Horizon League Baseball Release #12
May 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior second baseman Jesse Hart has been named the Horizon League Baseball Player of the Week for the second time season, while Youngstown State University sophomore righthander Aaron Swenson has earned his second Pitcher-of-the-Week accolade for the week ending May 11, the League office announced Monday (May 12).
Player of the Week
Jesse Hart, Milwaukee
Sr. * 2B * West Allis, Wis.
Hart batted .370 (10-for-27) to lead Milwaukee to a 4-3 record last week, including a 3-1 mark in Horizon League games. He also scored eight runs, added three doubles and drove in six. In League games, Hart was 8-for-17 as the Panthers (20-32, 10-13) split a doubleheader with then-League leader UIC on Friday and then swept a twinbill from Butler on Sunday. Against the Bulldogs, he set a school record with his 24th double of the season and another with hit number 246 of his UWM career. Hart leads the League in doubles and ranks fourth in runs scored (47), hits (68) and runs-batted-in (46). Milwaukee has won three straight for the third time this season and will play host to Youngstown State in a three-game series beginning Thursday with a doubleheader at Miller Park.
Pitcher of the Week
Aaron Swenson, Youngstown State
So. * RHP * Twinsburg, Ohio
Swenson improved to 6-0 in Horizon League games with his fifth complete-game victory in Youngstown State's 2-1 win at Valparaiso in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. He scattered five hits, walked just one and struck out seven while holding Valpo to one run until the Penguins (19-30, 11-11) took the lead with two runs in the top of the ninth inning. Swenson retired ten straight until the sixth when the Crusaders scored their only run and then allowed one more hit in the final three innings. In two games against Valparaiso this season, he has allowed just two runs in two complete-game wins, while striking out 17 and walking only one. Swenson leads the League in innings pitched (85.2) and strikeouts (61) and ranks second with six wins, one shy of the conference lead.
Position Players
Jake Carr, UIC
Jr. * 1B/OF * Frankfort, Ill.
Carr was 6-for-15 (.400) with four doubles and three runs-batted-in as UIC went 3-1 on the week. His two-run double keyed a three-run third in a 7-3 win over Milwaukee on Friday. Carr also scored four runs in the four games.
Dan DeBruin, Valparaiso
Sr. * OF * Combined Locks, Wis.
DeBruin extended his hitting streak to seven games with hits in all three games of Valparaiso's 1-2 week. He had a double and a walk in a loss Wednesday at Iowa before going 4-for-7 with a double as the Crusaders split a doubleheader with Youngstown State on Saturday.
Jeremy Hamilton, Wright State
Jr. * 1B * Cincinnati, Ohio
Hamilton batted .313 (5-for-16) with six runs scored and seven runs-batted-in during a 3-1 week that lifted Wright State back into first place heading into the final week of the regular season. He also walked three times and was hit by a pitch.
Alex Kerins, Cleveland State
Sr. * 3B * Louisville, Ky.
Kerins batted .438 (7-for-16) in four games for Cleveland State with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. His lone RBI was his League-leading 50th of the springand made him only the fourth Viking in school history to record 50 in a season.
Sean Lucas, Youngstown State
Sr. * 3B * Warren, Ohio
Lucas batted .500 (6-for-12) and extended his hitting streak to seven games as Youngstown State went 1-2 last week. He was 1-for-4 with an RBI against Wright State on Friday, then went 5-for-8 in a doubleheader at Valparaiso. He led off the ninth with a single in game one as the Penguins scored twice to win, 2-1.
Joe Pauley, Butler
Sr. * SS * Skokie, Ill.
Pauley was only 2-for-10 in three games for Butler but he made his hits count with two home runs and four runs-batted-in in the Bulldogs' final game of the week Saturday at Milwaukee. He also added three runs in an 0-3 week for Butler.
Pitchers
Elliott Gibbs, Valparaiso
Sr. * RHP * Munster, Ind.
Gibbs threw a complete game but suffered the tough-luck loss in Valparaiso's 2-1 defeat to Youngstown State in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. He did not allow a run until two outs in the ninth, and the winning run scored on an error. Gibbs truck out four and did not allow a walk.
Dylan Henry, Cleveland State
Jr. * RHP * Carrollton, Ohio
Henry tossed seven innings and gave up four runs -- only two earned -- to take the loss in Cleveland State's game-two loss at UIC on Sunday. He gave up seven hits while allowing three walks and striking out one as the Vikings fell 4-1.
Alex Kaminsky, Wright State
So. * RHP * Fostoria, Ohio
Kaminsky improved to 5-0 in Horizon League play with seven solid innings in a 15-5 victory over Youngstown State on friday. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- in the first two innings before tossing five straight scoreless frames. He struck out four and allowed nine hits in the contest.
Mike Kool, UIC
Jr. * RHP * Davenport, Ill.
Kool allowed only one earned run (two runs total) in a complete-game victory over Cleveland State on Sunday. He scattered seven hits, did not allow a walk and struck out three in a 6-2 triumph in game one of the doubleheader.
Brad Lusti, Milwaukee
Jr. * RHP * Menahga, Minn.
Lusti enjoyed his best start of the season Saturday against Butler, throwing eight scoreless innings while striking out a season-high nine batters in a 12-1 victory in the first game of their doubleheader. He allowed only three hits and three walks. His nine strikeouts were the highest by a Panther pitcher this season.
League-leading Wright State looks to hold on as UIC tries to win seventh straight regular-season title
The race for the 2008 Horizon League regular-season title is down to Wright State and UIC entering the final week of the regular season.
Wright State (16-6 Horizon League) owns a one-game lead over UIC (14-6) after going 3-0 in League action last week. But the Raiders have concluded their League schedule, which could leave the door open for the Flames. UIC plays host to Valparaiso in a three-game set this Friday and Saturday, and the Flames need to play AND win all three to clinch their seventh straight regular-season title in outright fashion.
If UIC plays just two games against Valpo and wins both, the Flames and Raiders would tie for the title, but Wright State would claim the number-one seed in the upcoming League championship by virtue of winning three of five in the season series with UIC.
Third through sixth seeds still up in the air entering season's final week
Though they are out of the running for the regular-season title, Youngstown State (11-11), Cleveland State (9-11), Valparaiso (8-10) and Milwaukee (10-13) are in a battle for seeding position for next week's League championship.
Youngstown State plays three games --including Thursday's evening doubleheader at Miller Park -- at Milwaukee Thursday and Friday, while Cleveland State travels to Butler for three games Friday and Saturday, and Valpo plays at UIC.
Butler is guaranteed to be the seventh seed and will play in an elimination game to open the championship on May 20 against the number-six seed at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.
League batting leaders Rodeghero, Hamilton on Brooks Wallace Award `Watch List'
Wright State junior first baseman Jeremy Hamilton and Valparaiso senior outfielder Zach Rodeghero are two of only 100 players named recently to the Brooks Wallace Award's "Watch List" for collegiate player of the year.
The two also are battling for the Horizon League batting title as Rodeghero currently holds a one-point lead over Hamilton at .434 to .433. Hamilton tops the League in slugging percentage (.745), on-base percentage (.531), total bases (117) and walks (32). Rodeghero is the League leader in hits (79) and is second in on-base percentage (.502), third in doubles (20) and second in total bases (111).
In League games only, Rodeghero is batting .474, with Hamilton a distance second at .434.
Two League student-athletes earn Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA
Two Horizon League baseball players were named to the Academic All-District Teams presented by ESPN The Magazine last week.
Youngstown State senior infielder Josh Page earned All-District IV first-team honors and is now eligible for the Academic All-America Team, which will be announced later this month. The Plain City, Ohio, native has a 3.86 grade-point average as a middle childhood education major.
Wright State junior infielder Justin Perkins garnered second-team accolades in District IV. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native sports a 3.41 grade-point average in organizational leadership.
Panthers to host Penguins in doubleheader at Miller Park on Thursday
Continuing an annual tradition, Milwaukee will play at Miller Park when the Panthers host Youngstown State in a doubleheader on Thursday at the home of the Major League's Brewers. Game one will start between 5 and 5:30 p.m. ET (4 and 4:30 p.m. CT) following the conclusion of the Brewers/Dodgers game that day. UWM has played at Miller Park every season since 2002 and owns a 9-3 record at the stadium.
Wright State Update (27-19, 16-6)
Wright State has continued its solid play within the Horizon League, winning five straight League series. WSU has a 7-1-1 record in its nine League series in 2008, and the Raiders have dropped only one series this season, falling 2-1 to UIC at home to end March. After starting league play 2-3, the Green and Gold have won 14 of their last 17 circuit contests and are now 16-6 overall.
Jeremy Hamilton became the second WSU player to post 20 or more doubles in back-to-back seasons. Hamilton joined Kris Jarosz (1994-95) as the only two players to accomplish the feat. The junior had 22 doubles last season and has 20 in 2008, with two more doubles he will become the first player in league history to post 22-plus doubles in back-to-back seasons.
Gerald Ogrinc continues to lead the nation in pickoffs by a catcher with 11 in 2008. The sophomore ranks among the league leaders in fielding percentage and has thrown out 21 of the 54 potential base stealers this season.
The Raiders have ten players that have driven in ten or more RBI's this season and also have 11 players that have scored ten or more runs during the 2008 campaign.
UIC Update (27-19, 14-6)
No UIC hitter has been hotter than Jake Carr in the last ten games. In that span, the junior from Frankfort, Ill., is hitting .405 (17-for-42) with eight doubles and 12 RBI. He is slugging at a clip of .595 in that span. Carr brings a ten-game hitting streak into the final week of the season.
Closer Adam Worthington has been nearly untouchable in his last eight appearances. In 14 innings of work since April 18 the junior right-hander has not allowed a single run, striking out 13 while limited opposing batters to hit just .167 (8-for-48). He has lowered his League earned run average to 1.80 and has four saves against League foes.
Mike Kool tossed his second complete game of the year with a nine-inning victory over Cleveland State this past Sunday. He had also gone the distance in a one-run road loss at Youngstown State on April 12. All three of UIC's regular weekend starters (Kool, Derrick Miramontes and Grant Kohlstaedt) have at least one complete game this season, with Kool (2) and Miramontes (3) doing it on more than one occasion.
Youngstown State Update (19-30 11-11)
Pitcher Aaron Swenson is assembling a very impressive sophomore campaign. He earned his sixth League win and improved to 6-3 overall by defeating Valpo on Saturday in his fifth-complete game of the year. He leads the Horizon League in innings pitched (85.2) and strikeouts (61), ranks second in wins (6), and is third in ERA (3.68) and opposing batting average (.255). His five complete games are the most since Corey Ohalek had seven in 2003, and his six wins are the most for a YSU pitcher since Justin Thomas had seven in 2005. His 85.2 innings pitched rank as the fifth-most for a single season in school history.
Senior Erich Diedrich hit the 25th home run of his career on Friday at Wright State, which is one off of the school record held by former First-Team All-League catcher Adam Cox. Diedrich hit six as a freshman, nine as a sophomore, eight as a junior and has two this year.
YSU needs five more wins to achieve 1,000 as a program.
Cleveland State Update (20-25, 9-11)
Alex Kerins drove in his 50th run of the season over the weekend to become just the fourth player in CSU history to reach the 50 RBI mark in a season.
Drew Fronczek has given up just eight earned runs and struck out 21 in 33 innings out of the bullpen this season. He is 3-2 with a 2.18 ERA. He has allowed just two runs over his last 10.2 innings of work.
CSU lost all four of its games over the weekend to run its losing streak to a season-high five games. The Vikings had lost four straight on two occasions earlier this season.
At 9-11 in the Horizon League, CSU can still tie the school-record for League wins in a season if the Vikings earn a three-game sweep at Butler this weekend. The program record of 12 conference wins was established in 1997 and 1999.
Valparaiso Update (17-30, 8-10)
Zach Rodeghero had his 24-game hitting streak snapped at Iowa, but needs just three more hits to tie Mark Pedersen's school single season hit record (82). Rodeghero also needs one more double to match the single season doubles record (21) of Pedersen and Rob Hadrick.
Jon Gulbransen went eight innings, not allowing a run until the ninth in the victory in game two against Youngstown State on Saturday. Andrew Quinnette was 3-for-4 with two RBI in the game.
John Giusti is second in Valpo history with 410 career assists, 14 shy of the school record.
Jarad Miller's seven saves this season put him in sixth place for a career as a freshman.
Milwaukee Update (20-32, 10-13)
Milwaukee's 128 doubles as a team are on pace to break the school mark of 143 and are currently fifth in the nation as a team.
Senior Jesse Hart broke the season doubles (24) and career hits record (246) Saturday. The former doubles mark was 23 set by Mike Goetz in 2006 and the school hits record of 245 was held by Darin Haugom (1997-2001).
Hart, Shawn Wozniak (22 doubles) and Nick Wichser (20 doubles) give UWM three players with 20-plus doubles in a season for the first time in school history. Hart and Wozniak's 46 doubles are the most combined of any two teammates in the NCAA.
Andy Gerhartz also had a great week, batting .455 (10-for-22), scoring seven runs and going 4-for-4 in stolen bases.
Andy Hetebrueg won for the fourth time in his last five starts when he beat UIC Friday.
Nick Wichser has 194 career hits and will look to become just the fifth player in school history to have more than 200 in a career.
Butler Update (10-31, 5-16)
Senior Joe Pauley continues to close in on a school record. With a team-best 34 runs scored this season, the Butler shortstop boasts 138 runs in his career, just 12 shy of the school record of 150.
Junior left-hander Joe Ochs extended his streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Since allowing seven runs to No. 17 Kentucky in the season-opener, the southpaw has gone the last 26.2 innings without yielding an earned run, lowering his ERA to 2.05 over 30.2 frames. Ochs has not allowed an earned run to score in League play in 11.2 innings.
