Baseball Release #6

March 31, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Horizon League Player of the Week

Steve McGuiggan, UIC
Freshman CF * Burnsville, Minn.
McGuiggan hit .571 (12-for-21) to lead the Flames to a 4-1 record last week. The UIC lead-off hitter fell a double short of the cycle against St. Francis [Ill.] on Tuesday and had multiple hits in four of the Flames' five contests last week. McGuiggan is batting .560 with 14 hits in 25 at-bats during his current six-game hitting streak and leads the League with a .391 average for the season.

Previous Players of the Week: Zach Rodeghero (Valpo), Feb. 26; Jeff Mercer (WSU), Mar. 4; Ross Vagedes (WSU), Mar. 11; Josh Wallace (Valpo), Mar. 18; Brett Schaefer (UIC), Mar. 25.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Week

Elliott Gibbs, Valparaiso
Senior RHP * Munster, Ind.
Gibbs fired a complete-game four-hit shutout in Valparaiso's first Horizon League game, defeating Cleveland State 7-0 on Saturday. Gibbs tied his career high with nine strikeouts and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. The complete-game shutout was the first of his collegiate career and the first by a Horizon League pitcher this season.

Previous Pitchers of the Week: Brian Long (CSU), Feb. 26; Bryce Shafer (Valpo), Mar. 4; Grant Kohlstaedt (UIC), Mar. 11; Josh Hungerman (CSU), Mar. 18; Aaron Swenson (YSU), Mar. 25.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending March 30

Colin Ziegel, Butler
Jr. * OF * Wayne, Ind.
Ziegel batted .538 (6-for-13) with six RBI and six runs scored in three games versus Milwaukee. Five of the hits went for extra bases, with two doubles, a pair of triples and one home run for a 1.231 slugging percentage.

John Foco, Cleveland State
Jr. * 1B * Pinconning, Mich.
Foco had two doubles and two RBI in four games last week, batting .444. He also stole two bases and drew five walks for a .600 on-base percentage. Foco went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's series finale at Valparaiso.

Ben Long, Milwaukee
Jr. * C/DH * Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
Long hit .389 (7-for-18) with three home runs and 12 RBI for the week, helping the Panthers to a 2-2 record. He posted back-to-back five-RBI games at Butler and posted a slugging percentage of 1.000.

Zach Rodeghero, Valparaiso
Sr. * OF * New Lenox, Ill.
Rodeghero was 9-for-17 with five RBI in four games last week. He was 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in Saturday's series opener versus Cleveland State and ended the week with a 3-for-4 showing featuring another homer.

Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
Jr. * 1B * Cincinnati, Ohio
Hamilton hit .579 (11-for-19) with nine runs scored and eight RBI in five games last week. He had three triples among four hits in Tuesday's victory over Cedarville and scored four runs in Saturday's game-one victory over UIC.

Josh Page, Youngstown State
Sr. * 2B * Plain City, Ohio
Page posted a .412 (7-for-17) batting average in five games, including a 4-for-4 effort with two doubles and four runs scored versus Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday. He hit his first home run since April 2006 at Western Kentucky on Saturday.

Joe Ochs, Butler
Jr. * LHP * Noblesville, Ill.
Ochs won two games last week, pitching eight scoreless innings. He tossed three innings of shuout ball against IPFW on Tuesday, and held Milwaukee off the scoreboard during his five-inning relief stint on Saturday.

Brian Long, Cleveland State
Jr. * RHP * Pittsburgh, Pa.
Long worked 11 innings in two games, including a complete-game four-hitter at Valparaiso on Saturday. He allowed only one run in that contest to earn his third victory of the season, logging the first complete game of his collegiate career.

Brad Lusti, Milwaukee
Jr. * RHP * Menagha, Minn.
Lusti opened the weekend series at Butler with his third consecutive "quality start," allowing three earned runs in seven innings while striking out six. Bulldog batters. He leveled his season record at 2-2 and owns a 2.72 earned-run average.

Derrick Miramontes, UIC
Jr. * RHP * Durham, Calif.
Miramontes went the distance in Saturday's nightcap, scattering nine hits in allowing two runs to pick up his third victory of the season. The junior leads the League with a 1.87 earned-run average.

Jon Durket, Wright State
Jr. * LHP * El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Durket allowed three runs on eight hits over 7.1 innings in his first career start Saturday versus UIC. He struck out five Flame batters in that outing, retiring the side in order three times in the first seven frames.

Adam Kalafos, Youngstown State
Sr. * RHP * Baltimore, Md.
Kalafos earned his first victory of 2008 with a career-high 11 strikeouts in eight innings versus Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday. He fanned the first five hitters he faced in that game, and also two shutout innings at Western Kentucky on Saturday.

Around the Horizon League

Flames win early-season showdown
UIC carries a 14-8 overall record, moving to 5-1 in League play after winning two of three games at Wright State over the weekend. The Flames have won 10 of their last 11 contests, including midweek victories over St. Francis [Ill.] and Illinois Tech.

UIC saw its eight-game winning streak end with a 12-5 defeat on Saturday but rallied for a 3-2 victory in the nightcap and took the deciding game 6-2 on Sunday. Four of the Flames' five League victories have come by one run apiece.

Junior right-hander Derrick Miramontes fired a complete-game nine-hitter Saturday, striking out five hitters. He is now 3-0 with a League-best 1.87 earned-run average for the season. Miramontes also tops the loop charts in innings pitched (43.1)

Freshman outfielder Steve McGuiggan batted .571 (12-for-21) in the five games, scoring eight runs. He leads the League with a .391 batting average and ranks second in on-base percentage (.456) and slugging percentage (.609). Junior infielder Tony Altavilla has a League-high ten stolen bases.

Junior right-hander Mike Kool got the victory in the series finale at Wright State, allowing one earned run on six hits in seven innings Sunday.

UIC hosts Chicago State on Tuesday and visits Bradley on Wednesday before returning home for a three-game weekend set versus Butler.

Vikings return to field, take two at Valpo
Cleveland State moved to 7-9 overall after splitting four games last week. The Vikings opened up Horizon League play by winning two of three games at Valparaiso over the weekend., moving into second place in the loop standings.

The 7-9 mark represents Cleveland State's best 16-game start since 1989. CSU won only five of its first 26 games last season.

Freshman infielder Tom Carter carries a nine-game hitting streak into the week. Carter had only one hit in his first 16 at-bats this year but is 11-for-33 since March 11.

Freshman Anthony Sambula posted his first career victory with 4.1 innings of one-hit relief Sunday. Junior right-hander Brian Long was the winner on Saturday with his first career complete game. Long ranks second in the League with a 2.00 earned-run average this season.

Junior pitcher/DH Josh Hungerman went4-for-5 with two runs in the nightcap. He is hitting .409 in part-time duty as a DH this year.

Senior infielder Alex Kerins homered twice in Wednesday's 9-7 loss to Kent State---CSU's first action since March 16 after a string of cancellations due to inclement weather. He has four round-trippers this season.

The Vikings host Eastern Michigan on Tuesday and travel to Ohio on Wednesday before returning home for a three-game weekend series versus Wright State.

Bulldog bats come alive but pitching falters
Butler owns a 5-14 overall record, slipping to 3-3 in League play after dropping two of three games to Milwaukee. The Bulldogs split two midweek games, defeating IPFW before losing at Louisville.

BU started last week with a .188 team batting average but scored 36 runs in the series with Milwaukee, hitting .393 (48-for-122) with 11 doubles and five home runs. But Butler pitchers were touched for 42 runs on 55 hits in the three games, posting a 12.00 earned-run average.

Junior left-hander Joe Ochs was the bright spot for Butler's staff, earning his second victory of the week with five scoreless innings in Saturday's opener. Ochs (2-0) also earned the win against IPFW.

Butler scored 22 runs in game one Saturday, the Bulldogs' highest output since posting 24 runs against Detroit in 2003. Junior outfielder Colin Ziegel led the offensive barrage with two doubles, two triples and a home run last week. He scored six runs and drove in six while posting a 1.231 slugging percentage.

The Bulldogs face cross-town rival Marian at Victory Field (home of the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians) on Wednesday before a three-game weekend set at UIC. Sunday's contest would be the 1,000th of head coach Steve Farley's career. The Bulldog dugout boss owns a 473-522-1 record in 20 seasons as a collegiate coach.

Raiders hit the road after lengthy homestand
Wright State stands at 7-13 overall and 2-3 in League play. The Raiders won a pair of midweek contests before dropping two of three games to UIC in a key early-season League showdown series.

Head coach Rob Cooper notched his 100th career victory with Wednesday's 9-6 triumph over Hiram. The fourth-year dugout boss is the second WSU skipper to reach 100 victories, joining Ron Nischwitz (867) in that group.

Junior first baseman Jeremy Hamilton became only the third player in WSU history to amass ten triples, 35 doubles, 15 home runs, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored in his career. Hamilton, who batted .579 (11-for-19) with nine runs scored and eight RBI last week, is hitting .420 (21-for-50) this season. Ten of those 21 hits have gone for extra bases.

Hamilton had three triples in Tuesday's victory over Cedarville and hit his second homer of the season against UIC.

Sophomore catcher Gerald Ogrinc has picked off seven runners this season and has tied Aaron Garcia's career record with nine in his career. Ogrinc is also hitting .309 this season.

The series with UIC closed a ten-game homestand for tthe Raiders, who play five games on the road this week. WSU travels to Xavier on Tuesday and Bowling Green on Wednesday before a three-game series at Cleveland State.

Crusaders open home schedule
Valparaiso starts the week at 6-18, falling to 2-3 in League play after dropping two of three games to Cleveland State over the weekend. Valpo also suffered a 15-0 loss at Purdue on Wednesday.

The Crusaders won their Horizon League debut Friday as senior right-hander Elliott Gibbs tossed a complete-game four-hitter against CSU. He fanned nine Vikings to match his career high and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Sophomore infielder Josh Wallace belted his League-leading seventh homer of the season Sunday. He also tops the circuit charts with a .649 slugging percentage and ranks second (behind senior outfielder Zach Rodeghero) with 20 runs batted in while batting .325.

Rodeghero posted nine hits in 17 at-bats last week, including a 4-for-5 effort with a homer and three RBI in the series opener versus Cleveland State. He has nine multi-hit games this season and ranks second in the League with a .382 batting average while leading the League in hits (34), runs scored (21), doubles (eight), RBI (23) and on-base percentage (.456).

Senior catcher Joe Lazar had four hits in 11 at-bats (.364) versus CSU after entering the series at 5-for-21 for the season.

The Crusaders host Illinois Tech on Wednesday before traveling to Youngstown State for a three-game weekend series.

Panthers slug their way to series victory
Milwaukee stands at 5-16 overall and 2-4 in League play after an offensive outburst at Butler. The Panthers scored 42 runs in three games against BU pitching, winning two of the three contests. Milwaukee also suffered a 14-3 setback at Notre Dame on Wednesday.

UWM hit .410 as a team in the series, posting its highest run total ever in a three-game League series. Junior catcher/DH Ben Long drove in 12 runs, hitting three home runs during his seven-for-14 performance. Sophomore catcher Shaun Wegner was five-for-seven with five runs scored.

Senior outfielder Nick Wichser added seven hits and scored six runs in the series. He extended his hitting streak to 13 games, batting .471 (24-for-51) with 15 runs scored and 13 RBI during that time.

Milwaukee turned a school-record five double plays in Friday's 20-10 victory. Milwaukee also rapped out 24 hits in that contest, marking the team's highest total since collecting 29 versus Chicago State on April 12, 2006.

Junior right-hander Andy Hetebrueg earned the victory in Saturday's series inale, striking out a career-high seven batters in seven innings of work.

UWM visits Northern Illinois on Wednesday before a three-game weekend series at Southern Illinois, beginning Friday.

Penguins fall but get Diedrich back
Youngstown State slipped to 5-15 overall after dropping three games at Western Kentucky over the weekend. The Penguins opened the week with a 12-4 victory over Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday but lost 4-3 at Akron on Wednesday and were outscored 34-12 at WKU.

Sophomore infielder Anthony Munoz and freshman outfielder Joe Iacobucci led the Panther attack. Munoz was 5-for-11 with two doubles, his first career home run and six runs batted in, while Iacobucci had four hits including two doubles against IUP. Iacobucci hit .409 for the week and leads the Penguins with a .314 mark and ten RBI for the season.

Senior catcher Eric Diedrich made his season debut at Akron and started all three games at WKU. Diedrich, who missed the first 16 games of the season with a fractured wrist was 3-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's series opener. He hit .362 with eight home runs and 44 RBI last year,

Youngstown State allowed only two stolen bases in the three games at Western Kentucky, limiting the baserunning of a Hilltopper team that entered the series 41-of-49 in steal attempts. YSU has allowed only three stolen bases in its last seven games.

YSU has a busy week on the schedule, hosting Bowling Green (Tuesday), Duquesne (Wednesday) and Tiffin (Thursday) in midweek play before a three-game set versus Valparaiso.

New month begins with busy week
As the calendar moves into April, the seven Horizon League teams begin a busy week of play featuring 12 non-League contests before a full slate of loop action over the weekend.

Four teams are in action Tuesday, including Cleveland State hosting Eastern Michigan and Wright State at Xavier. UIC hosts Chicago State with Youngstown State opening a homestand versus Bowling Green.

All seven teams are scheduled to play Wednesday, with Butler facing crosstown rival Marian at Victory Field---home of the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians. That game can be seen on the Horizon League Network. Among the other games Wednesday are Wright State at Bowling Green, UIC at Bradley and Milwaukee at Northern Illinois. Youngstown State closes the midweek slate Thursday versus Tiffin.

The weekend schedule has front-runner UIC (5-1 in League play) hosting Butler (3-3), while Cleveland State (2-1) entertains Wright State (2-3) and Valparaiso (2-3) travels to Youngstown State (1-2). Milwaukee is at Southern Illinois for a three-game non-League weekend set.

The 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship, presented by the U.S. Army, is set for May 20-25 at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio. Action begins with a single-elimination game that Tuesday before double-elimination play the rest of the week.