Baseball Weekly Release #13

Release Horizon League · @HorizonLeague · May 19, 2009

HORIZON LEAGUE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Tuesday, May 19
Game 1      #6 Youngstown State vs. #7 Butler, 3 p.m. ET

Wednesday, May 20
Game 2      #4 Valparaiso vs. #5 Cleveland State, 11 a.m. ET
Game 3      #3 Wright State vs. Game 1 winner, 3 p.m. ET

Thursday, May 21
Game 4      Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser, 11 a.m. ET
Game 5      #2 Milwaukee vs. Higher seed of Game 2 and 3 winners, 3 p.m. ET
Game 6      #1 UIC vs. Lower seed of Game 2 and 3 winners, 7 p.m. ET

Friday, May 22
Game 7      Game 4 winner vs. Lower seed of Game 5 and 6 losers, 11 a.m. ET
Game 8      Game 7 winner vs. Higher seed of Game 5 and 6 losers, 3 p.m. ET
(Note: If one of the Game 5 or 6 losers has already had a bye, then that team will play in Game 7, regardless of seed)
Game 9      Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 23
Game 10      Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 loser, 11 a.m. ET
Game 11      Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 3 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 24 -- if necessary
Game 12      Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser, 11 a.m. ET
(Note: If winner of Game 10 is also winner of Game 11, then winner and loser of Game 11 will play in Game 12 on Sunday)

All games played at Pipe Yard Stadium in Lorain, Ohio
All times Eastern (ET)



LAST WEEK IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE

Monday, May 11
Wright State 6, Toledo 3
West Virginia 6, Youngstown State 2

Tuesday, May 12
Butler 7, Eastern Illinois 5
& Milwaukee 7, Northern Illinois 6
Youngstown State 12, Toledo 7

Wednesday, May 13
Youngstown State 17, Buffalo 10
Illinois State at Valparaiso (cancelled)
UIC at Purdue (cancelled)

Thursday, May 14
$ % Milwaukee 6-7, Butler 5-6

Friday, May 15
$ Milwaukee 6, Butler 0
$ Wright State 4, Cleveland State 2
$ UIC at Valparaiso (ppd. to 5/17)

Saturday, May 16
$ Cleveland State 7-12, Wright State 6-6
$ UIC at Valparaiso (cancelled)

Sunday, May 17
$ UIC 2, Valparaiso 1 (10 inn.)

$ = Horizon League game
& = at Road Ranger Stadium in Rockford, Ill.
% = at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wis.



HORIZON LEAGUE TEAM NOTES

BUTLER BULLDOGS (No. 7 seed, 12-39 overall, 6-20 HL)

Butler suffered a loss in the opening round of the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship.

Butler's last Horizon League Tournament title came in 2000.

The Bulldogs dropped two heartbreakers to Milwaukee at Miller Park on Thursday. Both UWM wins came in walk-off fashion, including a game-two defeat in which BU rallied to tie the game with a four-run top of the ninth.

CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS (No. 5 seed, 20-29 overall, 12-13 HL)

Cleveland State went 1-2 in the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Vikings lost to Milwaukee, knocked off Youngstown State and lost to Wright State.

Cleveland State has never won a Horizon League Tournament title.

The Vikings have recorded their first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2000 and 2001.

Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Wright State was Cleveland State's first over the Raiders since April 4, 1998.

Junior Josh Federico has hit safely in nine straight games, the second longest streak by a CSU player this season.

MILWAUKEE PANTHERS (No. 2 seed, 26-25 overall, 14-9 HL)

Milwaukee was the runner-up in the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Panthers collected four wins along the way and suffered two setbacks.

Milwaukee's last Horizon League Tournament title came in 2002. The Panthers won on back-to-back walk-off hits in both games on Thursday at Miller Park. Senior Josh Groves (game 1) and freshman Paul Hoenecke (game 2) accounted for the heroics.

Milwaukee batted .352 last week, led by junior Tim Patzman (.733), Josh Groves (.500 / 7 RBI) and Paul Hoenecke (.417).

UWM went 4-0 last week, winning three one-run games, and jumping from third to second in the Horizon League standings.

UIC FLAMES (No. 1 seed, 26-21 overall, 17-6 HL)

UIC captured the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Flames only needed to win twice after earning a bye until Thursday as the top seed.

UIC has won four of the last six Horizon League Baseball Tournaments, including the last two.

UIC went 1-2 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, defeating Dallas Baptist, and losing to Texas A&M and Houston.

The Flames have won 10 of their last 12 games heading into this week's Horizon League Baseball Championship.

Senior Derrick Miramontes improved to 6-0 with two scoreless innings in the regular-season finale on Sunday at Valparaiso. He now has a 1.91 ERA this season and is 7-for-7 in save opportunities. He has allowed just eight earned runs in 37.2 innings of work out of the bullpen and owns a 5.4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

VALPARAISO CRUSADERS (No. 4 seed, 27-22 overall, 12-11 HL)

Valparaiso went 3-2 in the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Crusaders defeated Butler, Youngstown State and Wright State with losses coming to UIC and Milwaukee.

Valparaiso has never won a Horizon League Tournament title.

Valparaiso will finish over .500 for the first time since 1999.

Senior Matt Lenski leads the Horizon League in hitting by 35 points heading into the conference tournament.

Valpo's pitching staff enters the tournament with a League-best 4.49 ERA and .270 batting average against.

WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS (No. 3 seed, 29-27 overall, 14-12 HL)

Wright State went 1-2 in the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Raiders topped Cleveland State, but lost to Milwaukee and Valparaiso.

Wright State's last Horizon League Tournament title came in 2006. Senior Jeff Mercer was recently named 2009 Horizon League Player of the Year.

Wright State has now won the honor in three straight seasons as Ross Oeder was given the nod in 2007 and Jeremy Hamilton earned the accolade in 2008.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS (No. 6 seed, 16-34 overall, 10-14 HL)

Youngstown State dropped its first two games in the 2008 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Penguins suffered defeat at the hands of Valparaiso and Cleveland State.

Youngstown State's last Horizon League Tournament title came in 2004.

The Penguins posted their most hits in than a month with 14 on Tuesday against Toledo. YSU then surpassed that on Wednesday against Buffalo, picking up season highs of 19 hits and 17 runs.

Junior Aaron Swenson and sophomore Phil Klein have both surpassed 70 strikeouts on the season. It's the first time since Bill Sattler and Dave Dravecky accomplished the feat in 1977. Both Sattler and Dravecky went on to play professionally.

Tags: All Teams - Baseball

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