| Home Prospective Students Wittenberg Students Alumni & Friends Parents & Visitors Faculty & Staff |
|
|
|
|
Intercollegiate Athletics
Men
Women
Additional Links
|
 |
2003 Wittenberg University
All Releases Written by: Ryan MaurerBaseball News Releases Director of Sports Information E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu May 6, 2003
The Springfield City Commission recently awarded a $2.66 million contract to build a new municipal stadium on the site of the old stadium, which was demolished in March 2001 after serving the community for more than 70 years and playing host to Wittenberg baseball games between 1981 and 2000. Groundbreaking on the new stadium, which will be given a new name at that time, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, May 16. District officials hope the stadium will be completed in time for Wittenberg’s 2004 season. The stadium is a joint venture between Wittenberg, the National Trail Parks and Recreation District and the city of Springfield, and it is the first major project of the district’s $17 million, five-year capital campaign. The stadium will have seating capacity of 1,061, with a minimum of 50 percent of the seats under cover. Among its finer features will be a full-service media center, locker room facilities, a concessions area, secured storage for equipment, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, a paved parking lot and high-quality field lighting. The stadium has served as home to minor league professional baseball teams in past years and hosted numerous youth league, high school and collegiate baseball tournaments. It has already been mentioned as a possible future site of the NCAC baseball tournament and the NCAA Division III Mid-East Regional. Last week, the Tigers’ final two games were victories over Mount St. Joseph at home on Wednesday and Otterbein on the road on Thursday by scores of 13-8 and 3-2 respectively. Against Mount St. Joseph, the Tigers jumped out to a 6-1 lead through the first three innings and then had to rally with five runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to claim the victory. Freshman K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) had four hits, sophomore Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) added three hits and three runs scored and sophomore Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) added a two-run home run and three RBI total to the offensive effort. Against Otterbein, sophomore Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) pitched one of his best games of the year, going seven innings and giving up two runs before turning things over to freshman Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic), who got the win when sophomore Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) homered to lead off the ninth inning and senior Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant) came around to score the winning run on an error later in the inning. Next: Season Complete April 29, 2003
The week started with a 13-9 loss to Ohio Northern on Monday, a game chronicled in last week’s All-Sports Release. Over the weekend, the Tigers lost three of four to Ohio Wesleyan, but only one of the game was not closely contested. The Bishops captured the opener by an 11-0 count, but Saturday’s nightcap was a barn-burner. Wittenberg fell behind several times, but on the strength of two two-run home runs by senior Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant) and a solo shot by sophomore Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), Wittenberg pulled even with one out in the seventh inning. Then freshman Adam Keller (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) helped put the Tigers ahead briefly, singling with two outs in the seventh inning to push across the go-ahead run as OWU committed an error. The Tigers couldn’t hang on, however, as the Bishops scored twice in the bottom of the inning to win the game. Keller and freshman K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) each had two hits, but the Tiger offense couldn’t get much done in a 2-0 loss in Game 1 on Sunday. Sophomore Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) turned in a solid pitching performance, allowing just two runs on four hits and no walks in six innings. Keller and sophomore Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) each collected RBI base hits to back Less’ fine pitching performance in the finale. The Tigers round out the home portion of the regular season Wednesday with Senior Night at the Municipal Stadium Annex. Born, infielder Shane Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/South) and pitcher Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville) will be honored prior to the game. The season concludes with a road game against Otterbein on Thursday. Next: 4/30 vs. Mt. St. Joseph, 7 p.m. 5/1 at Otterbein, 4 p.m. April 22, 2003
The week opened with a 7-5 loss to Thomas More on Tuesday. In that game, the Tigers moved out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning, but Wittenberg was unable to put together a big inning, something the Saints did in the sixth and seventh as they struck for six runs. Offensively, sophomores Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) and Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) each had three hits, while freshmen Brad Koopman (Pleasant Hill, Ohio/Newton) and Adam Keller (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) added two base knocks apiece. On Thursday, the Tigers dropped both ends of a doubleheader at NCAC West leader Denison, 8-2 and 7-1. In those games, the Tigers fell behind in the first inning both times and couldn’t quite catch up. Sophomore Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) had two RBI in the opener and another in the nightcap, while freshman K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) collected three hits and had the lone run in the second game. On Saturday, the Tigers wrapped up a disappointing week with losses of 5-4 and 16-9 to the Big Red. In the first game, Wittenberg wasted a strong starting performance by senior Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who allowed just two earned runs. Godzik had three hits and senior Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant) added two hits and two RBI to lead the offense. In Game 2, freshman Bret Wiseman (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond) had two hits and three RBI off the bench, Schlievert added two hits and Foster scored two runs. The Tigers’ late-season slide continued Monday in a 13-9 defeat against Ohio Northern at the Municipal Stadium Annex. The game was a microcosm of the team’s 2003 season - a young team that was competitive but was unable to take advantage of its offensive opportunities. Born crushed two home runs and had four RBI, but the Polar Bears scored three unearned runs in the top of the ninth to gain just enough cushion to stave off a late Tiger rally. This weekend, Wittenberg heads to Ohio Wesleyan for four games against the defending NCAC West champion Bishops. The season wraps up next week with nonconference games against Mt. St. Joseph and Otterbein and one final NCAC doubleheader to-be-determined. Next: 4/26 at Ohio Wesleyan (DH), 1 p.m. 4/27 at Ohio Wesleyan (DH), Noon April 15, 2003
Fortunately for the Tigers, the ground can still be made up, but it won’t be easy. The first opportunity will be Thursday and Saturday when Wittenberg plays four games against first-place Denison in Granville. The following weekend features four games at defending division champion Ohio Wesleyan. Last week, the Tigers started off with a 3-1 loss at Division I Dayton on Thursday. Wittenberg led 1-0, thanks to a third-inning run scored by sophomore Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) until the eighth inning, when the Flyers scored three times. In the weekend series against Earlham, the Tigers won the second and third games by finals of 12-7 and 3-0, but dropped the opener and the finale counts of 7-5 and 8-3. Wittenberg led in both of the losses as late as the fourth inning. The opener went nine innings after Earlham rallied to tie it with two runs in the seventh inning. Offensively, Wittenberg got two hits and an RBI each from Komperda and junior Matt Oberdorfer (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston). In Saturday’s nightcap, six players had two-hit games, and four players scored at least two runs, including sophomore James Kaylor (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), who crossed the plate three times. In Sunday’s opener, senior Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) pitched a gem, going the distance for the shutout victory. He allowed just four hits and four walks in seven games, while sophomore Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and sophomore Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) contributed two hits apiece to the offensive attack. In the series finale, however, the Tigers let an early 2-0 lead slip away as the Quakers struck for six in the decisive fourth inning. Komperda and freshman K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) led the offense with two hits each, but it wasn’t enough. Next: 4/15 vs. Thomas More, 6 p.m. 4/17 at Denison (DH), 1 p.m. 4/19 at Denison (DH), Noon April 8, 2003
Perhaps the biggest hit of the season was delivered in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 1 of the Capital doubleheader. Sophomore Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who finished 10-of-21 with six runs, four RBI and a home run for the week overall, singled home sophomore Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) with the game-winning run and a 7-6 victory. In that game, freshman Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) had two hits, including his first collegiate home run, and freshman K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) had three hits and two runs scored from the leadoff position. In the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Tigers built a 10-0 lead and hung on for a 10-6 victory. Senior Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant) led the offense with three hits, while Godzik added three RBI on a pair of doubles and sophomore Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) chipped with two RBI hits as well. The week started with a pair of losses to NAIA scholarship programs. On Wednesday, the Tigers were defeated by Ohio Dominican 5-1 at home and on Thursday, Cedarville hosted Wittenberg and claimed a 5-2 victory. Born had two hits and an RBI and senior Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) threw a complete-game in the loss to ODU, and freshman Adam Keller (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) hit a home run against Cedarville. On Saturday, the Tigers dropped both ends of a doubleheader to nationally ranked perennial powerhouse Wooster in a nonconference match-up by scores of 13-7 and 11-4. Foster went 5-for-8 with four runs scored in the two games. This week is a big one for the Tigers, who get a shot at NCAA Division I University of Dayton on Thursday before heading back into NCAC West Division action at home over the weekend. Earlham visits for a pair of doubleheaders as the Tigers try to get back into a crowded division race. The top two teams in the standings make the NCAC tournament May 3-9. Next: 4/10 @ Dayton, 3:30 p.m. 4/12 vs. Earlham (DH), 1 p.m. 4/13 vs. Earlham (DH), Noon April 1, 2003
The weekend’s opener may have set the tone. After the game was delayed by two hours due to heavy rains overnight on Friday, the Tigers took a 5-3 lead into the seventh inning. But with two outs, the Little Giants struck for three runs on four straight hits to shock the Tigers and claim a 6-5 win. Five Wittenberg players had multi-hit games in the defeat, led by freshman shortstop K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), who put together three hits in as many appearances and scored two runs in the leadoff spot. In the Saturday nightcap, the Tigers fell behind 6-0 in the second inning, rallied for nine runs in the bottom of that inning and then allowed the Little Giants to move back ahead 13-9 in the third inning. Wittenberg chipped away at the lead, but get no closer than 13-11 in the defeat. Schlievert had two hits, two runs and three runs batted in and sophomore Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) added three hits and two runs, but the Tigers missed numerous opportunities to score more. On Sunday, it started out as more of the same for the hard-luck Tigers, who committed three errors leading to three unearned runs in a 6-3 defeat as the snow flurries swirled around overhead. Sophomore Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) went 3-for-4 in the game, but the Tigers left seven runners on base in the seven-inning game. The Tigers finally got back into the win column in the Sunday series finale, but even that victory had its tense moments. After Wittenberg sprinted out to an 8-2 lead, on the strength of three-hit games by Godzik and senior Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant), but then had to stave off another Little Giant rally to win 8-6. Junior pitcher Jason Flick (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) pitched two innings of shutout relief to save the game and the series for the Tigers. Statistically, the Tigers lead the NCAC in batting with a robust .377 average, and Born leads the conference individually with a .545 average. Godzik ranks second in the NCAC in that category and Schlievert checks in at No. 5. Godzik leads the conference in hits (33), runs (28), total bases (62) and home runs (7). The best news of the week was that it is still early in the 2003 season and there will be a total of 16 NCAC West Division games played this year. The Tigers are currently two games behind Wabash and nationally ranked defending NCAC champion Ohio Wesleyan in the standings. This week will be a busy one for the Tigers, but it will not include any West Division games. Next: 4/2 vs. O. Dominican, 6 p.m. 4/3 @ Cedarville, 4 p.m. 4/5 @ Wooster (DH), 1 p.m. 4/6 vs. Capital, 2 p.m. March 24, 2003
Accordingly, the Tigers’ bats heated up in the Sunshine State as Wittenberg averaged more than 15 runs per game en route to a 7-1-1 record to start the season. In Florida, Wittenberg won its first six games, defeating Carroll College, 20-12 and 18-7, St. Joseph’s College, 9-7, 14-1 and Central College, 3-2 and 15-12 before finally dropping one against Central, 12-6. The week wrapped up with 15-3 victory over Monmouth and a 14-14 tie with Benedictine in a game that was suspended due to time limits. Since returning to Springfield, the Tigers have split four games to arrive at their current 9-3-1 overall record. On Saturday at Muskingum, Wittenberg won the opener 2-1 behind a complete-game pitching performance by sophomore righthander Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) and fell 10-2 in the nightcap. On Sunday, the Tigers dropped the opener at Wilmington 12-3 before rallying in the second game to win 7-5 on the strength of home runs by sophomores Brandon Godzik (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville). Individually, senior Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant) leads the NCAC with a .595 batting average. He has 18 RBI, two hom runs and 25 hits in just 13 games. Godzik is right on his heels, ranking fourth in the conference with a robust .490 batting average and leading the NCAC with 25 RBI, 23 runs scored and seven round-trippers. In addition, freshman shortstop K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) ranks seventh in the conference with a .469 average and fourth in runs scored with 18. The Tigers have a four-game weekend series against Wabash coming up. The Saturday doubleheader will be broadcast by WULM 1600 AM. Next: 3/29 vs. Wabash (DH), Noon 3/30 vs. Wabash (DH), 1 p.m. March 10, 2003
Despite the departure of four first-team All-NCAC players, the cupboard is anything but bare. The record-setting offensive machine of 2002 still has many weapons, led by senior first baseman Ryan Born (Marion, Ohio/Pleasant), who batted .386 and led the Tigers in runs batted in a year ago. Talented junior outfielders Kyle Wolf (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) and Shawn Jarecki (Brookpark, Ohio/Valley Forge) will also be expected to contribute. The Tigers also return sophomore third baseman Brandon Godzik (Dayton, Ohio/Vandalia Butler), who hit .341 clip as a freshman, and outfielder Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who batted .333. Sophomore infielder/pitcher Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and freshmen outfielder/pitcher Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic), middle infielder K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), first baseman/designated hitter Bret Wiseman (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond), and shortstop/pitcher Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) are among the competitors for starting positions. Wittenberg returns an outstanding veteran pitching staff. Leading the way will be seniors Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who was tied for second on the team in wins a year ago and held opposing batters to a .260 batting average, and Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial), who held opponents to a .224 average, compiled a 3.74 ERA and led the team in appearances with 16. Juniors Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), who was first on the staff in strikeouts and was second in appearances, and Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), sophomores Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie), who led the team in wins, innings pitched and complete games in 2002, and Wayne Massie (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) also return to the staff. Things get started for the Tigers in Fort Myers, Fla. this week. Wittenberg will play nine games in six days as part of the Gene Cusic Tournament. Next: 3/10-15 Spring Break Trip 9 games to be played at Fort Myers, Fla. |
 |
|
 |
|||
 |
Wittenberg Home About Wittenberg Contact Information | ||||
