Baseball Weekly Release #8

April 3, 2006

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Co-Players of the Week

Joe Dempsey, Butler
Junior Catcher * Stow, Ohio
Dempsey led the Bulldogs to four victories last week, hitting .467 (7-for-15) with a home run, six RBI and three runs scored. He was 4-for-4 with a homer and five RBI in BU's 15-8 victory over Cleveland State on Sunday, and also drove in a run in the team's come-from-behind, 6-5 victory triumph versus Indiana.

Bart Babineaux, UIC
Senior Outfielder * New Iberia, La.
Babineaux hit four home runs during the week, batting .400 and posting a 1.267 slugging percentage in the Flames' four victories. Three of his homers came versus Youngstown State, leading UIC to a sweep of the three-game series versus the Penguins. He drove in seven runs and scored six.

Pitcher of the Week

Robert Barrett, Wright State
Senior Right-hander * Sacramento, Calif.
Barrett picked up his third consecutive win, holding UW-Milwaukee to three hits in eight scoreless innings on Sunday. He struck out three and picked off a base-runner, allowing only one Panther past second base. Barrett improved to 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA with the 2-0 victory.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 2

Mike Goetz, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * OF * Franklin, Wis.
Goetz hit .538 (7-for-13), scoring four runs in four games last week. He reached base in 10 of 14 plate appearances versus Wright State but had his 27-game hitting streak snapped Sunday.

John Kopilchack, Wright State
Sophomore * OF * Lima, Ohio
Kopilchack had three hits including a two-run homer as WSU won two of three games versus UW-Milwaukee. He had the game-winning RBI in each of those two Raider victories.

Brent Parks, Youngstown State
Junior * OF * Canfield, Ohio
Parks batted .474 (9-for-19) with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored in five games. He tied a YSU single-game record with three doubles versus Ohio and homered at UIC.

Bryan Bokowy, Butler
Sophomore * LHP * Munster, Ind.
Bokowy tossed his first career shutout, an eight-hitter versus Cleveland State on Saturday. He struck out eight and walked just one in his first complete game as a collegian.

Stephen Procner, Cleveland State
Senior * LHP * Girard, Ohio
Procner worked his second consecutive strong outing, allowing three earned runs while striking out six in 7.1 innings. He owns a 2.93 ERA in League play this season.

Jason Foster, UIC
Senior * RHP * Wyoming, Minn.
Foster allowed three hits and one (unearned) run in 9.2 innings over four outings. He held batters to a .107 average last week and helped preserve all three Flame victories versus Youngstown State.

Rick Cavaiani, UW-Milwaukee
Senior * RHP * Appleton, Wis.
Cavaiani pitched 15 innings in his first two starts of 2006, allowing just two runs on five hits for a 1.20 ERA. He struck out 16 and walked one, holding opponents to a .104 batting average.

On Deck for the Horizon League

Horizon League baseball steps up the pace in the next eight days as all six teams face not only three-game weekend sets in loop play, but midweek doubleheaders, as well.

The weekend's schedule features action at both edges of the League map, with Butler visiting UW-Milwaukee while UIC travels to Cleveland State and Wright State visits Youngstown State. The WSU-YSU series begins with a single game Friday night before a doubleheader on Saturday, while Saturday twinbills precede Sunday finales in the other two sets.

The 30-game League slate forces midweek games in each of the next two weeks, beginning with doubleheaders next Tuesday (April 11) when UIC visits UW-Milwaukee, Wright State travels to Butler and Cleveland State ventures over to Youngstown State.

With teams playing five League games in a five-day period, pitching depth will come at a premium. Schools get a chance to keep sharp with a total of eight non-conference games, as Youngstown State visits Akron (Tuesday) and Duquesne (Wednesday), while other Tuesday dates include Wright State at Toledo, plus Butler hosting Xavier.

Wednesday also has Butler meeting intra-city rival Marian College. Current League front-runner UIC challenges Bradley in the other Wednesday afternoon match-up.

Around the Horizon League

Flames keep on winning
UIC ran its winning streak to five games, entering the week at 12-11 overall and 5-1 in the League after sweeping a three-game series with Youngstown State. The Flames have won nine of their last 11 overall.

UIC scored 29 runs last week, due in part to the bottom of the line-up. Junior shortstop Chad Schroeder hit .308 with two doubles and three runs scored from the No. 8 spot and senior first baseman Bryan Nolte added four RBI and four runs scored in the No. 9 position.

Senior outfielder Bart Babineaux took care of the rest, hitting four home runs and driving in seven runs last week. Two of the blasts came in Sunday's 12-8 victory, moving him into a tie for the League lead with six this season. The senior also tops the team charts with 19 RBI.

At the top of the order, junior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. was 5-for-16 with four runs scored last week. He has crossed the plate 21 times this season, while sophomore infielder Mark Hallberg extended his hitting streak to ten games.

On the mound, freshman left-hander Don Phillips threw six scoreless innings in Saturday's nightcap, scattering four hits to earn the victory. Senior right-hander Jason Foster allowed just three hits and one unearned run in 9.2 innings during four outings last week, picking up his second and third saves of the year. His 2.49 ERA is second only to teammate Zach Peterson (1.80).

Bulldogs moving up in the standings
Butler won four games in a row at home last week, climbing to 12-12 overall and 6-3 in the League following a three-game sweep of Cleveland State. The Bulldogs are at .500 for the first time since March 5 when they were 4-4.

Junior catcher Joe Dempsey led the way at the plate with a .467 average and six RBI, but junior center fielder Dustin Bucalo and senior second baseman Jeff Brown each hit safely in all four games. Bucalo now owns a team-best 11-game hitting streak, one outing longer than Brown's current run.

Dempsey and junior outfielder Tony Barnes have each hit five homers through 24 games. Dempsey had four round-trippers in each of his first two seasons with the Bulldogs, while Barnes entered 2006 with two career homers.

Barnes ranks second in the League with 22 RBI to supplement his .322 average. Dempsey adds a .318 mark and 18 RBI, while sophomore shortstop Joe Pauley (.333) and Brown (.326) rank eighth and tenth, respectively, on the League hitting charts.

Sophomore left-hander Bryan Bokowy pitched his first collegiate complete game on Saturday, an eight-hit shutout in which he struck out eight and walked just one. Bokowy has not allowed an earned run in 17.1 innings over his last two outings, and now stands third in the League with a 3.23 ERA.

Raider pitching leads to series victory
Wright State won its second consecutive Horizon League series, taking two of three games from UW-Milwaukee. The Raiders improved to 13-10 overall and 6-3 in the League, but play their next nine loop contests away from home after having their first nine at Nischwitz Stadium.

Junior right-hander Joe Smith has made 13 appearances this season, with at least one strikeout in each outing. Smith has 26 strikeouts in 20.2 innings, a rate of 11.32 per nine innings this season. He has allowed only two earned runs in compiling a 0.87 ERA, and leads the League with five saves.

As a staff, Wright State tops the circuit with a 3.93 team ERA and three shutouts. Senior right-hander Robert Barrett leads the staff with a 2.01 ERA and a 3-0 record this season. He limited UWM to three hits in eight scoreless innings on Sunday.

Junior third baseman Brian Shoup owns a five-game hitting streak and boasts a .325 batting average for the season. He leads the Raiders with two home runs and is tied with senior outfielder Amin Abusaleh for team honors at 15 runs batted in.

Junior infielder Ross Oeder leads the League with four triples, and is tied for second on the loop charts with five stolen bases. His .435 on-base rate is third-best among Horizon League players.

Penguins continue to rely on offense
Youngstown State fell to 8-16 overall after a three-game sweep at the hands of UIC. The losses dropped the Penguins to 2-4 in League play.

YSU continues to lead the Horizon League in several major offensive categories, topping the loop charts in batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.391), slugging percentage (.454), runs scored (156), hits (270) and home runs (21). But pitching was a problem last week, as YSU dropped a 13-11 decision at Ohio despite out-hitting the Bobcats 17-8. Penguin pitchers walked 11 hitters in that game, including seven during an 11-run second inning.

Sophomore catcher Erich Diedrich has nearly matched last year's totals before the midpoint of the 2006 season. He leads the League with six home runs (equalling his 2005 mark) and also tops the circuit with 38 hits and 30 RBI and 22 runs scored while his .400 average is second in the League. Last year, Diedrich finished with 47 hits, 33 RBI and 25 runs scored in 150 at-bats.

Senior catcher/outfielder Brandon Caipen has moved into third place in YSU history with 203 career hits including five last week. Only Kendall Schlabach (265 from 2001-04) and senior third baseman Justin Banks (208) have more in a YSU uniform. Capien is currently fourth in the League with a .348 batting average and has scored 19 runs.

Panthers see streaks end at Wright State
UW-Milwaukee fell to 2-4 in the League and 8-12 overall after dropping two of three games at Wright State over the weekend following the Panthers' 4-2 victory at Northern Iowa.

Senior outfielder Mike Goetz saw his 27-game hitting streak snapped in Sunday's 2-0 loss. His run (including the last eight games of 2005) was the longest active run in the nation. Goetz still leads the League with a .507 batting average, 107 points ahead of his nearest competitor.

Senior first baseman Joe Nowicki drove in five runs in UWM's 11-6 victory in the series opener. He is sixth in the League with a .342 average and has 19 RBI for the season, one behind junior outfielder Rob Brockel.

UWM also had troubles defensively, a contrast from the first six weeks of the season. The Panthers had committed only 20 errors in their first 16 games of the year but had nine miscues in four outings last week.

Prior to last week, senior right-hander Rick Cavaiani had an ERA of 8.53 in four outings. But he posted a 1.20 ERA in two starts last week, allowing only three hits with 16 strikeouts and one walk in 15 innings.

Vikings' streak reaches not-so-sweet 16
Cleveland State enters the week at 1-19 overall, seeing its losing streak hit 16 games after a three-game sweep at Butler relegated the Vikings to 0-6 in League play.

Senior second baseman Steve Chinn is approaching the school record for career bases on balls. Chinn's 82 free passes put him 11 away from the standard of 93, held by A.J. Shubic (1988-91). Chinn tops the current Viking charts in batting average (.306), RBI (12) and hits (22), while freshman first baseman Ryan Baechel has 11 RBI.

Baechel hit his second homer of the season, a three-run blast on Sunday, to tie junior outfielder Marc Sikora for team honors in that category.

Junior left-hander Stephen Procner turned in another strong outing with six strikeouts and only three runs allowed in 7.1 innings against the Bulldogs. He has posted a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings during his two Horizon League starts this season.

Procner leads the Viking staff with 30.2 innings pitched and has 18 strikeouts, matching the team-high total of sophomore right-hander Nathan Schaefer.