Baseball Weekly Release #8

April 9, 2007

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Player of the Week

Matt Madrid, Cleveland State
Sophomore 2B * Youngstown, Ohio
Madrid paced the Viking offense in Tuesday's 14-11 victory over Kent State, going three-for-four with three runs scored and the game-winning three-run double in the bottom of the eighth. Madrid also homered in the third inning, and stole two bases in the contest. His bases-loaded two-bagger snapped an 11-11 tie as the Vikings rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat their local rivals.

Pitcher of the Week

Robert Michalkiewicz, UW-Milwaukee
Senior LHP * Menasha, Wis.
Michalkiewicz pitched a complete-game, seven-hit shutout to lead the Panthers past Butler, 1-0, in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader at Miller Park. The senior southpaw fanned a career-high seven hitters, including five in a row at one stretch. He earned his second consecutive victory, lowering his season earned-run average to 4.84.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending April 8

Joe Pauley, Butler
Jr. * SS * Skokie, Ill.
Pauley hit .455 (5-for-11) in three games last week, scoring four runs and driving in two. He went 4-for-8 with a homer in a doubleheader split versus UW-Milwaukee on Saturday.

Tyler Moore, UIC
Jr. * INF * Portland, Ore.
Moore was responsible for half of UIC's scoring versus Chicago State, hitting a three-run homer and adding an RBI fielder's choice in the Flames' 8-1 victory on Wednesday.

Rob Brockel, UW-Milwaukee
Sr. * OF * Pewaukee, Wis.
Brockel's first-inning solo home run accounted for the only scoring in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader versus Butler, giving UWM a 1-0 victory.

Brian Shoup, Wright State
Sr. * OF * Tipp City, Ohio
Shoup hit .571 (4-for-7) with three runs scored and two RBI in Sunday's twinbill sweep of Youngstown State He reached base in all four trips to the plate in the nightcap.

Anthony Munoz, Youngstown State
Fr. * SS * Fostoria, Ohio
Munoz had five hits in 12 at-bats (.417). He scored five runs in his four games, including two in the first game Sunday as part of a 2-for-3 performance against Wright State.

Jon Dages, Butler
Jr. * RHP * Indianapolis, Ind.
Dages dominated the UW-Milwaukee line-up, allowing only five hits and one run over eight innings on Saturday. He struck out five in leading the Bulldogs to a 5-2 victory.

Pat McKitrick, Cleveland State
Sr. * RHP * Steubenville, Ohio
McKitrick earned his third win of the year, pitching two innings in Tuesday's victory over Kent State. He retired the side in order in the ninth to close the Vikings' 14-11 triumph.

Ryan Zink, UIC
Jr. * RHP * Madison, Wis.
Zink pitched three scoreless innings versus Chicago State to earn his second consecutive victory. He allowed two hits and struck out a pair of batters.

Kyle Kearcher, Wright State
Sr. * LHP * Mattawan, Mich.
Kearcher threw eight shutout innings Sunday, allowing three hits. He had a perfect game through five innings and needed only 67 pitches, striking out four batters for his fifth win of 2007.

Corey Vukovic, Youngstown State
Fr. * RHP * McDonald, Ohio
Vukovic earned his first collegiate victory in his first career start at Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings, with only four hits coming after a rough first frame.

Around the Horizon League

Flames continue strong showing at home
UIC carries a six-game winning streak into the week, defeating Chicago State 8-1 on Wednesday before having the weekend's three-game set at Cleveland State canceled by snow and cold. The Flames have leveled their overall record at 12-12 and stand at 4-2 in League play.

The Flames went 7-2 on a recent homestand and travel north to face UW-Milwaukee in a twinbill Tuesday before returning home to face Wright State in a pivotal showdown this weekend.

Junior infielder Tyler Moore has been a catalyst of late for the Flames, collecting at least one hit in each of his last seven games while raising his batting average 48 points during that time. He drove in four runs against Chicago State.

Junior right-hander Ryan Zink won his second consecutive decision with three scoreless innings. He has not allowed a run in nine frames over his last two outings while posting seven strikeouts. He had given up 15 earned runs in his first ten innings of work this spring.

Freshman right-hander Steve Crnkovich continues to lead the League with a 2.22 ERA but is just 1-3 on the season. Opponents are hitting only .240 against Crnkovich.

Senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. ranks third in the League with a .371 batting average, while senior shortstop Chad Schroeder tops the circuit with a .524 on-base percentage and ranks second with nine stolen bases.

Raiders take two from Penguins on Sunday
Wright State reclaimed second place in the League standings at 7-4 and climbed over .500 overall (13-11) with a doubleheader sweep of Youngstown State on Sunday. The Raiders host Butler for a doubleheader Tuesday before traveling to UIC for a three-game weekend series.

Senior outfielder Brian Shoup broke out of a hitting slump with four hits against YSU. Shoup, who had gone just five-for-38 (.132) in his previous 11 games, had four hits in seven at-bats and scored three runs Sunday to spark the Raider offense. His leadoff homer in the second inning of the nightcap was part of a three-for-three outing as he reached base in all four trips to the plate (including a hit-by-pitch).

Senior left-hander Kyle Kearcher threw eight shutout innings, allowing only three hits. He allowed only one runner past second base and picked up his League-leading fifth win of the year while lowering his ERA to 2.49, second only to UIC's Steve Crnkovich (2.22) on the loop charts. Senior righty Garret Holleran is fifth in the League with a 3.48 ERA.

Senior second baseman Ross Oeder leads the League in batting average (.421), runs scored (31) and stolen bases (ten), while sophomore first baseman Jeremy Hamilton is fourth in the League with a .364 average and ranks second with 25 RBI. Hamilton also tops the circuit with 13 doubles.

Panthers' pitching earns twinbill split
UW-Milwaukee moved to 5-3 in League play and 6-17 overall after splitting a doubleheader versus Butler at Miller Park on Saturday. The Panthers have now won six of their last nine games after an 0-14 start.

Senior left-hander Robert Mickalkiewicz threw a complete-game seven-hit shutout in the nightcap for a 1-0 victory. He matched a career-high with seven strikeouts and did not walk a batter, while tossing the first complete-game whitewash by a Panther hurler since Korey Keller beat Wright State 4-0 on May 27, 2005. It was also UWM's first 1-0 victory since defeating Detroit in ten innings on May 4, 2002.

Michalkiewicz has gone at least eight innings in each of his last three outings, pitching a total of 25 frames during that span. He won his second consecutive decision, and has struck out 11 without allowing a walk in 17 innings during his last two appearances.

Senior outfielder Rob Brockel provided the only run of the nightcap, hitting his second home run of the season in the first inning.

UWM had won 12 consecutive home-openers prior to dropping Saturday's first contest. UWM is now 14-3 in home debuts since moving to Division I in 1991.

The Panther pitching staff has allowed two or fewer runs in five of the last nine games, posting victories of 3-1, 2-1 and 1-0 in that time.

Penguins post goose egg on Easter
Youngstown State fell to 10-17 overall (3-5 in the League) after being swept in a doubleheader at Wright State on Sunday. The Penguins split two non-League matches during the week, and are slated to host Cleveland State on Tuesday before a three-game set at UW-Milwaukee.

Sophomore third baseman John Koehnlein and junior DH Erich Diedrich continue to anchor the line-up for the Penguins. Koehnlein stands second on the League charts with a .388 batting average and tops the circuit with 45 hits, while Diedrich owns a loop-best 26 RBI and shares the League lead with five home runs. His .350 average is good for fifth place on that loop list.

Diedrich had a 19-game hitting streak snapped in Sunday's opener. The streak had tied for the fifth-longest in school history.

Freshman right-hander Corey Vukovic earned his first collegiate victory at Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Vukovic allowed three runs on four hits in the first inning, but settled down to give up only one run on four hits in the next five frames as YSU rallied for a 7-5 victory.

Junior right-hander Ryan Sellman made his first appearance of 2007 in Sunday's second game, pitching one perfect inning of relief against Wright State. Sellman led the team with six wins, six saves and a 2.62 ERA last season, but missed the first 26 games this year due to a shoulder injury.

Bulldogs gain split in Milwaukee
Butler carries an 11-17 overall record and a 4-7 League ledger into the week after splitting a douleheader at UW-Milwaukee. Butler now plays its next 13 games on the road, visiting Wright State for a doubleheader Tuesday and traveling to Cleveland State for a weekend series.

Butler leads the League with 20 home runs, including five by senior catcher Joe Dempsey. His individual total is tied for the League lead in that category, while senior outfielder Tony Barnes is third with four round-trippers. Dempsey also has a team-high 22 runs batted in.

Junior shortstop Joe Pauley ranks seventh in the League with a .340 batting average. He went four-for-eight against the Panthers including a home run in BU's 5-2 game-one victory. Over the last two weeks, he is at .435 (10-for-23) with three homers and a .913 slugging percentage.

Junior right-hander Jon Dages logged another quality start, getting the victory after yielding one run on seven hits and striking out five in eight innings at Milwaukee. Dages has now pitched 6.2 innings or more in each of his last five outings, and leads the League in both innings pitched (57) and strikeouts (40) this season. The win was his third of the year.

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Kruszka stands third in the League with a 2.77 ERA, while Dages is seventh at 3.79.

Viking bats get hot despite cold weather
Cleveland State won its only game of the week, defeating Kent State 14-11 on Tuesday to improve to 5-21 on the year. CSU had its entire three-game weekend set versus UIC called off, and brings a 2-4 League record into Tuesday's twinbill at Youngstown State before hosting Butler this weekend.

The Vikings' 14 runs were a season-high and mark the third time this year that CSU has reached double figures. All three of those have come in the last eight games.

Sophomore second baseman Matt Madrid capped the win versus KSU, finishing a triple short of the cycle with a three-for-four outing. He scored three runs and drove in four, including a three-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap an 11-all tie. Madrid's 12 RBI this season are second on the team charts, as senior John Westra leads the way in that category (15) and in batting average (.308).

Senior right-hander Pat McKitrick has three of the team's five victories, getting the latest with two innings of relief versus KSU. McKitrick has been a workhorse in the Viking bullpen, sharing the League lead with 15 appearances this year including each of the team's last four games. He ranks fourth in the League with a 3.04 ERA, fanning 24 batters in 26.2 innings of work this season while limiting opposing hitters to a .198 average.

Crusaders win three of four
Valparaiso improved to 8-16 on the year, taking two games from Robert Morris (Ill.) on Thursday and splitting a weekend pair at Southern Illinois. Saturday's 6-5 decision was SIU's second loss in 17 home games this season.

Senior infielder Jeff Rickert led the way at the plate with a .467 (7-for-15) week, scoring five runs to lift his season average to .330. He had one of the Crusaders' three home runs Saturday at Southern Illinois, with junior outfielder Jason Brunelli launching a three-run blast and freshman infielder Josh Wallace hitting a solo shot.

Senior right-hander Elliott Gibbs got the victory with six innings of work, with junior right-hander Dallas Cawiezell recording the final five outs to earn his first save of 2007.

Senior infielder Michael Arensdorff still leads the Mid-Continent Conference with a .386 batting average and tops the Crusader charts with 21 runs scored and nine doubles. Senior outfielder Brian Rzepka has a team-high 18 RBI.

Senior right-hander Harvey Yergin pitched a complete-game, seven-inning three-hitter versus Robert Morris on Thursday. Yergin struck out three and did not walk a batter, posting Valpo's first solo shutout of the year. He lowered his season ERA to 4.19, tied for fifth-best in the Mid-Con. Senior lefty Nick Mazzone is third at 3.77.

League schedule overflows this week
After a weekend which saw five of the nine scheduled games called off, the Horizon League goes overtime in loop play during the next two weeks. All six teams are scheduled for nine League contests in that time, beginning Tuesday at UW-Milwaukee (versus UIC), Youngstown State (versus Cleveland State) and Wright State (versus Butler). Those three series will conclude next Tuesday with single contests at the same sites. For the Flames and Panthers, Tuesday marks a re-match as UW-Milwaukee won two of three games at UIC in March.

This weekend's action has UIC hosting Wright State in a match-up of the top two teams from the preseason poll. UIC (4-2) stands in first place in the standings, while Wright State is next at 7-4 in loop action, just ahead of UW-Milwaukee. UWM's Panthers (5-3) host Youngstown State (3-5) this weekend, while Butler (4-7) visits Cleveland State (2-4). Butler took two of three games from the Vikings in Indianapolis last month.

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. UIC is chasing its sixth consecutive regular-season title, while Wright State won the tournament crown on its home field last spring.