Baseball Weekly Release #7

March 27, 2006

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Player of the Week

Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Senior Outfielder * Franklin, Wis.
Goetz broke the UW-Milwaukee record by extending his hitting streak to 24 games (including the last eight last season), and batted .636 (7-for-11) in three games at UIC. He scored four runs, drove in two and had a .714 on-base percentage. He leads the League with a .500 batting average this season.

Pitcher of the Week

Zach Peterson, UIC
Junior Right-hander * Minnetonka, Minn.
Peterson picked up his first complete-game victory, leading UIC to a 5-2 win over UW-Milwaukee in the opener of the team's three-game series. The junior allowed just two runs in nine frames, scattering seven hits while striking out a career-high seven batters. He lowered his season ERA to a League-best 1.84.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 26

Jeff Brown, Butler
Senior * 2B * Speedway, Ind.
Brown batted .438 with a triple, two home runs and five runs scored versus Youngstown State. He had three hits in Butler's 12-4 win Saturday and homered in each of the final two games.

Justin Johnson, UIC
Senior * C * Chaska, Minn.
Johnson batted .467 (7-for-15) with eight RBI, leading UIC to a 3-1 record for the week. He had two doubles and a homer with seven RBI in the three-game series versus UW-Milwaukee.

Justin Wilson, Wright State
Senior * OF * Greenville, Ohio
Wilson paced the Raiders with a .545 (6-for-11) average last week. He had three hits including an RBI double at Notre Dame, and added a homer and four runs scored versus Cleveland State.

Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State
Sophomore * C * Bay Village, Ohio
Diedrich hit safely in all four games last week, batting .429 (9-for-21) with five runs scored and eight RBI. He had the game-winning single in Sunday's finale at Butler, capping a 3-for-6 effort.

Bryan Bokowy, Butler
Sophomore * LHP * Munster, Ind.
Bokowy blanked Youngstown State for eight innings in the series-opener, striking out five while allowing eight hits. Two BU errors in the ninth cost him a complete-game shutout in a 12-4 victory.

Stephen Procner, Cleveland State
Senior * LHP * Girard, Ohio
Procner pitched his first collegiate complete game, a six-hitter in which he allowed only two runs Sunday at Wright State. He struck out five Raiders in eight innings of work.

Robert Barrett, Wright State
Senior * RHP * Sacramento, Calif.
Barrett posted a 2-0 record, allowing only four hits and no runs while striking out seven. He pitched six scoreless innings in Sunday's start versus Cleveland State.

Ryan Sellman, Youngstown State
Sophomore * RHP * Twinsburg, Ohio
Sellman picked up two wins Sunday, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings in a pair of extra-inning contests at Butler. He retired all six Bulldogs he faced in the final game for the 11-10 triumph.

Horizon League Players / Pitchers of the Week

Date -- Player of the Week / Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 21-- Bart Babineaux, UIC / Robert Michalkiewicz, UW-Milwaukee
Feb. 28-- Brian Shoup, Wright State / Joe Smith, Wright State
Mar. 7-- Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee / Zach Peterson, UIC
Mar. 14-- Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State / Josh Vollmer, Butler
Mar. 21-- Ross McCoy, UW-Milwaukee / Garret Holleran, Wright State
Mar. 28-- Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee / Zach Peterson, UIC

On Deck for the Horizon League

Horizon League baseball continues this weekend with all six teams in loop play for the second weekend in a row. UW-Milwaukee is at Wright State, with that series beginning Friday night ahead of Saturday's doubleheader.

The other two match-ups feature Youngstown State at UIC and Cleveland State visiting Butler. Each of those two three-game series are scheduled to start with Saturday doubleheaders and conclude with single games Sunday afternoon.

The nine-game League slate follows eight non-conference tune-ups.

Youngstown State and Cleveland State each have a pair of mid-week contests slated, with YSU visiting Toledo on Tuesday and traveling to Ohio University on Wednesday. Cleveland State meets another Mid-American Conference squad (Kent State) on Tuesday before venturing to Duquesne for Wednesday's contest.

Each of the other four League schools have one mid-week game scheduled, with Tuesday's line-up including UW-Milwaukee at Northern Iowa and Wright State at Ball State. Wednesday sees UIC at Valparaiso and Butler hosting Indiana.

Around the Horizon League

Raiders sweep way to top spot in standings
Wright State extended its winning streak to five with a three-game sweep of Cleveland State over the weekend. WSU has now won nine of its last 11, improving to 11-8 overall and taking the top spot in the League at 4-2 in loop play.

The Raider pitching staff allowed only five runs in the four victories last week, yielding just three extra-base hits while fanning 28 batters. Senior right-hander Robert Barrett posted a pair of victories with 7.1 innings of scoreless work, scattering four hits while holding opponents to a .143 average. Junior right-hander Joe Smith picked up three saves with 5.2 scoreless innings, registering six strikeouts during that span.

Junior infielder Ross Oeder has now been hit by pitches seven times already this season, and 28 times in his career. The latter number is five short of the school-record of 33 set by Mark Swanner.

Oeder is also hitting .339 this season and has scored a team-high 17 runs. Junior third baseman Brian Shoup boasts a .318 average with a team-high 14 runs batted in, while senior catcher Aaron Garcia stands at .328 for the spring.

Junior right-hander Garret Holleran lowered his earned-run average to 3.82 with seven innings of work Saturday. He allowed only one run on five hits against the Vikings and boasts a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings over his last three appearances.

Flames warming with the weather
UIC improved to 8-11 overall with three wins in four games last week, including two during a re-match of the 2005 League Championship final versus UW-Milwaukee. The Flames are 2-1 in loop play after sandwiching an 11-10, 11-inning loss between 5-2 and 5-3 triumphs. UIC also snapped Ohio State's six-game winning streak with a 7-1 decision last Tuesday.

Senior catcher Justin Johnson led the way at the plate, driving in eight runs with his 7-for-15 performance which included two doubles and a home run. He leads the Flames with 14 RBI, tying him for fifth place in the League.

Senior outfielder Ted Rosinski continued his hot hitting with six hits in 13 at-bats and four runs scored versus UWM. He leads the Flames with a .368 average for the season. Junior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. adds a .311 average with a team-high 17 runs scored.

Junior right-hander Zach Peterson tops the League with a 1.84 ERA, with quality starts (six or more innings, three or fewer earned runs allowed) in all six appearances this seaosn. He also leads the League with 44 innings pitched and two complete games, and shares the top spot with three victories. In addition, his 24 strikeouts are third on the loop charts.

Freshman Adam Worthington has pitched in 12 of UIC's 19 games, compiling a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 innings of work.

Penguins continue to rely on offense
Youngstown State also stands at 8-11 overall and 2-1 in League play. The Penguins routed West Liberty State 18-1 in midweek action before taking two of three games at Butler over the weekend. YSU dropped the opener 12-4 but rallied to outlast the Bulldogs 7-3 in 11 innings and 11-10 in 12 frames.

YSU leads the Horizon League in nearly every major offensive categories, topping the loop charts in batting average (.317), on-base percetnage (.396), slugging percentage (.463), runs scored (133), hits (220), home runs (18) and stolen bases (26).

Sophomore catcher Erich Diedrich is one of six regulars batting over .300, ranking second in the League with his .395 average. Diedrich also tops the loop charts with his five home runs, 28 RBI, 30 hits and 19 runs scored. Senior catcher/outfielder Brandon Caipen is third in the League with a .370 clip at the place, belting three homers and driving in 14 runs.

Senior third baseman Justin Banks recorded six hits last week to move into second place in school history with 203 for his career. Caipen (198) and senior shortstop Charles Schultz (197) could join the 200-hit club this week.

Senior left-hander Chris Dennis shares the League lead with 26 strikeouts in only 23 innings of work. He has limited opponents to a League-low .225 batting average.

Bulldogs come up short in extra innings
Butler dropped two of three games to Youngstown State, slipping to 8-12 overall and 3-3 in the League. The Bulldogs won the series-opener 12-4 but lost 7-3 in 11 innings and 11-10 in 12 frames to close the weekend.

Butler had a season-high 16 hits in the first loss, and has reached double figures in the hit column five times in its first six League games this season. Butler has also scored at least ten runs in three of those six outings.

Junior outfielder Dustin Bucalo extended his hitting streak to seven games, while senior second baseman Jeff Brown and senior Stephen Gill have each hit safely in six consecutive contests.

Butler has played five extra-inning games, going 2-3 in those contests. The rest of the League has had only four games go past nine innings---UIC with two, UW-Milwaukee with two (including one versus UIC), and Wright State with one.

Junior outfielder Tony Barnes owns a .324 batting average, and leads Butler with his four homers and 19 RBI. He cracked a pair of round-trippers in Sunday's finale, becoming the first Bulldog to homer twice in a game since Mike Rosen did it versus Earlham on April 5, 2005.

Sophomore left-hander Bryan Bokowy pitched eight shutout innings Saturday before allowing four unearned runs (thanks to two BU errors) in the ninth. He lowered his ERA to 4.20 in winning his first decision of the season.

Panthers relying on bats, defense
UW-Milwaukee dropped two of three games at UIC, slipping to 6-10 overall and 1-2 in League play.

The Panthers scored 11 runs in the one victory, marking the team's fourth double-digit total in a five-game span. UW-Milwaukee has averaged nine runs in its last six games, batting .367 during that span.

The Panthers also committed only one error in the three games in Chicago, raising their League-best fielding percentage to .968. UWM has committed only 20 errors in 16 games,

Senior outfielder Mike Goetz broke the school record with at least one hit in 24 consecutive games (including the final eight in 2005), eclipsing Scott Gillitzer's 22-game run in 2001. Goetz's 16-game streak is the longest in the League this season, and he leads the League with his .500 (30-for-60) average.

UWM owns a .310 team batting average for the season, with five regulars at .328 or better. Junior outfielder Ross McCoy is up to .360 overall including a .667 (16-for-24) pace in his last six outings, including six doubles, a triple and two homers for a 1.250 slugging percentage.

Vikings' skid continues
Cleveland State dropped to 1-14 overall after a three-game sweep at Wright State to open the League schedule. The Vikings were outscored 16-3 in the three games, including a 2-1 loss in the middle contest when the potential tying run was thrown out at the plate to end the game.

CSU dropped the other two games by identical 7-1 scores. The Vikings were outhit only 23-19 in the series but compiled a .179 average with runners on base.

Senior second baseman Steve Chinn leads the team with a .327 batting average, and his .435 on-bage percentage is fourth-best in the League. He is the only Viking regular above .300 for the season, though, with junior infielder Rich Rannells next in line at .260.

Junior left-hander Stephen Procner pitched the first complete game of his collegiate career in Sunday's opener, allowing two runs on six hits over eight innings. He struck out five Raiders in lowering his season ERA to 6.94. Procner leads the team with 23.1 innings pitched in 2006.

Sophomore right-hander Nathan Schaefer ranks sixth in the League, holding opponents to a .278 average in 21 innings of work this season.