WSU was only the second for the Penguins since mid-March.

Senior third baseman Justin Banks became YSU's all-time leader in doubles and total bases. His double Saturday game him 48 in a YSU uniform, one more than Jim Lipinski (2001-04), while his six total bases bring his total to 334. Banks shares the Horizon League lead with 14 doubles in 2006 and is hitting .406 against League pitching this season.

Sophomore catcher Erich Diedrich and senior catcher/outfielder Brandon Caipen pace the Penguins at the plate, with Diedrich ranked fifth with his .355 average and second with 41 RBI this season. He also has seven homers. Caipen has 54 hits---trailing only UW-Milwaukee's Mike Goetz on the League charts in that category---and has scored 32 runs while driving in 34. Sophomore infielder Josh Page's .360 average is third-best in the League.

On the mound, senior right-hander Brian Boone has bolstered the YSU rotation. In his last three starts (all against League opposition), he has allowed five runs in 16 innings for a 2.81 ERA. He gained his first win of 2006 with a seven-inning outing versus Cleveland State on Tuesday.

Bulldogs lose bark in League play
Butler dropped all four of its League games last week, slipping to 8-13 in the loop after being outscored 31-12 in a three-game set versus UIC. The Bulldogs defeated Marian 8-4 in non-League play as part of a 15-24 overall ledger.

After rapping out 42 hits in its first three games of the week, BU was limited to one hit in Sunday's 4-1 loss to UIC. Butler had posted 13 against Marian, 16 in Saturday's 19-10 loss to UIC and 13 in Saturday's nightcap.

Junior outfielder Tony Barnes had a career-best six RBI in that 19-10 defeat. He had a run-scoring triple and three-run homer plus an infield groundout and a sacrifice fly, giving him a team-high 34 RBI this season. Barnes' eight homers tie him for third place on the League charts.

Junior catcher Joe Dempsey posted a .444 (8-for-18) average last week, including BU's lone hit Sunday. He has hit safely in eight of the team's last nine games.

On the mound, sophomore left-hander Bryan Bokowy leads the Horizon League with 46 strikeouts this season. His 3.43 ERA is fifth-best in the League, just ahead of sophomore teammates Brian Deter (3.52) and Josh Vollmer (3.54).

Vikings suffer setbacks
Cleveland State begins the week at 7-26 overall and 6-12 in the League. CSU defeated UW-Milwaukee 6-4 to open the weekend, but was defeated 16-0 and 11-6 in the set's final two games.

Sophomore shortstop Bobby Cash and senior second baseman Steve Chinn had team-high hitting streaks snapped at 11 games apiece in Satuday's nightcap versus UWM. Chinn drew a walk in that game, and has now reached base safely in 32 of the Vikings' 33 games this season. He leads the Vikings with his .373 average---the second-best clip in the League---and is also fifth with his .444 on-base percentage.

Freshman first baseman Ryan Baechel hit his fourth and fifth homers of the season over the weekend, giving him the team lead in that category.

On the mound, sophomore right-hander Nathan Schaefer stands eighth in the League with his 40 strikeouts. Schaefer leads the Viking staff with 45.2 innings pitched in 2006.

Viking coach Jay Murphy sits three wins away from 300 in his career. He holds a 297-462-1 ledger in 15 seasons at Cleveland State and George Washington, including 181 wins at CSU.