Baseball Weekly Release #7

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April 2, 2007

Horizon League Player of the Week

Joe Pauley
Junior SS * Skokie, Ill.
Pauley batted .455 (five-for-11) with five runs scored, three RBI and a 1.182 slugging percentage against Cleveland State. Four of the hits went for extra bases, with two doubles and two homers helping the Bulldogs to a pair of victories in the series. His 12th-inning homer prolonged Friday's contest, and he scored two runs to pace the Bulldogs to a 7-2 victory in Saturday's nightcap.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week

David Cales
Sophomore RHP * Chicago, Ill.
Cales posted two wins and a save in the Flames' three-game sweep of Youngstown State, allowing only one hit in 4.2 innings of work as the Flames won three one-run games. Cales earned victories Friday (5-4) and Saturday (1-0), and preserved a 5-4 victory in the nightcap. He fanned three and held opposing hitters to a .056 batting average.

2007 Horizon League Players of the Week
Feb. 20Larry Gempp Jr., UIC
Feb. 27Joe Dempsey, Butler
Mar. 6Micky Pingree, UIC
Mar. 12Ross Oeder, Wright State
Mar. 19Ross Oeder, Wright State
Mar. 26Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State
Apr. 2Joe Pauley, Butler

2007 Horizon League Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 20Josh Hungerman, Cleveland State
Feb. 27Dan Barker, Wright State
Mar. 6David Cales, UIC
Mar. 12Steve Crnkovich, UIC
Mar. 19Bryan Bokowy, Butler
Mar. 26Mike Rauwerdink, UW-Milwaukee
Apr. 2David Cales, UIC

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 1

Ryan Baechel, Cleveland State
So. * 1B * Canton, Ohio
Baechel hit a grand slam in the 13th inning to give CSU a 10-6 victory at Butler on Friday. He scored three runs in that game, and tripled and scored in Saturday's series finale.

Nick Rainwater, UIC
Sr. * 3B * Waukesha, Wis.
Rainwater paced the Flames' offense last week, batting .400 (6-for-15) with four walks for a .550 on-base percentage. He drove in four runs while anchoring the UIC infield defense.

Ross McCoy, UW-Milwaukee
Sr. * OF * Menomonee Falls, Wis.
McCoy hit .455 (5-for-11) wth five runs scored and four RBI. His hit total included two doubles and a triple, producing an .818 slugging percentage. He also stole three bases.

Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
So. * 1B * Cincinnati, Ohio
Hamilton hit .471 (8-for-17) with six RBI and five runs scored in five games. He had five doubles, posting a .765 slugging percentage for the week.

Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State
Jr. * DH * Bay Village, Ohio
Diedrich ran his hitting streak to 17 games with a 5-for-17 (.368) effort last week. He homered for the third consecutive game during YSU's 14-7 victory over Ohio on Tuesday.

Jon Dages, Butler
Jr. * RHP * Indianapolis, Ind.
Dages limited Cleveland State to nine hits and one unearned run in 8.1 innings in Saturday's opener. He struck out six to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 victory.

Stephen Procner, Cleveland State
Sr. * LHP * Girard, Ohio
Procner pitched nine innings at Butler on Friday, striking out a season-high nine batters while yielding five runs on eight hits as CSU won 10-6 in 13 innings.

Dan Luczak, UW-Milwaukee
Jr. * RHP * Brookfield, Wis.
Luczak pitched UW-Milwaukee past Wright State in the series finale on Saturday, tossing a complete-game six-hitter with six strikeouts for a 2-1 victory, his second win in as many starts.

Erich Schanz, Wright State
Sr. * RHP * Bakersfield, Calif.
Schanz was the winning pitcher Saturday vesus UW-Milwaukee, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings. He struck out four and only allowed three runners past second base.

Adam Kalafos, Youngstown State
Jr. * RHP * Baltimore, Md.
Kalafos suffered a 1-0 loss at UIC on Saturday, pitching a complete game and allowing only six hits with seven strikeouts. Two of those hits came in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Around the Horizon League

Flames ride pitching, defense to 5-0 week
UIC won all five of its games last week, blanking future League foe Valparaiso (5-0) and Illinois Tech (9-0) before claiming three consecutive one-run decisions against Youngstown State to move to 4-2 in the League and 11-12 overall. The Flames are 6-2 on their current ten-game homestand which ends Wednesday.

Sophomore right-hander David Cales earned two wins and his League-leading fifth save in relief, allowing only one hit in 5.2 scoreless innings over four appearances. He has given up only one run in 13.2 innings this season (a 0.66 ERA) with 11 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .109 average.

Freshman right-hander Steve Crnkovich tossed eight scoreless innings but received a no-decision Saturday, continuing a run of tough luck on the mound. He leads the League with a 2.22 ERA but is just 1-3 on the season.

Junior right-hander Ryan Zink turned in his best outing of the year with six shutout frames versus Valpo. Zink, who sat out all of last season after arm surgery, picked up his first win since a complete-game four-hitter versus Youngstown State in the 2005 League Championship final.

Senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. ranks fifth in the League with a .369 batting average, while senior shortstop Chad Schroeder tops the circuit with a .520 on-base percentage and ranks second with eight stolen bases.

Panthers continue surge
UW-Milwaukee has won five of its last seven games, improving to 5-16 overall and 4-2 in League play after winning two of three games at Wright State over the weekend. UWM has now taken series from the preseason League favorite (UIC) and defending circuit champion (Wright State).

Junior right-hander Dan Luczak nearly pitched the first complete-game shutout by a Panther in two years, allowing only an unearned run in the eighth inning of Saturday's 2-1 triumph. He has won his last two starts, allowing only two runs on 11 hits in 14 innings with 12 strikeouts.

After committing 30 errors in their first 12 games, the Panthers have had only nine miscues in the last last nine. UWM's turnaround can also be traced to improved control by the pitching staff. UW-Milwaukee pitchers walked 79 batters (more than six per game) in the first 13 contests, but have issued only 23 free passes (2.9 per outing) in the last eight.

Junior second baseman Jesse Hart tops the Panther hitting charts with a .333 average, putting him seventh in the League in that category. He was 6-for-14 with three runs scored against the Raiders.

Senior outfielder Ross McCoy drove in four runs---matching his season total prior to the week---with five hits. McCoy knocked in 47 runs last season.

Raiders endure tough week
Wright State dropped four of five games last week, including two of three to UW-Milwaukee to fall into third place in the League standings. WSU is 5-4 in loop play and 11-11 overall.

Sophomore first baseman Jeremy Hamilton contined his parade of extra-base hits, rapping out five doubles during an eight-for-17 (.471) week which included six RBI. Hamilton is third in the League with a .375 average, but tops the charts with 12 doubles, three triples and 25 RBI.

Senior right-hander Erich Schanz got the Raiders' lone victory versus UWM, yielding only three hits and one run in eight innings Saturday. Senior lefty Kyle Kearcher wasn't as fortunate, taking a loss despite allowing only an unearned run in 6.1 innings Saturday.

Kearcher still leads the League with four victories and is second with a 3.06 earned run average. Senior righty Garret Holleran is fourth with a 3.48 ERA, two spots ahead of Schanz (3.97).

Senior second baseman Ross Oeder remains atop the League charts in five offensive categories, pacing the circuit in batting average (.419), runs scored (29), stolen bases (10), total bases (60) and slugging percentage (.698). He is also second with a .500 on-base percentage.

Sophomore shortstop Justin Parker brings a 13-game hitting streak into the week, Parker was hitting just .214 before the streak but is up to .333 for the season.

Penguins feel other end of sweep spectrum
Youngstown State stands at 9-14 overall (3-3 in the League) after being swept in a three-game set at UIC. The Penguins won non-League tilts versus Ohio and Malone but suffered three consecutive one-run losses in Chicago, hitting a composite .200 with runners in scoring position against the Flames.

Junior DH Erich Diedrich extended his hitting streak to 17 games, putting him two away from entering the top five in school history. He is fourth in the League with a .371 batting average and shares the top spot on the home run list with five. Diedrich's 22 RBI also put him second on that loop chart. The junior hit his 20th career home run at Ohio, becoming the fifth player in YSU history to reach that mark.

Sophomore third baseman John Koehnlein's 13-game hit streak ended Friday. He was hitless in the first two games at UIC before coming back with a four-hit outing in the nightcap Saturday, and ranks second in the League with a .398 average for the season. Freshman outfielder Tom Clayton is on a seven-game hitting streak of his own.

YSU coach Mike Florak has won 199 games in nine seasons as Penguin coach, and could hit the 200-win milestone Tuesday versus Duquesne.

The Penguins have hit nine home runs in their last 12 games, compared to only one in the team's first 11 contests of the year.

Vikings continue quest for consistency
Cleveland State dropped two of three games at Butler, falling to 4-21 overall and 2-4 in League play. The Vikings outlasted BU 10-6 in 13 innings in Friday's opener but managed only three runs in a doubleheader loss Saturday.

Sophomore first baseman Ryan Baechel provided the big hit Friday with a grand slam in the 13th. Baechel started the day hitting just .171 for the season but was two-for-four with three runs scored in that contest.

CSU lifted its team batting average 15 points in five games last week, from .233 to .248. Senior outfielder John Westra is the lone Viking above .300 with his .310 clip and a team-high 15 RBI, but junior infielder Bobby Cash and junior outfielder Wallace Richardson stand at .294 and .288, respectively. Each has also scored a team-best nine runs.

Senior right-hander Stephen Procner pitched nine innings Friday, striking out a season-best nine batters. It was Procner's second consecutive nine-inning effort, and League opponents are hitting only .230 against him this season. Procner has allowed only 42 hits in a League-high 49.2 innings of work.

Procner's 31 strikeouts are second-best on that circuit leader board. Sophomore lefty Josh Hungerman is third with 30 K's, while his 3.65 earned-run average is good for fifth place in that category.

Bulldogs rally for series victory
Butler won two of three games against Cleveland State to climb to 10-15 overall and 3-6 in League play. The Bulldogs host future League rival Valparaiso on Tuesday before closing an extended homestand versus Indiana State on Wednesday.

Butler will have played 15 of 16 games at home after Wednesday's match-up, but a three-game series versus UIC (April 20-21) is the Bulldogs' only home appearance until May 18.

Junior shortstop Joe Paley played a pivotal role in the Bulldogs' series victory over CSU, scoring five runs and batting .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles and two homers in the three games. He is now hitting .326 for the season.

Butler leads the League with 18 home runs this season. Senior catcher Joe Dempsey shares individual honors with five, and ranks third with 21 RBI while hitting .305.

The Bulldogs also boasts the League's best ERA, with junior right-hander Jon Dages leading the way. Dages has a loop-high 35 strikeouts in 49 innings of work this season, while sophomore Ryan Kruszka ranks third in the League with a 3.19 ERA. Dages is ninth at 4.22, with junior southpaw Bryan Bokowy tenth at 4.57.

Senior outfielder Ricky Chomicz hit his first collegiate home run Friday, a two-out, two-run shot to tie the game and force extra innings versus Cleveland State.

Crusaders stumble on the road
Valparaiso carries a 5-15 mark into the week, dropping three of four games at Indiana State after a 5-0 loss at UIC on Tuesday. The Crusaders face another future League foe this Tuesday, facing Butler at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Senior Michael Arensdorff continued his impressive showing at the plate, extending his hitting streak to ten games with safeties in all five outings last week. Arensdorff leads the Mid-Continent Conference with a .395 average for the season, boasting ten multi-hit performances, and is third in Crusader history with 231 hits in his career.

Senior outfielder Brian Rzepka added to his hitting streak, which is now at 12 games in a row He stands at .354 for the season with a team-high 18 RBI.

Two other seniors are also above the .300 mark for the year, with catcher Josh Piazza at .316 and infielder Jeff Rickert hitting .304. Freshman infielder Mark Schoeck hit his first collegiate home run and knocked in four runs last week.

Senior right-hander Elliott Gibbs earned his first victory since 2003 on Saturday, pitching a seven-inning complete game in an 11-2 triumph. Gibbs allowed six hits and two unearned runs while striking out seven, lowering his season ERA from 7.24 to 4.79.

Flames, Panthers share top spot
UIC and UW-Milwaukee attempt to pull away from the rest of the pack as League play continues this weekend.

The Flames (4-2) hit the road for the first time in loop action, traveling to Cleveland State for a three-game set. UW-Milwaukee (also 4-2) plays its first home games of the circuit schedule, hosting Butler, while Wright State (5-4) rounds out the League slate at Youngstown State. All three sets are scheduled to begin with single games Friday, followed by doubleheaders Saturday.

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 consecutive 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.