Marietta College left little doubt as to which

Transcription

1 By Bill Ballew Marietta College left little doubt as to which team was the best at the Division III level in The Etta Express added to its legacy as the nation s winningest program by earning its fifth D-III national championship with an 18-5 victory over Chapman University at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis., last May. Said head coach Brian Brewer, We consider ourselves to be the best Division III baseball program in the country and now that we have more (national crowns) than anyone else, I guess we can brag a little bit more. We respect everybody. It s nice to get five, but it s an experience within itself. While Marietta enters the 2012 season looking to repeat, the Ohio-based school will have to withstand the challenges of several solid contenders, including those listed in Baseball The Magazine s pre-season Top Marietta Pioneers: Marietta looks poised to defend its national championship with the return of two starting pitchers and five position players that helped the Etta Express win the big prize a year ago. Senior righthanders Brian Gasser and Austin Blaski give the team a potent one-two punch. Gasser led Marietta with 15 starts a year ago and won 14 while posting a 1.06 ERA. Blaski was similarly dominant with a 12-2 mark and a 1.62 ERA in 17 outings, including 14 starts. The relief corps is impressive with the return of seniors Logan Lewis (2-0, 0.72 ERA) and Mike Mahaffey (3-0, 0.96 ERA) and junior Luke Langdon (2-0, 3.06 ERA). Senior shortstop Tim Saunders is the top returning hitter from a year ago after he posted a.385 norm with three homers and 53 RBI. He is joined up the middle by senior second baseman Kirby Becker (.328, 30 RBI), while first baseman Braden Park (.313, 14 RBI) solidifies the infield defense. The outfield is steady with a pair of junior flycatchers in Jordan Grilliot and Aaron Hopper. Grilliot was third on the team in 2011 with a.363 batting average; Hopper hit at a.358 clip while crushing a team-best five home runs and ranking second with 58 RBI. 2. Chapman Panthers: After advancing to the national championships in 2011 on the heels of winning the West Region, the Panthers return three of their top four starting pitchers and lost only catcher Adam Kordich in the everyday lineup, which should bode well for another run into late May for the California-based school. Chapman is led on the mound by junior righthander Brian Rauh, who is the reigning D-III West Region Pitcher of the Year after posting an 11-0 record for the second straight season along with a 1.74 ERA in 16 outings. Rauh is joined in the rotation by juniors Christian Maietta (6-3, 3.21 ERA) and Travis McGee (6-3, 4.50 ERA). The lineup is led by senior second baseman Tyler Hadzinksy, who garnered third-team All-West Region honors while leading the Panther offense with a.331 batting average and 16 stolen bases. Hadzinksy is joined on the grass by junior Tyler Surnbrock (.283, 5 HR, 28 RBI) and sophomore Troy Newman (.248, Brian Rauh Christian Maietta Page 40 Baseball The Magazine Issue

2 28 RBI). The outfield returns sophomore Adam Velez (.309, 21 RBI), senior Charlie Piro (.293, 25 RBI) and two-way player Steve Greenberg (.291, 20 RBI). Utility men Mark Saatzer (.317, 34 RBI) and James Parr (.297, 30 RBI) also figure prominently into head coach Tom Tereschuk s plans. 3. Christopher Newport Captains: The 2011 campaign proved to be a memorable one for the Captains, who attained their first-ever number one national ranking and won the USA South championship. Along the way Christopher Newport put together a 26-game winning streak and concluded the regular season with three straight wins over Shenandoah, the top-ranked team at the time. Head coach John Harvell returns seven of eight starters in the field and two of his top three pitchers, led by senior All- Americans Connor Madden and Matt Shoemaker. Madden batted.412 with a school-record 23 doubles last season while Shoemaker paced the Captains with eight home runs. Seniors Steven Lindemuth (.308, 3 HR, 30 RBI), Ben Lenda (.220, 4 HR, 32 RBI), Luke Saunders (.305, 6 HR, 33 RBI) and Shannon Mark (.289, 21 RBI) give the Captains outstanding leadership, while infielders Billy Steel (.333, 4 HR, 42 RBI) and Steven Keener (.274, 5 HR, 24 RBI) help make the lineup formidable from top to bottom. On the mound, CNU has starters Greg Goldsmith (7-2, 3.22 ERA) and Bryan Bierlein (6-0, 2.29 ERA) back in the rotation. The endof-game relievers are also among the nation s best in Ryan Fleischmann (4-1, 1.45 ERA) and Matt Verdillo (3-0, 3.00 ERA). Fleischmann ranked among the D-III leaders with eight saves while posting a 1.45 ERA. Verdillo fanned 43 batters in 33 innings over 23 outings. 4. SUNY Cortland Red Dragons: The Red Dragons are coming off a 2011 season in which they went 36-10, won the State University of New York Athletic Conference and extended their NCAA tournament streak to 19 seasons, longest at the D-III level. Cortland has seven position players who started at least 26 games last year back on the field, led by junior shortstop John Adornetto, who paced the team with a.369 batting average and a.478 on-base percentage while ranking second with 24 RBI and 31 runs scored. His double-play partner, senior second baseman Matt June, batted.339 with eight doubles, 22 RBI and a team-high 42 runs scored. The Red Dragons also have senior first baseman Nick Thode (.295, 35 RBI), junior third baseman Bryan Mistretta (.305) and sophomore catchers Tim Panetta (.314) and P.J. Rinaldi (.316). The outfield is deep with junior Zack Graczyk, who led the Red Dragons with 20 stolen bases and eight sacrifice bunts, Connor Madden Matt June Matt Shoemaker Photos by Darl Zehr Photography Page 41

3 shared the team lead with nine doubles, and ranked second with a.362 batting average. He is joined in the garden by junior Chris Jackson (.303) and sophomore Adam Smith (.311). The question comes on the mound, where senior righthander Aaron Schuldt (7-1, 2.70 ERA) is the lone returning starter. The bullpen is also questionable after seniors Brendan Hourihan (1.71 ERA) and Tom Nagy (1-1, 3.14 ERA). 5. Alvernia Crusaders: The Crusaders went 17-1 in Commonwealth Conference games and played in its third straight Mid-Atlantic Regional, advancing to the championship round and finishing with an overall record of Despite falling one game shy of reaching the D-III World Series, the Crusaders welcome back eight starting position players and four key pitchers, headed by Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year Andrew Kirk and Player of the Year Chris Ray. Kirk went 10-2, posted a 1.62 ERA in a school-record 13 starts, and shattered the program mark with 118 strikeouts. Ray led the conference with a.419 batting average while leading the Crusaders with 72 hits and 11 doubles. The team also has two second-team Mid-Atlantic All-Region members in outfielders Travis Wrambel and Leon Stimpson. Wrambel provided much of the power for the Crusaders last season by blasting eight home runs and hitting.372. Stimpson gave the team speed at the top of the lineup by swiping 20 bags in 23 attempts and hitting at a.343 clip with a team-best six triples. Aiding Kirk on the mound are lefthander Mike Weinhold, who was 8-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 62.1 innings in 2011, and reliever Cody Smith, who had a 5-0 mark with a 3.50 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 13 appearances. John Adornetto Photos by Darl Zehr Photography Andrew Kirk Chris Ray Page 42 Baseball The Magazine Issue

4 6. Kean Cougars: The Cougars have emerged as one of the most consistent programs at the D-III level under head coach Neil Ioviero, posting seven straight 30-win seasons and capturing conference crowns in each of the past two years. In 2011, Kean went and earned its fourth trip to the national championships in Appleton in the past five years. Ioviero must fill the voids created by the graduation of several key seniors but has the advantage of welcoming back Lee Cavico and Mike Russo, the Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Cavico led the Cougars with 48 runs, ranked second on the team in batting average (.356), hits (68), home runs (9) and RBI (48), and garnered a spot on the World Series All- Tournament team and most outstanding player honors in the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Russo was a second-team All-American while establishing the Kean single-season mark with 10 victories. Kean will also count on righthanders Chris Cirlincione (7-1, 1.09 ERA) and Kevin Herget (7-1, 2.68 ERA) on the mound. The top returnees in the lineup include senior catcher Eddie Jennings (.271, 15 RBI), infielders Tyler Smarslok (.315, 15 RBI) and Stephen Nappe (.278, 13 RBI) and outfielders Vinny Galya (.292, 22 RBI) and Shane Alvarez (.259). Lee Cavico Photo credit - Larry Levanti Photo credit - Larry Levanti Jon Cavender Mike Russo Photo Credit Greg Wagner Photography Page 43

5 Cameron Lowe 7. Linfield Wildcats: The Wildcats fell two wins shy of returning to the D-III finals after winning the Northwest Conference for the third time in four years and going to finish ninth in the nation. Linfield overcame early-season doubts regarding its offense by putting together an explosive lineup even without pre-season All-American Zach Boskovich, who suffered a broken collarbone in the campaign s fifth game. Boskovich is back for his senior year along with a talented sophomore class that includes Tim Wilson, Nate McClellan and Clayton Truex. All three hit.325 or higher and combined for 23 doubles, 14 home runs and 93 RBI. Wilson set the Linfield single-season record for batting average at.490 and designated hitter Truex ranked second on the club with nine homers. The Wildcats also have senior infielder Kevin Allan, who batted.308 with 19 RBI. Senior righthander Ryan Larson paces the pitching staff after leading the team in wins (seven), starts (14) and complete games (three) while posting a 2.09 ERA. Head coach Scott Brosius, the former major league infielder who is in his fifth season at the Oregon school, is also counting on junior righthander Zach Manley (5-0, 2.30 ERA) and sophomore righty Zach Brandon (5-0, 1.96) to build on last year s achievements. Photo Credit Greg Wagner Photography Adam Eichstaedt Jared Fon Page 44 Baseball The Magazine Issue

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7 Brandon Peterson 8. Redlands Bulldogs: The 2011 season represented the 100th campaign in the program s history, and the Bulldogs made the century mark memorable. Head coach Scott Laverty guided Redlands to a record, marking only the second 30-win season for the school, and captured the team s first conference title in five years while notching its initial NCAA tournament triumph since The Bulldogs have eight players who started at least 15 games last year back on the diamond, including its entire infield with senior first baseman Jon Cavender (.325, 38 RBI), senior second baseman Cameron Lowe (.351, 21 RBI), senior shortstop Chase Tucker (.381, 3 HR, 35 RBI) and junior third baseman Jason Henning (.373, 5 HR, 35 RBI). Tucker and Lowe earned first-team All-SCIAC honors and Henning was a second-team selection in The outfield is expected to be solid with senior Trenton Lively (.317, 26 RBI) and sophomore Alex Scheiwe (.273). Senior catcher Landon McMath (.274, 14 RBI) guides a pitching staff that will be led by junior righthander Kyle Hart, a second-team all-conference honoree who went 9-3 with a 3.97 ERA in 18 outings and 15 starts. The Bulldogs will need more consistency from senior lefthander Adam Byrd (4-3, 4.15 ERA, 3 saves) and junior righthander Paul Dippel (1-2, 5.03 ERA), who needs to fill larger roles this spring. 9. Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks: The Warhawks advanced to the D-III World Series last year in their backyard and posted a record. Head coach John Vodenlich must replace three All- Americans who graduated from last season s team but has plenty of pieces to pick from in order to make the short drive to Appleton a possibility once again. UW-W is led by shortstop Adam Eichstaedt, a second-team All-Midwest Region pick who batted.324 with 33 RBI and nine stolen bases in Sophomore infielder Jared Fon (.302, 22 RBI) also returns along with senior Travis Wessels, who struggled at the plate last season while hitting.195 with 16 RBI. The outfield is in good shape with senior Matt Beyer (.273, 3 HR, 26 RBI) and sophomore Dylan Friend (.278, 4 HR, 32 RBI). In addition to contributions from a handful of freshmen, the key to the Warhawks season could be how the starting pitchers react to an increase in responsibilities. Junior righthander Justin Lambert (6-4, 3.86 ERA) has the most experience, having made nine starts among his 15 outings last spring. Senior Jack Larsen (2-0, 2.10 ERA) performed admirably in 11 outings and four starts in 2011, as did sophomore Mathew Roberts (2-1, 3.58 ERA) in 14 appearances and three starts. 10. St. Scholastica Saints: The Saints continued their impressive tradition in 2011 by capturing their 15th consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference regular season crown and 14th straight UMAC tournament title while going 37-7 and ranking 12th in the nation in the final poll. St. Scholastica also led all of NCAA baseball by averaging 9.3 runs per game, a trend that should continue with the return of several All-Midwest Region recipients and a class of 18 newcomers. Junior catcher Kyle Moody is the reigning UMAC Player of the Year who ranked among the nation s top 35 at the D- III level with a.435 batting average and 30 RBI. Senior first baseman Brandon Peterson, another second-team all-region selection, hit.421 with a league-best six home runs while driving in 26 runs. Junior outfielder Kyle Flagstad put together a torrid second half of the season to post 12 multi-rbi games while hitting.398 and ranking second on the team with 25 runs scored. Junior shortstop Jake Casareto (.322, 26 RBI) gives the Saints solid production up the middle. The pitching rotation is led by two-way player David Vogelgesang, who went 8-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 10 starts and hit.270 with six homers in the outfield. St. Scholastica will look to get more from sophomore Andy Davis (3-1, 0.87 ERA) and junior Kyle Jensen (4-2, 1.79 ERA), a pair of righthanders who made five starts apiece last spring. Kyle Flagstad Page 46 Baseball The Magazine Issue