All Releases Written by: Ryan Maurer
Director of Sports Information
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu
Forty-Three Wittenberg Student-Athletes Earn Spring Sport Postseason Awards
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Another banner spring sports season has reaped rich rewards for 43 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks.Read More..
2004 All-NCAC Baseball Selections
CLEVELAND -- Denison senior right-hander Cam Cowden (Zionsville, OH/Zionsville) and Wooster senior second baseman Matt Miller (Millersburg, OH/Hiland) have been named Pitcher and Player of the Year to highlight the 2004 All-North Coast Athletic Conference baseball selection. Read More..
Bryan Magoteaux Named to NCAC 20th Anniversary All-Decade Baseball Team - pdf file
CLEVELAND -- Ohio Wesleyan senior Tyler Mott (Grove City, OH/Grove City) and Wooster’s John
Werner head an impressive list of stellar athletes named to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s 20th
Anniversary baseball team. Mott and Werner together earned seven First-Team All-NCAC honors.Read More..
2004 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Series
Hosted by Wittenberg University. Read More..
 |
| Adam Keller |
The Wittenberg baseball team put the finishing touches on its season by going through a three-day span that serves as a perfect synopsis of its season.
On Sunday, rain forced the cancellation of a doubleheader at Thomas More, the third time this season the two teams were unable to play a scheduled game. On Monday, the Tigers pitched beautifully in sweeping a doubleheader against visiting Kenyon, winning 3-1 and 1-0. Then on Tuesday, the Tigers were beaten 13-1 by NCAA Division I University of Dayton in the season finale.
So goes the rollercoaster ride of spring baseball for a young team in the state of Ohio. In 2004, Wittenberg suffered numerous setbacks at the hands of Mother Nature, bounced back time and again behind a up-and-coming pitching staff, but against the top teams on a very challenging schedule, the Tigers sometimes found themselves overmatched.
It all adds up to a good learning experience, and now the Tigers can point toward 2005 knowing they will have their new stadium and no excuses - Wittenberg will be a veteran team expected to make a breakthrough back to the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference. With just five seniors departing, including just one starting position play, and most of the aforementioned pitching expected to return in 2004, the outlook is unquestionably bright.
This update opens with last Thursday's 7-5 loss at Ohio Northern. Sophomore Adam Keller (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) provided the majority of the offense with two hits, including a home run, and three runs batted in. Sophomore Darren Schneider (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) made his first career pitching appearance. He went four innings and allowed five runs, just one of which was earned.
Against Kenyon, senior Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) picked up the win in Game 1, allowing just one earned run on six hits and three walks. It was his third complete-game of the season in his sixth start. Fox was one of three pitchers on the staff to make a team-leading 11 appearances.
In the nightcap, sophomore Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) tossed his second complete game and first career shutout, making an unearned run in the sixth inning stand up for a 1-0 victory. Less struck out eight batters to finish the season with a team-best 39, and the victory was his sixth of the season, one of the top totals in the NCAC and best on the team.
Offensively, the story of the season was unquestionably the emergence of junior second baseman Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who was nothing short of spectacular in the lead-off spot. After collecting three hits in four at-bats in the loss to Dayton, Komperda raised his average to a team-leading .441, which ranks No. 2 in the NCAC and sixth in Wittenberg baseball history. His batting average, 56 hits, 67 total bases, .528 slugging percentage, .489 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases were all tops on the team.
In addition, junior outfielder Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) led the team with five home runs and 33 RBI, in addition to 29 walks and a terrific on-base percentage of .486.
Next: Season Complete
 |
| Jon Komperda |
The Wittenberg baseball team may have come up a little short over the weekend, but that doesn't mean all was lost. For the second straight weekend, the Tigers were defeated three out of four games by a veteran North Coast Athletic Conference West Division rival. But also for the second straight weekend, Wittenberg ended things on a positive note with a seventh-inning rally in the fourth game to earn a win.
For a young team with just one senior position player regularly in the starting lineup to pull off two come-from-behind victories against top-notch opponents bodes well for the future, and over the last week of the season the Tigers hope to build upon those experiences. First up is a road game at Ohio Northern on April 29, followed by a rescheduled doubleheader at Thomas More on May 2, a rescheduled doubleheader against Kenyon on May 3 and the season finale at the University of Dayton on Tuesday.
The Kenyon doubleheader will serve as senior day for five players making their final home appearance in the Red & White: catcher Matt Oberdorfer (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Gates Mills Hawken), pitchers Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) and Jason Flick (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) and outfielders Kyle Wolf (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) and Shawn Jarecki (Brookpark, Ohio/Valley Forge).
Last week, the Tigers had two games postponed due to rain before finally opening up beautiful new Carleton Davidson Stadium. Wittenberg played the first game in the municipally owned and operated stadium on Saturday, but unfortunately the Tigers dropped both ends of a doubleheader that day against Ohio Wesleyan, the defending NCAC champion, by scores of 7-3 and 10-4. Sunday's doubleheader was washed out by morning rains and moved to Monday, and the two teams wound up with a split as the Bishops won the opener to clinch a spot in the conference tournament by a 14-8 count and Wittenberg rallied for a 5-4 victory in the series finale.
The offensive star continues to be junior second baseman Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games, dating back to April 8 at Earlham. He is now among the NCAC leaders with a robust .429 in 28 games. He leads the team in batting average, hits (48), runs (29), total bases (58) and 11 stolen bases. He also is second on the team with 24 runs batted in despite occupying the lead-off spot throughout the season.
The only other Tiger player striking fear regularly in opposing pitchers in junior oufielder and clean-up hitter Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who is batting .340 on the season with team-highs of 29 runs, five home runs, 33 RBI, .546 slugging percentage, .504 on-base percentage and 27 bases on balls.
Until the last three weeks, the Tiger pitching staff carried the team, but in losing seven of the last nine games, the team's pitchers have struggled. The team earned run average has risen from 2.59, which ranked in the top 10 in the nation on April 12, to 4.72 following the Ohio Wesleyan series. Still, 12 different pitchers have made at least four appearances this season, and 10 of them are slated to return to the staff in 2005. Sophomores Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) leads the team in wins with a 5-2 record, Flick and Fox top the team with 10 appearances each, junior Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) has the most innings pitched at 46 and freshman Trey Richardson (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem) paces the staff with a 1.74 ERA in six appearances, all in relief.
The Tigers' 9-7 NCAC West record represents a five-game improvement over the team's record in 2003.
Next: 5/2 at Thomas More, 1 p.m. (DH)
5/3 vs. Kenyon, 4 p.m. (DH)
5/4 at Univ. of Dayton, 4:30 p.m.
Wittenberg Baseball Moves Into New Home
SPRINGFIELD - A new era begins this weekend for the Wittenberg University baseball program with the opening of Carleton Davidson Stadium. The new municipal stadium was built on the site of Springfield's old stadium that was demolished in March 2001 after serving the community for 64 years and playing host to Wittenberg baseball games between 1981 and 2000.Read More..
 |
| Steve Less |
For starters, the city of Springfield will celebrate the grand opening of Carleton-Davidson Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday, April 23. The new state-of-the-art facility is completed and ready for its unveiling Friday, and the Tigers will play the first games in the rebuilt municipally owned stadium on Saturday and Sunday against North Coast Athletic Conference West Division rival and defending conference champion Ohio Wesleyan.
The Tigers lost three of four home games last weekend to nationally ranked Denison. While it may not sound like the Tigers should have any momentum from a series like that, it ended with a dramatic 5-4 victory on Sunday that lifted Wittenberg into a second-place tie with Ohio Wesleyan at 8-4 in the West Division. Denison clinched first place in the division and will host a first-round NCAC Tournament series on May 1-2. The winner of this weekend's series between OWU and Wittenberg will earn the other West Division berth in the tournament and a trip to either Wooster or Allegheny, teams that will play for the East Division championship this weekend, for a semifinal series May 1-2.
The team has now lost six games due to the unpredictable spring weather in Ohio, including games this week against Cedarville and Thomas More. Weather permitting, the Tigers now face a stretch of at least 10 games in the next seven days, possibly more pending decisions on previously postponed games.
Now with an 18-10 overall record and a mark of 8-4 in the NCAC West, the Tigers were carried for much of the season by a young but rapidly improving pitching staff. Before giving up five or more runs in the last five games, the staff had a 2.59 earned run average that was threatening one of the most impressive records in the school's annals, a mark of 2.54 record in 1973.
The starting rotation has settled in nicely, led by senior Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), who has two one-hit victories this season. He has a 4-1 record with a 3.16 ERA in eight appearances, including four starts. Sophomores Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) and Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) have also been solid, both posting ERAs under 4.00. Less leads the team with five wins and 33 strikeouts.
Offensively, junior Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) has been amazingly consistent. He leads the team with a batting average of .417 after collecting four hits in the win over Denison on Sunday, including a two-run single in the decisive seventh inning. His 40 hits and 11 stolen bases both lead the team by a wide margin and his 23 runs batted in from the leadoff position put him second on the team. Five other players with at least 21 appearances in the first 28 games are hitting .300 or better, including junior Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who tops the squad with 27 runs, 26 RBI and three home runs.
Next: 4/24 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, Noon (DH)
4/25 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, Noon (DH)
 |
| Tom Fox |
The Tigers have a week off from divisional action, and instead turn to five games in the next five days, starting with a game against Capital on Thursday that was rescheduled from March 16. NCAC preseason favorite Wooster comes calling on Saturday for a nonconference doubleheader and Ohio Athletic Conference power Heidelberg makes a visit on Sunday. Then the Tigers hit the road on Monday for a night game at Mount St. Joseph, the last preparation for next weekend's key four-game clash at NCAC West rival Earlham.
Last week, the Tigers started out with a 3-0 loss at nationally ranked Marietta. While Wittenberg was the third straight team to suffer a shutout against the Pioneers, the Tigers did break up a phenomenal 23-inning hitless streak.
At Wabash, the Tigers started out with a split on Saturday, winning the first game 7-2 and losing the nightcap 4-1. Junior Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) had a big day in the opener, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and finishing 3-of-4 with five runs batted in. Junior Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie) went the distance on the mound, allowing just three hits and no walks. In the second game, the Tigers pitched well again but were undone by a four-run Wabash fifth inning. Offensively, the Tigers managed little besides two hits in three trips to the plate by junior Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic).
On the second day at Wabash, the Tigers came up with the clutch pitching and hitting they needed to produce two big victories. The opener went extra innings as senior Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) took a no-hitter through the end of the regularly scheduled seven innings. In the eighth, Goldschmidt had an RBI bunt single and sophomore Bret Wiseman (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond) added a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a 2-0 cushion. Fox lost his no-hitter in the bottom of the inning but kept his composure and picked up his second win of the season by getting the final three outs.
Five hitters in the lineup had multi-hit games in the finale as the Tigers rallied from a 5-4 deficit to win 9-5. Goldschmidt led the way with three hits, sophomore K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) led with two runs batted in and Pickering and Foster scored two runs each.
For his performance, Fox was named NCAC Pitcher of the Week. It was the first such honor in his career.
Next: 4/1 vs. Capital, 5 p.m.
4/3 vs. Wooster, 1 p.m. (DH)
4/4 vs. Heidelberg, 1 p.m.
4/5 at Mt. St. Joseph, 7 p.m.
Wittenberg Baseball and Softball To Be Heard On 89.1 WUSO-FM Radio and on World Wide Web
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Selected Wittenberg University baseball and softball games can be heard this spring on WUSO-FM, the student-run campus radio station that can be found at the 89.1 frequency in the Springfield area. The first games will be carried on the station's airwaves this weekend as the Tiger baseball team travels to Wabash College for an important North Coast Athletic Conference West Division series. Read More ...
 |
| Tyler Jacobs |
In the win over Urbana, junior righthanded pitcher Ryan Goldschmidt (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie) won his second game of the season. He was backed by an offensive barrage that included three hits apiece by sophomore K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) and junior Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) multi-RBI games by freshman Jason Hutson (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua), junior Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic), freshman Brandon Deford (Westerville, Ohio/North), freshman Andrew Wellman (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington) and Foster.
Among several highlights of the spring trip were a one-hit, complete-game 1-0 shutout of Mount Union by Goldschmidt on March 8 and a 24-0 victory over Emerson later that day. In the Mount Union win, Goldschmidt made a lone unearned run in the second inning stand up for the win. Against Emerson, 13 different players got at least one hit, 12 different players scored at least one run and 12 different players drove in at least one run.
For the season, the Tigers have a sparkling 2.72 team earned run average, and five pitchers have perfect 0.00 ERAs. Most impressive is sophomore Tyler Jacobs (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham), who has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings pitched.
Offensively, the Tigers haven't hit as well as hoped overall, but several individuals have shined. Most notably, junior Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) has started all 10 games and hit .342 in the leadoff spot. He leads the team with 13 hits, nine runs batted in and 17 total bases. Sophomore Brian Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) is hitting .312 with a team-best five doubles and four RBI.
Next: 3/24 at Marietta, 5 p.m.
3/27-28 at Wabash, Noon (DHs)
2004 NCAC Preseason Poll
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Defending champion Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster have emerged as the preseason favorites
in balloting by North Coast Athletic Conference baseball coaches in their annual preseason poll. Read More..
 |
| Matt Foster |
The key words for the Tigers in 2004 will be versatility and depth. A number of players are expected to get significant playing time at multiple positions this season. Topping the list is junior outfielder/catcher Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville), an honorable mention All-NCAC selection last season who was second on the team with seven home runs and fourth with a .351 batting average. Seniors Kyle Wolf (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) and Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) are also expected to be key contributors in the outfield, possibly backed by sophomore Matt Berry (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) and junior Shawn Jarecki (Brookpark, Ohio/Valley Forge), a two-year letterwinner who has battled injuries in his collegiate career.
The Tigers' greatest strength may lie in a talented young infield, led by sophomore shortstop K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay). Schlievert, honorable mention All-NCAC and Tiger Newcomer of the Year in 2003, started all 40 games for the Tigers while batting .389 and leading the Tigers in hits. Junior second baseman Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) also returns after a breakout 2003 campaign in which he batted .333. Sophomore Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) is expected to see playing time at both middle infield positions as well as third base and outfield. Junior Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) started 38 games at third base in 2003. And as many as five players are competing for time at first base, including juniors Ryan Goldschmidt (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie) and Shawn Rudegeair (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs), sophomores Bret Wiseman (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond) and Brian Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and freshman Andrew Wellman (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington).
The Tigers feature a deep pitching staff, led by three returning starters: Fox, Goldschmidt and sophomore Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic). Senior Jason Flick (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick), who led the Tigers in appearances last season, will also be counted on this season, either out of the bullpen again or in the starting rotation. Junior Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) is returning from off-season Tommy John surgery, and a return to his 2001, All-NCAC form will be important to the team's fortunes. A host of other pitchers are vying for opportunities this season, including junior Wayne Massie (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), sophmores Pat Rice (Lancaster, Ohio/Fisher Catholic), Tyler Jacobs (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham), Jason Holmberg (Miamisburg, Ohio/Kettering Alter), Graham Ketcham (Norwalk, Ohio/St. Paul) and McCulla and freshmen Brandon Deford (Westerville, Ohio/North) and Chris Leaver (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee). Five players will battle for time at catcher: Foster, senior Matt Oberdorfer (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Gates Mills Hawken), sophomores Brad Koopman (Pleasant Hill, Ohio/Newton) and Adam Keller (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) and freshman Jason Hutson (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua).
The Tigers begin the season with the annual Spring Break trip to Florida next week, and then return to play one of the toughest schedules in the nation, featuring national and regional powers Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, Marietta, Thomas More and NCAA Division I foe Dayton.
Next: 3/7 vs. St. John Fisher, 9 a.m. in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Wittenberg University Baseball Program Announces New Assistant Coaches
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University baseball program is looking forward to a great 2004 - a year in which the team will move into one of the best facilities in all of college baseball. Head Coach Jay Lewis has kicked things off by announcing the addition of four individuals - Rick Gold, Bill Colopy, Lance Dill and Ryan Born - to his coaching staff.
Read More..
Non-discriminatory Policy Web Use Policy & Disclaimer Privacy Policy
© 2007 Wittenberg University