Top Six Teams Meet in Highly Competitive HCAC Baseball Weekend
April 10, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN – With four weekends to go in the conference regular season, six teams are separated by only one loss in the loss column and continue to jockey for the four available slots into the conference tournament. Anderson and Mount St. Joseph current sit alone in first place, but have Franklin, Transylvania, Manchester, and Rose-Hulman nipping at their heels. This weekend, the Ravens will face a stiff test as they face Manchester in a three game series.
Anderson (16-8, 6-2 HCAC) made its season debut in the ABCA Division III Baseball coaches poll this week, coming in at No. 28. The Ravens saw its six game win streak come to a close with a 16-2 loss to Rose-Hulman at Victory Field in Indianapolis. Manchester (14-13, 7-4 HCAC) has lost three of their last four after losing two of three to Franklin and falling 13-8 at Division I Notre Dame.
AU has been paced this season at the plate by senior outfielder Stephen Jones (Anderson, Ind./H.S.) and junior catcher Brad Lantz (Lapel, Ind./H.S.). Jones leads the team with a .397 batting average and has chipped in eight doubles and 23 RBI. Lantz is batting .364 and ranks among the HCAC leaders with five home runs, 28 RBI, and a .675 slugging percentage.
On the mound, junior pitcher Kevin Pence (Birmingham, Ala./Briarwood Christian) has posted a 2.63 ERA and a 3-1 record in four appearances. Pence has struck out 16 batters in 27.1 innings of work for the Ravens.
Manchester ’s offensive attack has been led by sophomore Josh Buell (Angola, Ind./H.S.) and junior catcher Matty Miller (Rochester, Ind./H.S.). Buell leads the team with a .313 average at the dish and has added 21 runs, six doubles, and three home runs. Miller is just behind Buell with a .309 average, contributing 18 runs, six doubles, four home runs, and 17 RBI.
Sophomore pitcher Colin Denihan (Columbia City, Ind./H.S.) has anchored the Spartans’ rotation this season, firing an ERA of 1.91 to rank second in the conference. He has a 4-1 record in five appearances and has struck out 28 batters in 33 innings pitched.
The two teams will meet at Anderson for a 4:00 PM first pitch Friday afternoon before playing a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Manchester beginning at 12:00 PM.
In other conference action…
Franklin and Transylvania will meet on each others campuses for a three game series this weekend. The Grizzlies (15-8, 8-3 HCAC) have won five of their last six games, including two of three against Manchester last weekend. Junior outfielder Joel Chrobak (LaPorte, Ind./H.S.) is hitting .386 for FC and ranks in the top three among conference leaders with nine doubles, five home runs, 31 RBI, and a .699 slugging percentage. Freshman Mike Zuidema (Granger, Ind./Penn) has a .378 average and ranks third in the HCAC with a .500 on-base percentage. On the mound for Franklin, senior pitcher Andy Clark (Louisville, Ky./Seneca) has fired a 3.77 ERA and holds a 5-2 record in eight appearances. Clark ranks third in the league in innings pitched (45.1) and fifth in strikeouts (35). Junior lefty Jared Applegate (Scottsburg, Ind./H.S.) leads the league with 49 strikeouts this season and holds a 5.04 ERA in 44.2 innings. Transylvania (18-6, 6-3 HCAC) has won seven of their last nine to climb back into the conference championship hunt. The Pioneers swept three games from Defiance and two games from Hanover last week to climb into fourth place in the standings. Sophomore infielder Adam Clark (Ashland, Ky./Paul Blazer) leads the conference with a .451 batting average and .506 on-base percentage. Clark has scored 31 runs to rank second among the leaders and has a fourth-best slugging percentage of .662. Senior outfielder Mitch Kuczek (Loveland, Ohio/Moeller) has been as impressive, ranking third in batting average (.420) and runs scored (29) and second in stolen bases (11). He also has seven doubles and 26 RBI to rank among the leaders. On the mound, junior Adam Wilkins (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) leads the conference with a 6-0 record. He ranks third in ERA (2.25) and fourth in strikeouts (36) in 40 innings of work. Senior Ben Luking (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) has been another stud on the mound for TU, holding a 5-1 record in 45 innings pitched.
Mount St. Joseph and Rose-Hulman will face off in Terre Haute as the host Engineers will look to make up some ground in the standings. The Mount (12-12, 6-2 HCAC) went 2-3 last week in non-conference action and will look to distance themselves from Rose in the chase for the conference tournament. Freshman outfielder/catcher Ben Stroube (North Bend, Ohio/St. Xavier) ranks third in the HCAC with a .414 average at the plate and ranks first with a .775 slugging percentage. Stroube also has nine doubles, three triples, and two homers this season for the Lions. Sophomore third baseman Matt Flamm (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) is batting .387 with 13 runs, six doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBI for MSJ. Senior pitcher Justin Zieman (Batavia, Ohio/Amelia) and sophomore Steve Matre (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) have been the stars on the mound for Mount St. Joseph. Zieman has an ERA of 2.52 and a 3-1 record, while Matre has four saves and a 1.17 ERA in 11 relief appearances. Rose-Hulman (18-8, 5-3 HCAC) has won four of their last five heading into this weekend. The Engineers won two of three against Bluffton last weekend and defeated Anderson 16-2 at Victory Field in Indianapolis Tuesday night. Rose head coach Jeff Jenkins earned his 500 th career coaching win last Saturday in the Engineers’ 4-1 win over Bluffton. Jenkins has a career mark of 501-344-2 in his 22 years as a college head coach and holds a 456-279-1 record in 19 seasons at Rose. Sophomore infielder Chandler Kent (Antioch, Ill./H.S.) leads the team with a .409 average and has eight doubles. Sophomore Tim Tepe (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) sports a .360 average at the place and leads the conference with 11 doubles and 32 RBI. On the hill, sophomore Derek Eitel (Marshall, Ill./H.S.) leads the HCAC with a 1.46 ERA and 49.1 innings pitched. He has a 5-2 record this season and has stuck out 42 batters to rank him second in the league. Senior pitcher Michael Matsui (Joliet, Ill./ Plainfield South) has a 6-1 record and 2.36 ERA this season to join Eitel in the rotation.
Defiance and Hanover will try and find the win column this weekend as both teams have struggled as of late. The Yellow Jackets (4-13, 0-8 HCAC) have lost eight of their past nine games, including a three game sweep to Transy and an 8-3 loss to rival Bluffton last week. Sophomore second baseman Tim Pitro (Gahanna, Ohio/ Lincoln) has been the bright spot offensively for DC, ranking fourth in batting average (.414) and on-base percentage (.493). Junior pitcher Aaron Stewart (Toledo, Ohio/Start) leads the team in ERA (2.53) and has a 1-2 record with 18 strikeouts. Hanover (4-19, 1-11 HCAC) has dropped 12 of their last 13 and were swept by Anderson and Transylvania this past week. Sophomore infielder Chris Neumann (Villa Hills, Ky./Beechwood) leads the team with a .339 average and has added five doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBI to lead the Panthers. Sophomore pitcher Jake Schwartz (Russiaville, Ind./Western) ranks among the league leaders in ERA (2.35), innings pitched (46.0), and strikeouts (38).
Bluffton (10-13, 4-7 HCAC) will take a break from the conference schedule and play host to Concordia ( Mich.) and Otterbein this weekend. The Beavers lost two of three at Rose-Hulman before earning an 8-3 win over Defiance. BU has won two straight after losing four in a row. Senior designated hitter Tim Kay (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity) leads the team at the plate, hitting .404 with 23 runs scored, four doubles, nine stolen bases, and 16 RBI. Kay has also struck out 27 batters in 25.1 innings pitched this season in the Bluffton rotation. Junior right hander James Hausman (Milford, Ohio/H.S.) ranks third in ERA (2.25) this season and holds a 2-1 record on the bump in 24 innings of work.
Baseball Schedule Apr. 10-Apr. 16
Apr. 11 |
Manchester at Anderson |
4:00 PM |
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Defiance at Hanover |
4:00 PM |
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Transylvania at Franklin |
4:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Rose-Hulman (DH) |
5:00 PM |
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Apr. 12 |
Anderson at Manchester (DH) |
12:00 PM |
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Defiance at Hanover (DH) |
12:00 PM |
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Franklin at Transylvania (DH) |
1:00 PM |
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Concordia ( Mich.) at Bluffton (DH) |
1:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Rose-Hulman |
6:00 PM |
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Apr. 13 |
Otterbein at Bluffton (DH) |
2:00 PM |
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Apr. 14 |
Mount St. Joseph at Wilmington ( Ohio) |
4:00 PM |
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Apr. 15 |
Anderson at Franklin |
4:00 PM |
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Manchester at Defiance |
4:00 PM |
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Apr. 16 |
Bluffton at Heidelberg |
4:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Wilmington ( Ohio) |
7:00 PM |