Horizon League Announces Baseball All-League Teams and Specialty Award Winners

May 22, 2007

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Senior infielder Ross Oeder of Wright State University earned Player of the Year honors and senior right-hander Zach Peterson of the University of Illinois at Chicago was named Pitcher of the Year as the Horizon League announced its baseball All-League Teams and specialty award winners Tuesday night (May 22).

UIC swept the rest of the top individual awards as junior outfielder Micky Pingree (Newcomer of the Year) and sophomore teammate David Cales (Relief Pitcher of the Year) received top honors on the field and Flames dugout boss Mike Dee received the Coach of the Year award for a League-record seventh time. All five honors are the result of voting by League head coaches, and were announced prior to the League Championship tournament which begins in Chicago on Wednesday morning (May 23).

Oeder leads the League in home runs (eight), runs scored (74) and stolen bases (25), pacing the Raiders to a 34-20 record which includes a 21-9 mark in the League. Oeder, who also tops the circuit with a .494 on-base percentage and a .656 slugging percentage, ranks second on the League charts with a .410 batting average and recorded 29 multi-hit games during the regular season.

Peterson overcame a slow start in 2007, winning his last six decisions since April 10 to post a 6-3 overall record in 2007. All six victories came in League play, as the senior right-hander compiled an unblemished record with a 2.83 earned-run average against loop foes. Overall, Peterson---who won the League's Pitching Triple Crown in 2006---tops the circuit in innings pitched (92.1) while fashioning a 3.51 ERA which is sixth-best in the League.

Pingree posted a .422 batting average in League games, the second-best mark in the circuit. The junior outfielder from Boise, Idaho, owns a .336 overall average and ranks fifth in the League in doubles (16) and runs batted in (40), with 30 of those RBI coming in 23 loop contests. Pingree's honor gives UIC six Newcomer of the Year awards since 1997, including current senior shortstop Chad Schroeder, who won the honor in 2006.

Cales captured the inaugural Relief Pitcher of the Year plaque after recording a 3-0 record with six saves and 0.90 earned-run average against League foes as the Flames' closer. Cales' overall numbers include 11 saves with a matching 0.90 ERA as he has struck out 25 batters while walking only one in 30 innings this spring. The Chicago native held opponents to a .170 batting average during the regular season.

Dee was named Coach of the Year for the third season in a row after guiding the Flames to a sixth consecutive regular-season League title and the top seed in this week's League Championship. UIC enters the loop summit at 31-19 on the season, including 21-6 in the League. The 31 victories mark the school's eighth consecutive season with 30 or more triumphs.

Wright State placed a League-high four players on the All-League First Team, with sophomore first baseman Jeremy Hamilton, sophomore designated hitter Justin Parker and senior right-handed pitcher Erich Schanz joining Oeder among the Raider contingent. UIC had three First-Team selections in Peterson, Pingree and senior outfielder Larry Gempp Jr., while junior second baseman Jesse Hart and sophomore utility player Josh Groves represented the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the top team. Butler University also boasts two First-Team selections in senior catcher Joe Dempsey and senior outfielder Dustin Bucalo, while Youngstown State University sophomore third baseman John Koehnlein completed the 12-member First-Team group.

Peterson and Gempp are repeat honorees on the First Team, while Koehnlein and Dempsey were both Second-Team picks in 2006. Gempp also won First-Team notice in 2005, becoming the eighth player in League history to receive three First-Team All-League citations.

The Second-Team All-League unit includes four players from UW-Milwaukee in senior outfielders Ross McCoy and Rob Brockel along with junior shortstop Grant Berkovitz and senior left-handed pitcher Robert Michalkiewicz. Wright State's trio of honorees include junior third baseman Dan Biedenharn, a First-Team selection in 2006, along with senior outfielder Brian Shoup and freshman catcher Gerald Ogrinc.

Cales and sophomore first baseman Jake Carr represented UIC on the All-League Second Team, with Youngstown State placing two players on the Second Team in junior designated hitter Erich Diedrich and junior utility player Josh Page. Butler freshman second baseman Jason Jamerson completes the second team.

The All-Newcomer Team features four Youngstown State freshmen in third baseman Lee Bainbridge, shortstop Anthony Munoz, first baseman Tom Clayton and outfielder Ryan Dunlap. Butler's Jamerson rounds out the infield, with Pingree and Wright State freshman Aaron Fields in the outfield. Ogrinc and freshman utility player Casey McGrew also represent WSU on the newcomer honor roll.

Pingree, Cales and freshman right-handed pitcher Steve Crnkovich gave UIC three All-Newcomer honorees. Crnkovic leads the League with a 2.44 earned-run average this season. UWM freshman catcher Shaun Wegner completes the 12-player team.

The 2007 Horizon League Baseball Championship is scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, May 23-27, at Les Miller Field on the UIC campus. First pitch each day is 11 a.m. (Central time / noon Eastern), with single-day tickets available for $8 (adults) and $6 (senior citzen and youth), while all-tournament passes are $25 and $20, respectively. For additional ticket information, contact the UIC athletic department at (312) 413-8421.To follow all the action of this year's League Championship, log on to www.horizonleague.org and click on the Baseball Championship icon. Also, free live video webcasts of all games will be shown on the Horizon League Network. The championship page includes links to CSTV's Gametracker for games in progress, along with complete summaries and box scores as contests are completed.

2007 Horizon League Baseball Awards

Player of the Year: Ross Oeder, Wright State
Pitcher of the Year: Zach Peterson, UIC
Newcomer of the Year: Micky Pingree, UIC
Relief Pitcher of the Year: David Cales, UIC
Coach of the Year: Mike Dee, UIC

First-Team All-LeagueP -- Zach Peterson, UIC
P -- Erich Schanz, Wright State
C -- Joe Dempsey, Butler
1B -- Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
2B -- Jesse Hart, UW-Milwaukee
3B -- John Koehnlein, Youngstown State
SS -- Ross Oeder, Wright State
OF -- Dustin Bucalo, Butler
OF -- Larry Gempp Jr., UIC
OF -- Micky Pingree, UIC
DH -- Justin Parker, Wright State
UT -- Josh Groves, UW-Milwaukee

Second-Team All-League
P -- David Cales, UIC
P -- Robert Michalkiewicz, UW-Milwaukee
C -- Gerald Ogrinc, Wright State
1B -- Jake Carr, UIC
2B -- Jason Jamerson, Butler
3B -- Dan Biedenharn, Wright State
SS -- Grant Berkovitz, UW-Milwaukee
OF -- Rob Brockel, UW-Milwaukee
OF -- Ross McCoy, UW-Milwaukee
OF -- Brian Shoup, Wright State
DH -- Erich Diedrich, Youngstown State
UT -- Josh Page, Youngstown State

All-Newcomer Team
P -- David Cales, UIC
P -- Steve Crnkovich, UIC
C -- Gerald Ogrinc, Wright State
C -- Shaun Wegner, UW-Milwaukee
1B -- Tom Clayton, Youngstown State
2B -- Jason Jamerson, Butler
3B -- Lee Bainbridge, Youngstown State
SS -- Anthony Munoz, Youngstown State
OF -- Ryan Dunlap, Youngstown State
OF -- Aaron Fields, Wright State
OF -- Micky Pingree, UIC
UT -- Casey McGrew, Wright State

Note: The All-Newcomer League consists of nine position players (not position-specific), two pitchers and a utility player.