Wright State, UIC represented on ABCA All-Mideast Region baseball honor roll

June 21, 2007

Mount Pleasant, Mich. - The Horizon League's top two teams were well represented as the American Baseball Coaches Association announced the 2007 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA All-American and All-Region teams Wednesday.

League runner-up Wright State had three players recognized, with senior shortstop Ross Oeder earning Second-Team All-American honors while sophomore second baseman Justin Parker was a Second-Team All-Mideast region choice and third baseman Dan Biedenharn garnered a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award squad. UIC sophomore right-handed pitcher/infielder David Cales and senior center fielder Larry Gempp Jr. were selected to the All-Mideast Region Second Team.

Oeder was the League's Player of the Year, finishing second in the circuit with a .408 batting average and topping the loop charts in runs scored (79), stolen bases (25), slugging percentage (.649) and on-base percentage (.496) while also ranking among the League leaders with eight homers and 23 doubles. In addition, he posted a .965 fielding percentage with only ten errors in 288 total chances.

Parker's .379 batting average was fifth-best in the League this spring and included a loop-best 26 doubles along with five homers and 38 RBI. Biedneharn led all Horizon League third basemen with a stellar .977 fielding percentage. He committed only five errors in 213 chances at the hot corner for the Raiders.

Cales went 3-0 with 13 saves and a 0.74 earned run average as UIC's closer. He struck out 34 hitters while walking only one (on an intentional pass) in 36.1 innings of work. The sophomore also hit .262 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 49 games as an offensive player, playing primarily as a second baseman.

Cales was the 2007 Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year, a 2007 All-Horizon League Second Team selection and the 2007 Horizon League Championship Most Valuable Player, among many other accolades. Cales hit .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles, three homers and seven RBI in the Flames' three victories. He also recorded a save in UIC's first game of the tournament.

Gempp, a three-time All-Horizon League First Team selection, paced the Flames' offense with a .388 batting average, seven home runs and 54 RBI. He also stole six bases, hit three triples and doubled 10 times.

A three-year letterwinner manning center field for UIC, Gempp completed his career with a .358 average, 25 home runs, and 139 RBI.

This is the second consecutive year that UIC and Wright State have featured student-athletes on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region teams. Former standouts Bart Babineaux and Justin Johnson earned First-Team status in 2006, while Zach Peterson was a Second-Team selection last year. Wright State's Joe Smith was a Second-Team All-Mideast choice in 2006 before joining the New York Mets.

2007 ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region Teams
First Team:
Pitcher - Josh Collmenter, Central Michigan
Pitcher - Cory Luebke, Ohio State
Pitcher - Dan Osterbrock, Cincinnati
Reliever - Matt German, Northern Illinois
Catcher - Lars Davis, Illinois
First Base - Ryne White, Purdue
Second Base - Justin Toole, Iowa
Third Base - Nate Hanson, Minnesota
Shortstop - Ross Oeder, Wright State
Outfield - Mike Mee, Minnesota
Outfield - Tyler Stovall, Central Michigan
Outfield - Travis Sweet, Iowa
Designated Hitter - Zach Putnam, Michigan

Second Team:
Pitcher - John Ely, Miami
Pitcher - David Phelps, Notre Dame
Pitcher - Mike Wilson, Michigan
Reliever - David Cales, UIC
Catcher - Kurt Davidson, Akron
First Base - Ben Humphrey, Central Michigan
Second Base - Justin Parker, Wright State
Third Base - Josh Harrison, Cincinnati
Shortstop - Jason White, Iowa
Outfield - Tony Campana, Cincinnati
Outfield - Larry Gempp, UIC
Outfield - Matt Nohelty, Minnesota
Designated Hitter - Antonio Mule, Northwestern

2007 ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans (Mideast Region selections)
Second Team
Shortstop - Ross Oeder, Wright State
Utility - Zach Putnam, Michigan

Third Team:
Catcher - Lars Davis, Illinois
Pitcher - Cory Luebke, Ohio State
Outfield - Tyler Stovall, Central Michigan

2007 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winners (Mideast Region selections)
Outfield - Matt Stiffler, Ohio
Third Base - Dan Biedenharn, Wright State