Baseball Weekly Release #3

March 6, 2007

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Player of the Week

Micky Pingree, UIC
Junior Outfielder * Boise, Idaho
Pingree played a large role in the Flames' series victory over 19th-ranked Tennessee last weekend. He had four hits and drove in four runs, including three on a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning of Friday's 6-5 victory. His hit erased a three-run deficit as the Flames rallied to defeat the Volunteers in the series opener.

Pitcher of the Week

David Cales, UIC
Sophomore RHP * Chicago, Ill.
Cales shut down the Volunteer offense in the final inning for two consecutive days, logging a pair of saves as UIC won the series in Knoxville. He allowed only two hits and struck out two batters to record the back-to-back saves as UIC improved to 4-5 on the season.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 4

Tony Barnes, Butler
Sr. * OF * Indianapolis, Ind.
Barnes provided a highlight during the Bulldogs' three-game weekend series at Belmont, hitting a solo home run in Friday's opener. He hit safely in three of Butler's four games.

Bobby Cash, Cleveland State
Jr. * SS * Hudson, Ohio
Cash collected three hits, scored a run and drove in another in two games at Southeast Missouri State. He also drew a walk and handled nine chances without an error at shortstop.

Jesse Hart, UW-Milwaukee
Jr. * 2B * West Allis, Wis.
Hart led the Panther offense with eight hits in 13 at-bats (.615) at #21 Kentucky, lifting his season average to a League-leading .440. He has now hit safely in all six games this year.

Ross Oeder, Wright State
Sr. * 2B * Sandusky, Ohio
Oeder batted .400 (six-for-15) with two RBI in three contests at #16 Tulane, collecting four extra-base hits against the Green Wave. He extended his hitting streak to six games.

Eric Marzec, Youngstown State
Fr. * OF * Canton, Ohio
Marzec hit .429 (three-for-seven) in three games at Missouri over the weekend. He doubled twice on Friday and scored the first of YSU's five runs in the seventh inning of that game.

Jeff Sinkiewicz, Butler
So. * RHP * Granger, Ind.
Sinkiewicz appeared in relief in two games last week, working five scoreless innings against Evansville and Belmont. The right-hander scattered five hits, striking out three.

Stephen Procner, Cleveland State
Sr. * LHP * Girard, Ohio
Procner scattered seven hits in his only action of the week, an eight-inning outing against Southeast Missouri, striking out one while allowing three runs in a tough-luck 3-1 loss Saturday.

Garret Holleran, Wright State
Sr. * RHP * Phoenix. Ariz.
Holleran posted his second consecutive quality start Friday, pitching 7.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits versus #16 Tulane. He struck out five but did not figure in the decision.

Around the League

Flames take series in Tennessee
UIC won two of three games at Tennessee over the weekend, claiming a series against the 19th-ranked Volunteers with victories Friday and Saturday. The Flames, 4-5 on the season, return to the Volunteer State this weekend for a three-game set against Vanderbilt.

Senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. continues to swing a hot bat early in the season. He was six-for-13 over the weekend, lifting his team-best batting average to .432 (16-of-37) for the spring. Gempp has already posted five multi-hit games, including three three-hit contests, and leads the team with ten RBI.

Sophomore closer David Cales closed out both victories with scoreless ninth innings, capping a stellar performance by the UIC bullpen. Flame relievers collected two victories, with junior right-hander Andrew Davis earning two victories. He threw critical scoreless innings on Friday and Saturday, allowing his team to come from behind. He has a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings of work this season, while Cales has three saves and a 1.80 ERA in four appearances.

UIC outhit the Volunteers 35-29 in the three-game series, posting a .313 team average. Sophomore catcher Brett Schaefer is hitting .348 for the season, while senior infielder Nick Rainwater has 11 hits. Senior infielder Chad Schroeder has scored ten runs in the first nine games of the season.

Bulldogs open home slate Tuesday
Butler starts the week at 3-4 overall after a 4-1 loss at Evansville on Tuesday and a three-game sweep at the hands of Belmont over the weekend. The Bulldogs were outscored 23-7 in the three losses at Nashville.

Butler attempts to open the home schedule Tuesday against Indiana-Southeast on Tuesday afternoon. The Bulldogs then visit IU's main campus in Bloomington on Wednesday before heading to Ohio University for a three-game weekend set.

Senior outfielder Tony Barnes homered to provide the offensive highlight at Belmont. He is one of five BU players with round-trippers his season, joining senior catcher Joe Dempsey and sophomore infielder Kyle Cox for the team lead with two. Sophomore outfielder Colin Ziegel and senior infielder Matt Ferguson have the other Butler homers.

Dempsey leads the team with seven RBI, while senior outfielder Dustin Bucalo has scored six runs.

Junior right-hander Jon Dages struck out six in six innings Sunday. He now has 12 K's in 13 innings of work this season, compiling a 3.46 earned-run average.

Sophomore right-hander Jeff Sinkiewicz threw five shutout innings last week and has not allowed an earned run in three outings this season, covering six innings.

Raiders fall short at Tulane
Wright State dropped all three games against #16 Tulane over the weekend, losing a pair of one-run games (5-4 in 13 innings Friday, 9-8 on Saturday) to slip to 2-4 on the season.

Clutch hitting was the problem for WSU against the Green Wave, as Raider batter out-hit Tulane 29-27 in the series but had only nine hits in 55 at-bats (.164) with runners on base.

Senior second baseman Ross Oeder had six hits in 15 at-bats in Louisiana, maintaining his .400 average (10-for-25) for the season. Six of hits hits are for extra bases, and he has scored seven runs while driving in three. Oeder has reached base at least twice in all six games this season, with at least one hit in each contest.

Senior third baseman Dan Biedenharn had four hits in 12 at-bats in the series. He was one of nine Raiders with at least two hits at Tulane.

Senior right-hander Garret Holleran threw 7.1 innings Friday night, striking out five. He wasn't around for the decision, however, in the team's 13-inning loss. He has pitched 14 innings in two starts, but does not have a decision yet in 2007. Junior right-hander Dan Barker also wasn't rewarded for his efforts. He has a 1.08 ERA with nine strikeouts in 8.1 innings this year.

Senior lefty Jason Bennion has not allowed a run in four appearances this year, covering five innings of work.

Vikings riding pitching staff
Cleveland State dropped to 2-6 on the season with a pair of losses at Southeast Missouri State over the weekend. CSU pitchers allowed only eight runs but the Viking hitters could manage only two of their own.

Junior outfielder Vasili Pahoulis leads the team with a .350 (seven-for-20) batting average, with junior shortstop Bobby Cash at .333. Cash was three-for-seven with a run scored and an RBI over the weekend. Sophomore outfielder Matt Madrid has a team-high five runs batted in, with two of CSU's 14 extra-base hits.

The Vikings are hitting just .215 as a team, however, scoring 18 runs on 56 hits in eight games. Cleveland State has not hit or allowed a home run in 2007.

The CSU pitching staff has done its part so far in 2007, holding opponents to a .259 average and 40 runs (32 earned) in 66 innings. The Viking staff's 4.36 ERA is nearly half the 8.00 mark the team posted last season.

Senior left-hander Stephen Procner and sophomore southpaw Josh Hungerman have been the difference on the mound this season. The lefties have combined for a 2.02 ERA in 40 innings of work this spring, as Procner has allowed seven earned runs in 21.1 innings and Hungerman has been touched for only two earned runs in 18.2 frames. Together, they have 31 strikeouts this season.

Panthers roughed up at Kentucky
UW-Milwaukee dropped three games at #21 Kentucky over the weekend, being outscored 41-8 in the process. The Panthers fell to 0-6 after being swept by sixth-ranked Arkansas last weekend before the trip to Lexington. Those two Southeastern Conference teams have a combined record of 22-4.

Twelve different players have taken the field this season after not playing for the school last year. First-year coach Scott Doffek continues to look for ways to replace last year's ten seniors, while his team continues to go through growing pains. UWM has been outscored 85-14 so far in 2007.

Junior second baseman Jesse Hart went eight-for-13 (.615) at the plate against the Wildcats, and leads the League with a .440 clip for the season. He is 11-of-25 at the plate, but has not scored a run yet this spring. The combination of senior outfielders Ross McCoy and Rob Brockel produced 95 RBI last year, but those two sluggers have only one so far this spring. Brockel owns a .292 average.

As a team, the Panthers are hitting .242 compared to a .324 mark from last year. The pitching staff carries a 12.94 earned-run average, due in large part to a total of 47 bases on balls in 48 innings of work. Panther opponents are hitting .372 on the young season.

Penguins struggle at Missouri
Youngstown State dropped all three games at Missouri, slipping to 0-6 on the season. The Penguins fell 10-5 on Friday before losing a pair of 11-0 games on Sunday.

Early-season struggles aren't new to YSU, which lost its first seven games last spring before winning five of the next seven. In 2005, YSU started 1-10 before a late-season 24-5 run.

Sophomore infieilder John Koehnlein hit safely in all three games, pushing his hitting streak to 12 games (dating back to last season). In 2007, he is hitting .381 with eight singles in 21 at-bats.

Junior catcher/DH Erich Diedrich hi his first homer and had his first two RBI of the year Friday. Diedrich earned First-Team All-League honors last spring after hitting nine round-trippers and posting a school-record 58 RBI. Friday's homer was also the first by a Penguin in 2007.

Freshman outfielder/pitcher Eric Marzec had three hits in seven at-bats against the Tigers, and leads the team with a .429 batting average. One of his two doubles opened the gates for a five-run rally in the seventh inning Friday.

Junior right-hander Adam Kalafos leads the YSU pitching staff with 11 strikeouts in ten innings of work. He has also walked ten batters. As a staff, the Penguins struggled to find the strike zone in Missouri, as YSU hurlers walked 26 hitters in 21.2 innings. That total includes a season-high 11 in the first game Sunday.