Baseball Weekly Release #12

May 1, 2006

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Player of the Week

Zak Rivera, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * DH * Bartlett, Ill.
Rivera posted a .611 (11-for-18) batting average in five games last week, leading the Panthers to a 4-1 record. He belted his sixth home run of the year and drove in six runs while compiling a .632 on-base percentage for the week. All six of his homers and 19 of his 22 RBI have come in his last 13 games, as Rivera has hit .481 to raise his season average by 125 points.

Pitcher of the Week

Brian Long, Cleveland State
Freshman * RHP * Pittsburgh, Pa.
Long earned his first collegiate victory, holding Ohio State to two runs on six hits in five innings to pace the Vikings to a 7-5 triumph. Long, who leads Cleveland State with three saves this season, made his first start against the Buckeyes---a team with more victories (27-14 overall) than any other Big Ten school this year.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 30

Theo Hudson, Cleveland State
Sophomore * 1B * Cleveland, Ohio
Hudson had only five at-bats for the season before last week, but went 5-for-8 including a 3-for-3 effort with two runs scored against Kent State and a hit plus an RBI at Ohio State.

Ben Trotter, UIC
Junior * DH * Coal City, Ill.
Trotter went 5-for-9 in two games versus Cleveland State, driving in five runs. He had four hits and four RBI in a 12-1 nightcap victory, along with two RBI Tuesday at Northern Illinois.

Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
Freshman * 1B * Cincinnati, Ohio
Hamilton paced the Raider offense with eight hits (a .500 average), five runs scored and four RBI. He hit two home runs in Saturday's opener versus UW-Milwaukee.

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.

Brian Deter, Butler
Sophomore * RHP * Indianapolis, Ind.
Deter threw his first career complete game, leading BU to a 5-1 victory at Youngstown State. He allowed seven hits and one run, throwing 72 strikes in 88 pitches to lower his ERA to 3.16.

Jed Dolske, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * RHP * Ripon, Wis.
Dolske went 1-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA in three outings. He allowed only one hit in 5.1 innings, including four perfect innings of relief in UWM's 5-4, 12-inning victory at Northwestern.

Jason Foster, UIC
Senior * RHP * Wyoming, Minn.
Foster allowed one run in 6.1 innings during three relief outings last week. He struck out eight hitters, including five in a 4.1-inning stint to win Saturday's nightcap versus Cleveland State.

Lucas Engle, Youngstown State
Sophomore * RHP * Marysville, Ohio
Engle held Butler to one hit over the first six innings Saturday, picking up his fourth win of the year. He finished the day allowing three runs on six hits in eight frames, striking out five.

Horizon League Players and Pitchers of the Week

Date -- Player 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; Bart Babineaux, UIC
Apr. 10-- Bart Babineaux, UIC
Apr. 17-- Steve Chinn, Cleveland State
Apr. 24-- Justin Wilson, Wright State
May 1-- Zak Rivera, UW-Milwaukee

Date -- Pitcher 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
Apr. 24-- Zach Peterson, UIC
May 1-- Brian Long, Cleveland State

On Deck for the Horizon League

With three weekends remaining before the Horizon League Championship (May 24-28), the middle of the pack remained tightly grouped as teams battle for position down the stretch.

Two teams in that group---UW-Milwaukee and Youngstown State---try to defend the home field this weekend as UWM (21-19 overall, 11-10 in the League) hosts Cleveland State (8-29, 6-12) and YSU entertains League front-runner UIC (24-15, 16-4). The Flames are closing in on their fifth consecutive regular-season title.

Butler is idle this weekend as the Bulldogs (16-27, 9-15) concentrate on final exams, while Wright State (22-19, 13-11) takes advantage of the open weekend with a three-game series at perennial national power Miami (Fla.). That match-up includes single games Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The week begins with a busy Tuesday as all six teams are in non-League action. Wright State hosts crosstown rival Dayton in a doubleheader, while Butler hosts Indianapolis. Other contests include UIC hosting Chicago State in a night-time doubleheader plus UW-Milwaukee hosting Northern Illinois, Cleveland State at Notre Dame, and Youngstown State hosting Ohio.

On Wednesday, Cleveland State entertains Pittsburgh with YSU hosting Kent State.

Around the Horizon League

Flames lose one to rain but still lead League
UIC begins the new month with a 24-15 overall ledger, standing atop the League standings with a 16-4 mark. The Flames have won 21 of their last 27 contests, including a doubleheader sweep of Cleveland State on Saturday. Sunday's finale was rained out.

UIC posted a .407 batting average in three games last week, lifting the team's average for the season to .306. Junior DH Ben Trotter led the way with a 7-for-12 showing and now owns a .375 average in 80 at-bats. He is one of seven Flames over .300 on the season.

Senior outfielder Bart Babineaux still holds two-thirds of the League triple crown with circuit-bests of 14 homers and 49 RBI. Babineaux is hitting .345 overall (ninth in the League), leads the League with a .727 slugging percentage and is third in on-base percentage (.460) plus tied for with nine stolen bases.

Senior catcher Justin Johnson ranks fourth on the loop charts with a .362 average and is third in slugging percentage at .685.

On the mound, junior right-hander Zach Peterson lowered his season ERA to a League-best 2.09 with a six-inning effort against CSU. He is now 5-3 on the season with a career-high 47 strikeouts, having thrown the most innings (77.2) of any League pitcher this year. Only Wright State's Robert Barrett (six) has more wins among Horizon League pitchers.

Raiders salvages finale, stays in second
Wright State dropped two of three games at UW-Milwaukee over the weekend but salvaged the finale to hold on to second place in the standings. The Raiders are 22-19 overall, 13-11 in loop play.

Junior right-hander Joe Smith has saved ten of those 22 victories, including Sunday's finale. He is 1-0 with seven saves in League action. He has not allowed a run while recording 28 strikeouts in 21.1 innings against Horizon League foes. Overall, Smith has yieled only two earned runs in 36 innings this spring with 46 strikeouts.

Freshman first baseman Jeremy Hamilton has compiled a .417 batting average over his last 20 games, raising his season pace from .210 to .321. Hamilton has five homers, 20 RBI and 18 runs scored during that span, while maintaining a .722 slugging percentage.

Senior right-hander Robert Barrett suffered his first loss in seven decisions but still leads the League with six victories and ranks second with a 2.83 ERA.

Sunday's victory continued a streak for the Raiders, who have ended every week with a victory since League play began on March 18. Wright State has not been shut out in 2006, making the Raiders the only Horizon League team that can make that statement. WSU is also 4-0 in extra-inning contests and 22-3 when holding opponents to five runs or less.

Panthers continue hot hitting
UW-Milwaukee climbed back over the .500 mark to 21-19 overall with a 4-1 week, improving to 11-10 in the League after taking two of three versus Wright State. UWM has won seven of its last nine since April 18.

The Panthers own the League's most productive offense (.321 average, 282 runs scored, 37 homers), with senior outfielder Mike Goetz setting the table. Goetz continues to lead the nation with a .516 average and .601 on-base rate, and extended his hitting streak to a League-high 20 games. He has hit safely in 47 of his last 48 contests (dating back to last year).

Junior outfielder Ross McCoy now has nine home runs (tied for second in the League) and ranks tenth on the loop charts with a .343 batting average. Seniors Joe Nowicki (third at .368) and Matt Curran (eighth at .353) also rank among the League's top ten hitters.

Freshman catcher Dan Buchholz hit .400 with seven RBI last week, posting game-winning RBI in back-to-back outings versus Northwestern and Carroll (Wis.) before belting a three-run homer versus Wright State on Friday.

On the mound, senior right-hander Jed Dolske has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances (9.0 innings, since April 16), including a four-inning outing to get the win versus Northwestern. He is 2-1 with five saves and a 2.61 ERA for the season.

Penguins take two steps forward, two back
Youngstown State remains in fourth place in the League standings, moving to 19-25 overall and 10-11 in loop play. The Penguins took two of three from Butler in going 2-2 for the week.

Senior first baseman Justin Banks continued his tear against League pitching, going 7-for-13 versus Butler. He is hitting .429 with 16 runs scored in loop play and is at.333 overall.

The Penguins' four home runs last week upped their season total to 32, tying for the fifth-most in school history. Sophomore catcher Erich Diedrich leads the club with eight and three other Penguins have four apiece. Diedrich also is second on the loop charts with 44 RBI.

Sophomore infielder Josh Page and junior outfielder Brent Parks both homered Saturday. Page hit his first collegiate homer to lead off the first game, and is now tied with Diedrich for the team lead in batting average (.353, sixth in the League). Parks' .306 mark includes a League-leading 16 doubles, one more than senior teammate Brandon Caipen.

On the mound, sophomore right-hander Lucas Engle allowed only one hit in the first six innings Saturday. He now leads the Penguins with four victories and has fanned 47 in 72 innings this season. Lucas' line includes a 2-0 mark and a 2.00 ERA in four outings at home this year. Senior right-hander Chris Dennis is second in the League with 48 K's, two behind Butler's Bryan Bokowy.

Bulldog bats still quiet
Butler fell to 16-27 overall and 9-15 in the League after losing three of four games last week. The Bulldogs were outscored 29-18, allowing eight or more runs in three of the four contests.

Junior outfielder Tony Barnes and junior catcher Joe Dempsey remain in a tight battle for the team lead in homers. Barnes hit his ninth of the season at Ball State to move into a tie for second place in the League, while Dempsey slugged his eighth at YSU. Dempsey led the Bulldogs with a .337 average in 21 April games.

On the mound, sophomore right-hander Brian Deter tossed the first complete game of his career Saturday, throwing 72 strikes among 88 pitches in the seven-hitter. He lowered his ERA to a team-best 3.16 (fourth in the League). Sophomore left-hander Brian Bokowy owns a League-high 50 strikeouts in building a 3.86 ERA to rank seventh in the League, one spot ahead of teammate Matt Sokolowski (4.15).

Butler goes back in time for its game versus crosstown foe Indianapolis on Tuesday, as both teams will play the game with wooden bats. The contest is one of several around the nation, bringing a touch of nostalgia to the game.

Vikings defeat Ohio State but fall at UIC
Cleveland State slipped to 8-29 overall and 6-14 in the League after dropping two games at UIC on Saturday and having Sunday's contest rained out.

The Vikings' week featured a 7-5 victory at Ohio State on Wednesday. Freshman right-hander Brian Long allowed two runs in five innings to earn the victory, CSU's second in three years against the Buckeyes. The Vikings had won only four of 33 meetings before posting a 7-2 victory in Columbus in 2004.

Sophomore catcher Josh Geric is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak, the longest by a Viking this season. Senior second baseman Steve Chinn and sophomore shortstop Bobby Cash each had 11-game runs earlier this spring.

Chinn, who is second in the League with a .378 batting average, has reached base safely in 36 of CSU's 37 contests this year. Only Butler (Apr. 1) kept him off the bases for an entire game. The senior had two hits and three RBI at Ohio State and owns a team-high 22 RBI for the season.

Viking coach Jay Murphy sits two wins away from 300 in his career. He holds a 298-465-1 ledger in 15 seasons at Cleveland State and George Washington, including 182 wins at CSU.