GLIAC Baseball Weekly Release, Mar. 19, 2009 Conference Overall Team W L T Pct. W L T Pct. Wayne State 2 0 0 1.000 8 8 0.500 Tiffin 2 0 0 1.000 5 10 0.333 Grand Valley State #1 0 0 0.000 16 2 0.889 Ashland #12 0 0 0.000 15 6 0.714 Hillsdale 0 0 0.000 7 6 0.538 Findlay 0 0 0.000 2 10 0.167 Northwood 0 2 0.000 6 6 0.500 Saginaw Valley State 0 2 0.000 3 11 0.214 # - NCBWA Top 25 Ranking 2009 Standings (Through games of Mar. 18) GLIAC Baseball Players of the Week Jeff Ligney Director of Media Relations 1110 Washington Ave. Bay City, MI 48708 Voice: (989) 894-2529 Fax: (989) 894-2825 E-mail: jligney@gliac.org web site:www.gliac.org/sports/bsb/ May 7-9, VA Memorial Stadium Chillicothe, Ohio. GLIAC Baseball Player of the Week: Jeff Foltz - Ashland (Sr, OF/P, L/L, Findlay, Ohio) Senior outfielder Jeff Foltz led the Eagles with a.574 batting average following the team s spring trip. He accumulated 18 RBI, 31 hits, and connected for 10 doubles while scoring 11 runs. He has shored up a corner outfield spot that looked to be up for grabs at the beginning part of the season. The senior is making the most of his opportunity in a starting role. Foltz is currently leading the GLIAC in batting average, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, and ranks second in on-base percentage and runsbatted-in. Weekly Honor Roll Brian Sampsel - UF, Josh Hillyard - GV, Adam Connell - HC, Brett Lechner - NU, Ryan Webber - SV, Ryan LaPensee - WS. GLIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week: Danny Richard - Grand Valley State (So, RHP, West Bloomfield, Mich.) Sophomore Danny Richard threw the first perfect game in almost 21 years at Grand Valley State on March 3 against Kentucky Wesleyan. Richard struck out four batters and threw 70 total pitches during a 5-0, seveninning win. He followed that up by not allowing an earned run during a 9-1 win over Wheeling Jesuit on March 8. He threw six innings against the Cardinals and allowed two hits while holding opponents to a batting average of.100 with two strikeouts. In his third start, Richard shut down the Lake Erie offense through seven innings, allowing only four hits with four strikeouts for his third consecutive start without allowing an earned run. Weekly Honor Roll Ajay Meyer - AU, Ryan Rothenbuler - UF, Dan Rhodes - HC, Jordan Snider - NU, Tyler Loehr - WS. 2009 GLIAC Baseball Players of the Week (3/19) J. Foltz - AU. 2009 GLIAC Baseball Pitchers of the Week (3/19) D. Richard - GV.
Page 2 of 5 Upcoming Games Thursday, March 19 Grand Valley State at Findlay* Saturday, March 21 Tiffin at Northwood* Grand Valley State at Hillsdale* Wayne State at Ashland* Findlay at Saginaw Valley State* Sunday, March 22 Findlay at Saginaw Valley State (1)* Wayne State at Ashland (1)* Tiffin at Northwood (1)* Grand Valley State at Hillsdale (1)* Tuesday, March 24 Grand Valley State at Western Michigan (1) Findlay at Bowling Green (Ohio) (1) Wednesday, March 25 Wayne State at Tiffin* Grand Valley State at Ashland* Hillsdale at Saginaw Valley State* Northwood at Findlay* Saturday, March 28 Northwood at Hillsdale* Ashland at Saginaw Valley State* Findlay at Wayne State* Grand Valley State at Tiffin* Sunday, March 29 Findlay at Wayne State (1)* Ashland at Saginaw Valley State (1)* Grand Valley State at Tiffin (1)* Northwood at Hillsdale (1)* Tuesday, March 31 Indianapolis at Tiffin Findlay at Heidelberg (Ohio) (1) 3 pm 3 pm Wednesday, March 18 at Tiffin 2-9, Saginaw Valley State 1-5* at Wayne State 7-6, Northwood 6-5* at Armstrong Atlantic 4, Hillsdale 1 Tuesday, March 17 at Armstrong Atlantic 19, Hillsdale 0 at Toledo 20, Wayne State 3 at Kent State 16, Ashland 10 Sunday, March 15 Grand Valley State 3, Findlay 0 Hillsdale 5-7, vs. Fairmont State (W.Va.) 2-1 Grand Valley State 6, Lake Erie (Ohio) 0 Findlay 17, Lake Erie (Ohio) 10 Saturday, March 14 Ashland 16, Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) 12 Grand Valley State 14, Findlay 6 Saginaw Valley State 14-4, Assumption (Mass.) 7-9 Hillsdale 4-5, Fairmont State (W.Va.) 3-7 Findlay 9, Lake Erie (Ohio) 3 Grand Valley State 15, Lake Erie (Ohio) 4 Friday, March 13 SCAD (Ga.) 6, Tiffin 5 Ashland 6-4, Seton Hill (Pa.) 0-1 Saginaw Valley State 6-2, Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) 1-1 Thursday, March 12 Ashland 21, C.W. Post (N.Y.) 11 Jamestown (N.D.) 7-26, Tiffin 5-13 Minn. St.-Mankato 9-14, Saginaw Valley State 5-3 Wednesday, March 11 Quincy (Ill.) 7, Ashland 3 Ashland 14, C.W. Post (N.Y.) 3 Seton Hill (Pa.) 10, Saginaw Valley State 2 Tuesday, March 10 Grand Valley State 7, C.W. Post (N.Y.) 1 St. Francis (Ill.) 11, Tiffin 6 Ashland 10, Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) 1 Seton Hill (Pa.) 9, Saginaw Valley State 8
Page 3 of 5 Monday, March 9 Ashland 10, Minnesota St.-Mankato 1 Grand Valley State 10, Quincy (Ill.) 4 Tiffin 6, St. Francis (Ind.) 4 Florida Southern 18, Saginaw Valley State 8 Sunday, March 8 Ashland 6, Minnesota St.-Mankato 4 Wayne State 17, Missouri S&T 10 Grand Valley State 9-7, Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) 1-2 Missouri-St. Louis 12, Saginaw Valley State 6 at Valdosta State (Ga.) 16-13, Tiffin 5-3 Penn State-Beaver 6, Northwood 5 Saturday, March 7 Ashland 11-8, St. Joseph s 4-4 Northwood 7-4, Pitt-Johnstown (Pa.) 2-13 Wayne State 8, Arkansas Tech 5 Hillsdale 18, at Oakland City (Ind.) 8 Grand Valley State 9-4, Minnesota St.-Mankato 3-5 Rockhurst (Mo.) 9-8, Saginaw Valley State 8-1 Indianapolis 12, Hillsdale 2 at Valdosta State 22, Tiffin 2 Friday, March 6 Ashland 23-2, Rockhurst (Mo.) 12-8 Tiffin 3-4, at Northern Kentucky 2-11 California (Pa.) 11, Findlay 3 Grand Valley State 9, Quincy (Ill.) 4 Wayne State 9, at Drury (Mo.) 7 Shippensburg (Pa.) 18, Northwood 8 Thursday, March 5 Northwood 5, Chestnut Hill (Pa.) 4 Bellarmine (Ky.) 4, Findlay 3 at Armstrong Atlantic (Ga.) 1, Findlay 0 at Drury (Mo.) 14, Wayne State 5 Valdosta State (Ga.) 6, Ashland 2 Grand Valley State 11, at Tampa 4 Monday, March 2 Northwood 6-10, Phila-Sciences (Pa.) 0-5 Grand Valley State 12-6, Nebraska-Omaha 5-1 Kutztown (Pa.) 13, Findlay 7 Sunday, March 1 Grand Valley State 15, West Va. Wesleyan 10 Hillsdale 8, Kentucky Wesleyan 4 Ashland 8, at Indianapolis 5 Southern Indiana 9-4, Wayne State 7-1 Mansfield (Pa.) 4-5, Northwood 0-6 Saturday, February 28 California (Pa.) 8, Findlay 7 Lewis (Ill.) 12-0, Hillsdale 2-4 at Bellarmine (Ky.) 3-2, Wayne State 0-1 Ashland 2-3, at Indianapolis 1-1 Kutztown (Pa.) 8, Findlay 3 Friday, February 27 Nebraska-Omaha 14-7, Hillsdale 5-8 at Bellarmine (Ky.) 3, Wayne State 2 Sunday, February 22 Slippery Rock (Pa.) 16, Tiffin 3 at Bellarmine (Ky.) 4-2, Ashland 3-1 Saturday, February 21 Ashland 4, at Bellarmine (Ky.) 3 at West Georgia 16-5, Wayne State 10-12 Tiffin 26, Slippery Rock (Pa.) 9 Friday, February 20 Wayne State 6-6, at West Georgia 4-2 Slippery Rock (Pa.) 11, Tiffin 6 Wednesday, March 4 Bellarmine (Ky.) 7, Findlay 2 Grand Valley State 19, West Va. Wesleyan 0 Tuesday, March 3 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 1-1, Northwood 0-5 Grand Valley State 5-2, Kentucky Wesleyan 0-5 at Armstrong Atlantic 7, Findlay 2
Page 4 of 5 Ashland - Ashland started out its season on the road taking one out of three from Bellarmine. The Eagles then played at Indianapolis and took three games from the Greyhounds. AU then traveled to Florida to play 14 games in the Russ Matt Invitational. The Eagles won 11 of their 14 games. Ashland has already had two win streaks of five or more games this season. AU rolled off six victories in the middle of its trip and then finished the Invitational with five wins. Senior outfielder Jeff Foltz is leading the Eagles with a.574 batting averaging, knocking in 18 RBI on 31 hits. He has already connected for 10 doubles, while scoring 11 runs. He has shored up a corner outfield spot that looked to be up for grabs at the beginning part of the season. Junior transfer Ajay Meyer has been pitching lights out. In five appearances, pitching 37 2/3 innings, he has only given up seven earned runs, earning a 2-0 record. During this string of starts, he has struck out 34 batters to only four walks, giving him an outstanding 8.4 strikeout to walk ratio. In his final game of the Florida trip, he pitched a complete game giving up one earned run. In the contest, he struck out six while only walking one to earn the victory. Ashland currently sits with a record of 15-5 on the season. AU travels to Kent State on Tuesday (Mar. 17) for a game added late to the schedule for a 3 p.m. start. Starting on Saturday (Mar. 21), the Eagles play their first GLIAC and home games of the season. AU hosts Wayne State on Saturday for a double header, starting at 1 p.m. Then on Sunday (Mar. 22), Ashland hosts WSU for one more contest, a nine-inning affair starting at 1 p.m. Findlay - The Oilers got off to a rough start in Savannah, Georgia with eight losses but rebounded to go 2-2 against Lake Erie College and Grand Valley State University last weekend in Chillicothe, Ohio On the season, senior Brian Sampsel has recorded a.302 average with two homeruns and 18 runs batted in As a team, Findlay has stole 15-of- 17 bases thus far Senior Bryce Whittington and junior Matt Weber have the lone wins for the Oilers pitching staff. GLIAC Baseball Notes Grand Valley State - Grand Valley State is ranked #1 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll that was released Tuesday. The Lakers received six first-place votes and 316 total points. The #1 spot in the poll is Lakers first-ever seat atop a collegiate baseball poll. GVSU is ranked #2 in the Collegiate Baseball coaches poll with 468 points and fourth in the PING DII rankings...the Lakers previous high ranking was #2 in 2004 following its appearance in the NCAA DII National Championship game...grand Valley State s 16-2 record to open the season is its best start in school history. The 1997 team started 15-2 and eventually upped its record to 18-4...Grand Valley State is hitting.359 as a team, but the Laker pitching staff is holding opponents to just a.203 batting average. The Laker hurlers also have a staff ERA of 2.33 and have 149 strikeouts compared to 41 walks...gvsu sophomore pitcher Danny Richard (West Bloomfield, Mich.) is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three starts and 20.0 innings of work. Richard has yielded six hits an one unearned run. He also has 10 strikeouts and just one walk. Richard opened the season with GVSU s first perfect game in 21 years (5-0 over Kentucky Wesleyan)...Senior CF Casey Robrahn (Jenison, Mich.) upped his hit total to 230 and moved closer to GVSU s all-time hits record (238). Robrahn is tied for third in alltime doubles with 38 and fourth in RBIs (131). Hillsdale - The Hillsdale College baseball team is off to one of its better starts in recent years, going 7-4 through 11 games The Chargers won three out of four in a twoday series against Fairmont State Sophomore Adam Connell is off to the best start among the team s batters, leading the Chargers in hits, runs scored and stolen bases Hillsdale opens its home and GLIAC schedules this Saturday by hosting Grand Valley State in a threegame series this weekend.
Page 5 of 5 Northwood - Northwood went 6-5 to open the season on their annual trip to Florida Timberwolves head coach Joe Di Benedetto is now just one victory short of reaching 500 for his career Brett Lechner (Midland, Mich./Dow) led the way for the Northwood offense, batting.425 while sharing the team-high with eight RBI s Jordan Snider (Bay City, Mich./John Glenn) opened his career in impressive fashion, going 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA in a pair of starts for Northwood in his first career start, Snider allowed three hits while striking out four in a complete game shutout win over the University of the Sciences Snider then struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings of work while allowing one run Eric Kinley (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) also threw well for the Timberwolves despite going 0-2 for the week Kinley finished with a pair of complete games, registering a 1.50 ERA he struck out 15 while allowing just nine hits in 12 innings of work NU returns to action this week with a GLIAC doubleheader at Grand Valley State Wednesday afternoon before hosting Tiffin Saturday and Sunday. Saginaw Valley State - The young Cardinals got off to a disappointing start this season as they traveled to Winter Haven, and Lakeland, Fla., for 12 games over the past week. SVSU returns home with a 3-9 record. SVSU received solid pitching efforts from junior Kevin Kerner, who made two starts, averaging 6.5 innings and 6.23 strikeouts per outing. After starting their trip 0-8, the Cardinals rallied in their final four games to go 3-1 over the last three days. The Cardinals will look to keep that momentum going as they enter the conference portion of their schedule this week against Tiffin University on Wednesday (Mar. 18), and will host the University of Findlay for a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday (Mar. 21-22) in University Center, Mich. The Cardinals will need quality starts from the top of the rotation and strong pitching efforts from the entire bullpen. GLIAC Baseball Notes Tiffin - Tiffin University went 2-8 on their annual spring trip, with a number of offensive players standing out. Trevor Johnson hit.350 over 9 games with 5 RBI while Jason Bailey hit.348 with 3 doubles and 5 RBI Bobby Mullin and Ty Blake led the team with 10 hits, as Mullin hit.345 and also led the team with 8 runs Blake batted.323 with 4 doubles and a team best 6 RBI Colin Lowe also had 6 RBI while hitting.321 and scoring 7 runs Val Helldobler batted.333 and Devin Rudolph also hit.300 TU hit.277 on their trip Eric Ludrowsky went 1-1 on the mound while Brad Davis grabbed a win in relief. Wayne State - Wayne State opened the year taking three of four at West Georgia before struggling through a sixgame losing streak the team won all three games at Drury s Heffington Optical Festival two weeks ago, however, to climb back towards the.500 mark the Warrior bats came alive that weekend, as WSU averaged 11 runs and 13 hits per game Ryan LaPensee (LaSalle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) and Scott Martin (Ann Arbor, Mich./ Pioneer) batted.571 and.545, respectively, during the Festival WSU has hit 12 home runs, already accumulating 57 percent of its 2008 total (21) LaPensee, Martin, and Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland) lead the team with three apiece Adam Kaminski (Clinton Twp., Mich./Mt. Clemens), who is in the midst of an eightgame hitting streak, leads the team in average (.380), hits (19), and RBI (13) in his first season since transferring from Blue Ridge C.C., outfielder Paul LaMantia (Tecumseh, Ont./St. Anne s) has a.372 average (16-43) with eight extra-base hits, five RBI and 11 runs scored Brady Cooper (Allen Park, Mich.) has two complete games and has worked a staff-high 19.1 innings. He totaled just 34.2 innings over her first two seasons rookie infielder Andrew Ciennik (Waterford, Mich./Mott) is batting.391 (9-23) with six RBI and eight runs scored during his current six-game hitting streak Tyler Loehr (Brighton, Mich.) leads the WSU staff with 17 strikeouts Wayne State has a nine-inning game Tuesday at Toledo before opening its home and GLIAC schedule Wednesday against Northwood the Warriors will also travel to Ashland this weekend in a rematch of last year s NCAA North Central Regional championship. -30-