Baseball Weekly Release #5

March 19, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Ross Oeder, Wright State
Senior 2B * Sandusky, Ohio
Oeder won his second consecutive weekly award, batting .545 (6-for-11) and reaching base nine times in a three-game series versus Butler. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games and scored four runs in the series. Oeder is now batting .510 on the season and leads the League in eight statistical categories, including runs scored (19) stolen bases (nine), and on-base percentage (.597).

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week

Bryan Bokowy, Butler
Junior LHP * Munster, Ind.
Bokowy handcuffed Wright State's hitters on Saturday, tossing a complete-game seven-hitter to pace the Bulldogs to a 3-1 victory. Bokowy struck out eight Raiders and allowed only two runners past second base in the final eight frames to record his third victory of the season.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 18

Joel Matheny, Butler
So. * IF * LaPorte, Ind.
Matheny batted .333 (four-for-12) including two doubles and a home run. He drove in four runs and scored a pair to lead Butler to two victories in four games last week.

John Westra, Cleveland State
Sr. * OF * Sturgis, Mich.
Westra led the Vikings with five hits (a .333 average) in four games, driving in three runs and scoring one. He finished the week with a two-hit game at Missouri on Sunday.

Ben Trotter, UIC
Sr. * DH * Coal City, Ill.
Trotter went three-for-five with a career-high six RBI and two runs scored Saturday, pacing UIC to a 14-11 win at Washington State. Trotter's grand-slam capped a seven-run seventh inning.

Jesse Hart, UW-Milwaukee
Jr. * 2B * West Allis, Wis.
Hart led the team with six hits in 15 at-bats in Hawaii. He was four-for-four at the plate in Saturday's nightcap, and also handled 15 chances without an error in the series.

Sean Lucas, Youngstown State
Jr. * 2B * Warren, Ohio
Lucas went 10-for-19 with four runs scored and four RBI in five starts to lead YSU to three victories. He hit safely in all five games with three consecutive multi-hit performances.

Pat McKitrick, Cleveland State
Sr. * RHP * Steubenville, Ohio
McKitrick did not allow an earned run in 5.2 innings over three relief appearances versus Kentucky and Missouri. He gave up only three hits while striking out four batters.

David Cales, UIC
So. * RHP * Chicago, Ill.
Cales retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the Flames' 14-11 victory at Washington State on Saturday. He leads the League with four saves this year.

Garret Holleran, Wright State
Sr. * RHP * Phoenix. Ariz.
Holleran posted his fourth consecutive quality start Friday, allowing one run on six hits over 7.1 innings at Butler He won his second consecutive start and lowered his ERA to 2.45.

Lucas Engle, Youngstown State
Jr. * RHP * Marysville, Ohio
Engle won both of his starts last week, gaining YSU's first victory of 2007 by holding Marshall to two earned runs in six innings Tuesday and coming back to defeat Morehead State on Saturday.

Around the Horizon League

Raiders continue winning ways
Wright State opened Horizon League play by winning two of three games at Butler over the weekend, climbing to 8-5 on the season. The defending League champions, winners of six of their last seven games, visit Tennessee on Tuesday before opening a three-game weekend set versus Cleveland State.

WSU has outscored its opponents 94-43 in building its best 13-game start since the 1999 squad opened the season 9-4.

Senior second baseman Ross Oeder extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a 6-for-11 series against Butler, and now has nine multi-hit games this season. He is hitting .510 for the season, and has already scored 19 runs with nine stolen bases. He leads the League in eight statistical categories.

Senior third baseman Dan Biedenharn had six hits in 13 at-bats with four RBI last week, lifting his season average to .269. His 13 RBI are second to Jeremy Hamilton (16) on the team charts, and he also tied the school career record with his 30th sacrifice hit Friday. He matched the mark set by Dan Bassler (1989-91).

Senior right-hander Garret Holleran went at least seven innings for the fourth consecutive time, pitching 7.1 frames and allowing one run on six hits in WSU's victory Friday. He struck out one and improved to 2-0 with a 2.45 earned run average in 29.1 innings this season.

Flames begin quest for another League title
UIC dropped two of three games at Washington State over the weekend, slipping to 5-10 on the season. The Flames begin their pursuit of a sixth consecutive regular-season League title this week, hosting UW-Milwaukee in a three-game series.

Senior infielder Chad Schroeder has adapted well to the leadoff spot over the last six games. He has hit safely in each of thse contests, batting .429 (nine-for-21) with a .571 on-base percentage during that span, and is at .349 (15-for-43) with 13 runs scored this season. Schroeder and senior infielder Nick Rainwater each had six hits and scored two runs against Washington State.

Senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. is at .404 for the season after a four-for-nine weekend. He leads the team with 23 hits and 11 RBI. Senior DH Ben Trotter went four-for-eight with six RBI over the weekend, with all six coming in Saturday's 14-11 victory. Trotter's grand slam capped a decisive seven-run seventh inning in that contest.

Junior infielder Micky Pingree had three doubles among his four hits over the weekend. Pingree scored three runs and drove in three.

Sophomore right-hander David Cales recorded his League-leading fourth save of the year with two perfect innings Saturday. He struck out two and has allowed only one run in eight innings of work this season for a 1.12 ERA.

Penguins slug their way into victory column
Youngstown State won three of five games last week, snapping an 0-8 skid and improving to 3-10 on the season. The total included a doubleheader sweep at Morehead State as the Penguins rapped out 20 runs on 25 hits in 14 innings.

YSU hit .318 as a team with a 4.38 ERA in the five contests, a marked improvement from their .224 hitting clip and 10.24 ERA in the first eight games. Youngstown State also hit .294 with runners in scoring position, 97 points better than the Penguins' rate entering the week.

Sophomore third baseman John Koehnlein hit .429 (nine-for-21) in the five games, including seven-for-11 with five runs scored at MSU. He has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games (going back to last season), and carries a .353 average into this week. Junior catcher/DH Erich Diedrich hit his second homer of the season Saturday, and is now hitting .340 on the year.

Diedrich had owned the team's only homer in the first 11 games of the season, but senior outfielder Brent Parks and freshman first baseman Tom Clayton also hit round-trippers at MSU.

Junior right-hander Lucas Engle won both of his starts, leveling his season record at 2-2. He allowed five earned runs in 10.1 innings while striking out seven. Senior right-hander Andy Svitak posted two saves and owns a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings of work this year.

Vikings come up empty on road trip
Cleveland State fell to 2-14 on the season and saw its losing streak reach 12 games after an 0-4 week at Kentucky and Missouri. The Vikings visit Notre Dame on Tuesday before opening a three-game weekend series at Wright State to begin the League schedule.

Senior outfielder John Westra registered five hits in 15 at-bats as he drove in three runs last week. Westra had entered the week with only eight hits in 46 trips, part of a CSU offense which has scored only 37 runs in 16 games. The Vikings are hitting .211 as a team.

The pitching staff continues to make significant strides from last year, however. Senior right-hander Pat McKitrick did not allow an earned run in 5.2 innings of relief last week. His three appearances included four strikeouts as he lowered his season ERA to 2.77.

Sophomore southpaw Josh Hungerman leads the League with a 1.26 earned run average and 26 strikeouts. He has permitted only four earned runs in 28.2 innings of work, holding opponents to a .229 batting average.

Junior infielder Bobby Cash leads the team with a .279 average, posting 17 hits and scoring five runs while junior catcher Josh Geric owns a .250 clip. Sophomore outfielder Matt Madrid has a team-high six runs batted in, one more than Westra and sophomore Nate Radtke, who belted a three-run homer on Sunday.

Panthers still chasing elusive first win
UW-Milwaukee carries an 0-13 mark into the week following a four-game sweep at the hands of Hawaii. The Panthers try to break into the victory column with a three-game weekend series at UIC.

UWM scored first in each of the first three games on the islands, but could not hold on to any leads. The Panthers also scored just ten runs in four contests, and have posted more than three runs only one this season, being outscored 140-29 on the year.

Junior second baseman Jesse Hart and senior infielder Kyle Silver each enjoyed four-for-four days at the plate, with Silver's four hits marking a career-high. Hart finished the week six-for-15 for a .400 average, lifting his season mark to .358 (19-for-53) while Silver is now at .317 (13-of-41) on the year.

Senior outfielder Rob Brockel homered and recorded his first RBI of the season. The veteran was among the League's top returners this year after posting seven round-trippers and driving in 47 runs last season.

Junior Troy Vesling made an impression during his first start in the outfield Saturday, throwing out Hawaii runners at third and home.

Senior right-hander Mike Rauwerdink allowed only two earned runs on seven hits in five innings Saturday. He lowered his season ERA to 5.89, but dropped to 0-4 on the year.

Bulldogs posting some big numbers
Butler dropped two of three games to Wright State over the weekend to open the League schedule. The Bulldogs continue loop play this weekend, hosting Youngstown State. Butler is in the middle of a swing featuring 15 home games in a 16-contest span, with Wednesday's trip to Dayton as the only road date during that time.

BU's 7-9 overall ledger also includes an 18-0 whitewash versus Huntington College on Tuesday, the school's largest margin of victory since a 24-4 verdict versus Detroit on May 18, 2003. Five BU pitchers combined for the seven-hit shutout while five Bulldogs each drove in at least two runs.

Junior left-hander Bryan Bokowy was dominant on the mound Saturday versus Wright State, allowing only one run on seven hits in a complete-game performance. Bokowy struck out eight Raiders in lowering his season ERA to 3.21. His three victories (3-1 record) match Wright State's Kyle Kearcher for the most in the League.

Sophomore infielder Joel Matheny drove in four runs with two doubles and a home run last week. He had started the season at three-for-18 before his four-for-12 performance last week.

Head coach Steve Farley recorded his 400th victory in the Butler dugout Saturday. The veteran skipper is 400-437-1 in 16 seasons at BU and 453-482-1 in his 20-year collegiate career.

Crusaders drop three on East Coast trek
Valparaiso dropped to 2-10 on the season, losing twice at North Carolina State and once at Richmond. The Crusaders carry an eight-game losing streak into Tuesday's game at Illinois State, and host Valparaiso and South Dakota State this weekend.

The latest losses came despite the efforts of senior infielder Michael Arensdorff, who posted back-to-back thre-hit games on Wednesday and Saturday. Arensdorff has six multi-hit games in 12 outings, hitting .377 (20-for-53) with 11 runs scored and six RBI. His 20 hits include five doubles and a home run.

Fellow seniors Jeff Rickert and Brian Rzepka remain among the team's offensive leaders, with Rickert batting .333 (15-for-45) with five runs scored and six RBI, while Rzepka tops the Valpo charts with seven RBI and a .308 clip. Junior Dallas Cawiezell also has driven in seven runs, and ranks second on th team with seven runs scored.

On the mound, senior right-hander Harvey Yergin owns a 3.32 earned run average in 19 innings but lost his first decision of the year Tuesday. Senior lefty Nick Mazzone allowed three runs in six-plus innings Saturday, but dropped to 0-3 despite a 4.00 ERA. He leads the team with 13 strikeouts in 18 innings.

League schedule in full swing this week
Horizon League action goes into full speed this weekend, with all six teams playing League competition. Youngstown State visits Butler, with Cleveland State traveling to Wright State and UW-Milwaukee visiting UIC. All three series open with single games Friday, followed by doubleheaders Saturday.

Wright State and Butler began loop play last weekend, with the Raiders opening defense of their 2006 crown by taking two of three games in Indianapolis.

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. Seeding for the tourney will be based on the teams' performance through a 30-game League schedule. Each school is slated for home-and-home series against each opponent, with nine of the ten series taking place over the next ten weekends. The lone exception comes with mid-week action on consecutive Wednesdays (April 10 and 17) constituting that three-game set.

UIC won its fifth consecuive regular-season title last spring but Wright State rode a wave of momentum and the home-field advantage to the 2006 tournament championship, outscoring four opponents 52-5 in the process to claim its first League title since 1995.