Baseball Weekly Release #12

May 7, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Grant Berkovitz, UW-Milwaukee
Junior SS * Sheboygan, Wis.
Berkovitz batted .483 (14-for-29) in seven games, helping the Panthers to a 6-1 record. The line included a 7-for-8 mark in the Panthers' doubleheader split against Northern Illinois on Wednesday, as well as three hits, three runs scored and two RBI in Friday's series opener versus Cleveland State. Bekovitz lifted his season average from .298 to .336, and scored 12 runs while driving in nine and posting a .516 on-base percentage.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week

Ryan Zink, UIC
Junior RHP * Madison, Wis.
Zink dominated Youngstown State in Saturday's series finale, allowing only two hits in seven scoreless innings of the 6-0 victory. The junior, just over a year removed from surgery to his throwing arm, faced just one batter over the minimum to improve to 4-2 on the season. Zink retired the side in order four times in his seven innings of work.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending May 6
Alex Montagano, Butler
So. * C * Valparaiso, Ind.
Montagano enjoyed a successful homecoming Tuesday, going 4-for-6 with five RBI in a twinbill sweep of Valparaiso. He homered, doubled, and raised his season average from .279 to .313.

Bobby Cash, Cleveland State
Jr. * SS * Hudson, Ohio
Cash posted a .350 batting average with seven hits in 20 at-bats for the Vikings last week. He scored three runs and drove in two while extending his hitting streak to seven games.

Larry Gempp Jr., UIC
Sr. * OF * Ingleside, Ill.
Gempp hit .375 (6-for-16) with three doubles and six RBI. One of those two-baggers was a go-ahead, two-run shot in a six-run ninth inning as UIC defeated Youngstown State on Friday.

Dan Biedenharn, Wright State
Sr. * 3B * Dayton, Ohio
Biedenharn collected seven hits in 19 at-bats (.368), scoring seven runs and driving in four. He hit safely in all three games at Miami (Fla.) and has now done so in 13 consecutive outings.

John Koehnlein, Youngstown State
So. * OF/3B * Toronto, Ohio
Koehnlein hit .556 (10-for-18) with four runs scored and five RBI last week. He was 6-for-13 in three games versus UIC, and has now hit safely in 16 consecutive games.

Jamie Feldheiser, Butler
Fr. * RHP * Ossian, Ind.
Feldheiser pitched a seven-inning complete game at Valparaiso on Tuesday, allowing only one run on five hits as the Bulldogs swept the doubleheader against their future League rival.

Andy Hetebrueg, UW-Milwaukee
So. * RHP * West Bend, Wis.
Hetebrueg helped the Panthers complete a sweep of Cleveland State, allowing only an eighth-inning run and three hits. He retired the side in order six times, striking out six batters.

Alex Kaminsky, Wright State
Fr. * RHP * Fostoria, Ohio
Kaminsky earned his first career victory with four innings of relief against cross-town foe Dayton on Tuesday. He allowed only one earned run on four hits while striking out three Flyer batters.

Lucas Engle, Youngstown State
Jr. * RHP * Marysville, Ohio
Engle allowed only one run on nine hits over seven innings versus UIC on Friday, striking out five without a walk. He left with a 3-1 lead, but did not figure in the decision in YSU's 7-3 loss.

Around the Horizon League

Flames win another League series
UIC has now won six consecutive League series after sweeping Youngstown State to climb to 17-4 in loop play and 26-16 overall. The Flames are closing in on their sixth consecutive regular-season League title, hosting Butler this weekend.

UIC came from behind to win the first two games at YSU, scoring six runs in the ninth inning for a 7-3 victory on Friday and going ahead in the ninth for a 9-8 win in Saturday's opener. The Flames are now 9-6 in one-run games this season, including 7-1 in League play. UIC has also outscored its opponents 38-5 in the ninth inning this year.

Senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. drove in six runs with his six hits last week. He stands second in the League with 41 RBI this season, and ranks third with a .394 batting average.

Junior outfielder Micky Pingree had six hits in 14 at-bats, scoring three runs against the Penguins. Senior shortstop Chad Schroeder is second in the circuit in runs scored (40) and stolen bases (15) while topping the charts with a .492 on-base percentage.

Freshman right-hander Steve Crnkovich had a rough outing Friday but still leads the League with a 2.55 ERA. Junior right-hander Ryan Zink picked up the slack with seven shutout innings Saturday. As a staff, UIC carries a League-best 4.19 ERA including a 3.59 mark in loop play.

Raiders win two at home, fall in Miami
Wright State stands at 27-18 on the season, including a 16-8 mark in League play. The Raiders come off a weekend in which they were swept by Miami (Fla.), and will return to League play at Cleveland State this weekend.

Sophomore shortstop Justin Parker tied the single-season school record with his 21st double of the season, tying him with Kris Jarosz and Mark Frankenberg on that list. Parker leads the League with his 21 two-baggers, one more than sophomore first baseman Jeremy Hamilton.

WSU tops the League with a .316 team batting average, boasting four of the top seven individuals on the loop hitting charts. The Raiders' 319 runs scored are 81 more than any other League team.

Hamilton leads the circuit in home runs (tied, six), RBI (46), triples (six) and slugging percentage (.651), while ranking sixth with a .360 batting average. Senior second baseman Ross Oeder is second in the League with a .400 average and has scored a circuit-best 59 runs, while Parker is fourth at .378 and Biedenharn stands seventh at .346.

On the mound, senior left-hander Kyle Kearcher leads the League with seven victories and ranks sixth with a 3.75 earned-run average. Senior right-hander Erich Schanz is third on the loop ERA charts with a 3.38 mark while compiling a 5-4 ledger.

Panthers getting hot at critical time
UW-Milwaukee won six of its seven games last week, including a sweep of Cleveland State to improve to 16-26 overall and 12-10 in the League. The Panthers have won 16 of 28 games after an 0-14 start this season.

UWM hit .373 as a team, averaging 10.4 runs on 12.4 hits and scoring at least nine runs in all seven contests. Seven regulars hit at least .300 for the week, including senior outfielder Ross McCoy (.520) and junior shortstop Grant Berkovitz (.483) along with sophomore catcher Josh Groves (.583 in four starts).

Berkovitz scored 12 runs and drove in nine, while McCoy's 13-for-25 week featured four doubles, a home run and seven runs scored. McCoy was seven-for-eight in Saturday's doubleheader versus Cleveland State, matching Berkovitz's success versus Northern Illinois on Wednesday.

The Panther pitching staff posted a 2.95 ERA for the week. Six different pitchers recorded victories, including sophomore right-hander Andy Hetebrueg's effort Sunday against CSU. He allowed only one run on three hits in 7.1 innings to finish the sweep of the Vikings in a showdown for third place in the League standings.

Senior left-hander Robert Michaelkiewicz struck out a career-high ten batters Friday versus CSU. He threw his League-best fourth complete game of the season, and is now 5-1 with a 3.42 ERA against loop foes this spring.

Vikings look for answers at home
Cleveland State enters the week at 10-35 overall and 7-13 in the League after being swept at UW-Milwaukee. The Vikings, who have lost ten games in a row---including eight straight on the road in that span---try to re-gain momentum with a nine-game homestand to close the regular season. That stretch includes a three-game set against Wright State this weekend.

CSU allowed 50 runs in five games last week, being outscored 50-13 and outhit 62-28. The Vikings are still one win away from surpassing last season's victory total (10-42).

Cleveland State's pitching staff features the League's top two strikeout artists in senior left-hander Stephen Procner and sophomore southpaw Josh Hungerman. Procner leads the way with 57 K's in 77.1 innings (tying UIC's Zach Peterson for the top spot in the latter category), while Hungerman has fanned 55 batters. The sophomore also ranks fifth in the circuit with a 3.48 ERA this spring.

Sophomore outfielder Matt Madrid reached base only four times last weekend, but scored three runs and stole a pair of bases. He leads the Vikings with 21 RBI this season.

Junior shortstop Bobby Cash paces the Vikings in runs scored (23), hits (49) and stolen bases (nine, ranking third in the League). He also stands second on the team charts with 19 RBI.

Bulldogs get back into swing of things
Butler was idle last weekend while concentrating on final exams. The Bulldogs swept future League foe Valparaiso on Tuesday to improve to 18-26 before traveling to IPFW (Tuesday doubleheader) and UIC (weekend series) this week. The contests in Chicago are a rematch of last month's spirited series when the Flames won two of three decisions in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs have turned things around in the last two weeks, winning three consecuive games and six of eight before their layoff. During that span, BU is hitting .307 while the pitching staff owns a 3.84 ERA.

Sophomore catcher Alex Montagano led the way in his hometown against the Crusaders. The Valparaiso, Ind., native entered the twinbill with only two RBI for the season, but had six hits and five RBI Tuesday. He hit his first home run f the season, a three-run shot, in the first inning of the opener and added a two-run single in the first frame of the nightcap.

Senior outfielder Dusin Bucalo leads the Bulldogs with a .326 batting average this season, one spot ahead of junior shortstop Joe Pauley (.304) on the loop charts.

Sophomore Ryan Kruszka ranks second in the League with a 2.96 earned-run average, while junior right-hander Jon Dages is fourth at 3.39. Dages also ranks third in innings pitched (77) and strikeouts (54).

Penguins come close but fall short
Youngstown State carries a 14-29 overall record into the week, slipping to 6-13 in League play after being swept at UIC. The Penguins dropped all six games to the Flames this season, including four one-run decisions and a fifth in which UIC rallied from a ninth-inning deficit.

Sophomore John Koehnlein hit .556 in four games last week, and now leads the League with a .425 batting average this season. He is hitting .438 against loop pitching and could become the first Penguin to finish the season over .400 since Kendall Schlabach in 2001. Koehnlein has a League-high 69 hits in 2007, needing only two more to break the school single-season record. He also has struck out only nine times in 204 plate appearances this year.

Junior designated hiter Erich DIedrich is tied for the League lead with six home runs while ranking fourth in the circuit with 35 RBI and seventh with a .346 batting average.

YSU set season-highs for runs and hits (20 each) in Wednesday's 20-3 victory over Notre Dame College. The 20 runs were the team's most since a 29-run outburst versus Oakland on May 9, 2001.

The Penguins also turned a triple play in the sixth inning, with shortstop Josh Page catching a line drive, stepping on second base to double off one runner, and throwing to first baseman Mike Turjanica to complete the play.

Crusaders struggle at home
Valparaiso dropped five of six home games last week, slipping to 16-28 overall. The slide featured a pair of losses to future League foe Butler on Tuesday, as well as three of four contests against Western Illinois over the weekend.

Senior Michael Arensdorff set the school and Mid-Continent Conference career hit records last week, raising his total to 260 in a Crusader uniform. He went 9-for-24 in six contests, rapping out three safeties in the series opener against WIU and four more in the finale to put his season average at .354 (second-best in the Mid-Con). His 15 doubles also lead that conference.

Senior right-hander Harvey Yergin also etched his name in the Valpo record books, tossing a complete-game victory Saturday. He allowed two earned runs and struck out five, with the nine innings pushing his career total to 294.2---the most ever by a Valpo hurler. Yergin recorded his team-high fourth victory of the season.

Junior Dallas Cawiezell stretched his hitting streak to 11 games before having it snapped against WIU. His streak was the fourth double-digit string by a Crusader this season.

Freshman left-hander Matt Evans allowed only one run in 8.1 innings of work last week. Senior left-hander Nick Mazzone ranks fourth in the Mid-Con with a 3.17 ERA.

Pennant chase continues in final weeks
All three series have League Championship seeding ramifications as the Horizon League enters the next-to-last weekend of the regular season.

League front-runner UIC (17-4) hosts Butler (8-15) in a re-match of an emotional three-game set in Indianapolis last month. The Flames took two of three games at Bulldog Park (April 20-21) and look to move closer to securing the top seed for this year's League summit.

Wright State clings to hopes of grabbing that top spot as the Raiders (16-8) travel to Cleveland State (7-13). WSU won two of three games in Dayton (March 24-25).

UW-Milwaukee currently holds the No. 3 position in the standings, as the Panthers (12-10) visit Youngstown State (6-16). Those two teams split a doubleheader in Milwaukee on April 15, and will make up the third game from that series as part of this weekend's four-game set. YSU is a game and a half behind Butler for fifth place in the standings.

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.