Baseball Weekly Release #2

Feb. 21, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Bart Babineaux, UIC
Senior Outfielder * New Iberia, La.
Babineaux batted .400 (six-for-15) with seven RBI in four games last week. He posted a slugging percentage of .667 with a double and his first home run of the season. Babineaux drove in four runs ---two coming on the homer---to highlight a three-for-four performance at the place in a 14-1 victory over Air Force. He also drove in a key run during UIC's 3-2 victory over Creighton.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week
Robert Michalkiewicz, UW-Milwaukee * Junior Left-hander
Menasha, Wis.Michalkiewicz pitched the Panthers to a 2-0 victory over St. Mary's (Calif.) in the season-opener. The left-hander did not allow a baserunner past second base over seven strong innings, scattering five hits while striking out five batters and not allowing a walk. The victory was UWM's first in a season debut since 1997.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending February 19

Jeff Brown, Butler
Senior * 2B * Speedway, Ind.
Brown helped Butler to a doubleheader split at Western Carolina, collecting three hits in seven at-bats with two RBI and four runs scored. Brown, who missed all of last season with a back injury, crossed the plate three times and drove in a pair in a 5-3 victory in the opener.

Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * OF * Franklin, Wis.
Goetz led the Panthers with a .429 batting average in the four-game series versus St. Mary's. He was six-of-14 at the plate (including a three-for-three game on Sunday), scoring one run and driving in another. Goetz also had three walks and stole two bases in the four games.

Zach Peterson, UIC
Junior * RHP * Minnetonka, Minn.
Peterson pitched seven shutout innings against 2005 NCAA Tournament participant Creighton on Friday, but did not figure in the decision as UIC won 3-2 in extra innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out one. Peterson has not lost a game since March 21, 2005.

Around the Horizon League

Flames split Arizona trip, challenge #17 Long Beach State in three-game series
UIC went 2-2 in its trip to Mesa, Ariz., and the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. The Flames split two-game sets with Air Force and Creighton over the weekend, defeating CU 3-2 on Friday before a 5-0 loss on Sunday. Air Force won the weekend-opener 10-3 on Friday but could not keep up with UIC's 15-hit attack which produced a 14-1 margin Saturday.

Junior right-hander Zach Peterson and senior Ryan Martin set the tone as starters in the two victories. Peterson threw seven innings of four-hit shutout ball against Creighton but was not involved in the decision. Martin got the victory Saturday, allowing one run and four hits in six innings.

Senior outfielder Bart Babineaux hit .400 (six-for-15) with seven runs batted in over the weekend. Four of those RBI came during a three-for-four performance Saturday which included a two-run homer. Junior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. also had an auspicious start to his 2006 campaign, with six hits (for a .429 average) and five runs scored in the four games.

Several new faces made a dramatic impact on the weekend. Freshman first baseman Jake Carr delivered the game-winning hit against CU, while fellow first-year DH Brett Schaefer went three-for-seven.UIC heads west again this weekend for a three-game series at Long Beach State. LBSU is currently ranked 18th in the nation by Baseball America and 17th by Collegiate Baseball magazine.

Bulldogs gain split of doubleheader at Western Carolina
Butler posted a 1-1 record in an abbreviated weekend of action at Western Carolina. Rains limited play to a Sunday doubleheader, with the Bulldogs winning the opener 5-3 in ten innings before WCU rallied for a 4-2 victory in a seven-inning nightcap.

BU coach Steve Farley turned to three sophomores in the first game. Right-hander Jon Dages got the start, allowing one earned run over the first four innings. Lefty Bryan Bokowy yielded two earned runs in four frames before right-hander Brian Deter came on to pitch two scoreless innings for the victory.

Senior second baseman Jeff Brown made a triumphant return to action, after missing all of the 2005 with a back injury. Brown, who ranked third in the League with 14 doubles in 2004, had two hits including a solo home run in the first game, scoring three runs and driving in a pair. He added a third hit and scored one of BU's two runs in the nightcap.

Senior outfielder Stephen Gill, sophomore shortstop Joe Pauley and junior catcher Joe Dempsey each posted two hits in the twinbill. Gill scored two runs, including the game-winner in the opener, while Dempsey also threw out two Catamounts trying to steal.

Butler is idle until March 1 when the Bulldogs host Anderson University.

Panthers win opener but drop next three in California
UW-Milwaukee stands at 1-3 after its four-game series at St. Mary's College (Feb. 10-12). The Panthers won their season-opener for the first time since 1997 with a 2-0 victory on Friday, but dropped the final three games of the weekend by a combined score of 28-9.

Junior southpaw Robert Michalkiewicz logged that lone victory, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just five hits and striking out five. Kelby Mack and Jed Dolske each pitched one scoreless inning, with Dolske earning the save.

Starters Tim Hoy and Mike Rauwerdink also had impressive debuts, with Hoy yielding one run on seven hits in six innings while Rauwerdink's line featured seven strikeouts over seven frames. Each suffered a loss, however, as UWM hit into nine double plays over the weekend.

At the plate senior outfielder Mike Goetz batted .429 with two stolen bases. He also drew three walks and was hit by a pitch for a .556 on-base percentage. The infield combination of Jesse Hart and Grant Berkovitz made key contributions offensively, as well, as each sophomore had four hits and Hart scored what proved to be the winning run in the opening game.

UW-Milwaukee is in action this weekend at the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic in Evansville, Ind. The Panthers meet host Evansville on Friday before taking on Eastern Illinois (Saturday) and Northern Illinois (Sunday) to round out the weekend.

Raiders, Penguins see debuts delayed by weather
Wright State was originally scheduled to open the season at Murray State, but rain and snow across Kentucky forced the cancellation of that three-game series. To make up for those lost innings, the Raiders have added two home games, with Wright State hosting IPFW on Tuesday and Urbana College on Wednesday.

Youngstown State had its three-game series at Oklahoma State washed out, as well. Had the Penguins taken the field, the contest would have marked the earliest season-opener in the program's 52-year history. Instead, YSU must now wait until this weekend to start the 2006 campaign at East Tennessee State.

Weather permitting, Youngstown State will play 25 of its first 28 games on the road, including the initial 15 contests on the 2006 schedule.

Cleveland State, Wright State and Youngstown State did not play last week. CSU is idle until a March 3 game at UNC Charlotte.