Baseball
2005 News Releases
All Releases Written by: Ryan Maurer
Director of Sports Information
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu
May 13, 2005
Wittenberg Spring Sports Athletes Claim 33 North Coast Athletic Conference Postseason AwardsSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A solid spring sports season has reaped individual rewards for 33 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks. Read More ...
May 12, 2005
Jon Komperda Named First-Team Academic All-District
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Jon Komperda
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This is the first such honor in Komperda's fine Wittenberg career. A three-year starter at second base and a four-year letterwinner for the Tiger baseball team, Komperda started 36 of the team's 37 games in 2005, turning in a .358 batting average and an on-base percentage of .407, with 22 runs batted in and 26 runs scored, all of which were among the top four on the team. Also a solid defensive player, Komperda finished his senior season with a .953 fielding percentage, making just seven errors compared to 86 assists, second-most on the team, and 56 putouts. Read More ...
May 12, 2005
Kurt Hartfelder Picked First In 2005 Frontier League Draft
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Kurt Hartfelder
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The camp started with 177 hopefuls from 31 states working out in front of representatives from all 12 Frontier League teams. After two days of workouts, Hartfelder, who led the Tigers in almost every major pitching category in 2005, was the No. 1 choice by the Mavericks, a team based in Columbia, Mo. Read More ...
May 5, 2005
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Steve Less
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That mark in the division was good for a second-place tie with Ohio Wesleyan, which was broken on tiebreaker criteria favoring the Tigers. It was Wittenberg's first appearance in the four-team NCAC Tournament in three years.
In the opener, the Tigers got a solid pitching performance from junior starter Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic), who allowed five hits and four walks in five innings before departing with an injury. He allowed two runs (one earned), but he took the loss as his teammates were unable to generate any offense. He was relieved by junior Jason Holmberg (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg), who went three innings and allowed three hits, one walk and two earned runs.
Offensively, the Tigers never got a leadoff hitter on base in the nine-inning game. All five hits, by five different players, were singles. No Tiger runner even passed second base.
Game 2 was decided relatively early, even though the Tigers did rally to make a game of it. Wooster's offense was just too much as the Scots pounded out 19 hits and pushed across 15 runs, including seven in a decisive second inning against senior Ryan Goldschmidt (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie).
Six of the Tigers' eight runs were scored in the final two innings but the rally was far too little, far too late. Junior Brian Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and senior Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) each collected three hits in the game, but again all 11 Tiger hits were singles.
Next: Season Complete
April 29, 2005
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Kurt Hartfelder
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The win in the opener was Wittenberg's eighth straight - but first in more than a week due to a weekend full of postponements due to terrible weather - and it gave the Tigers the tiebreaker edge over perennial powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan. Wittenberg and the Battling Bishops split a four-game set last month and wound up tied for second in the division at 9-5. The tiebreaker was winning percentage against the Big Red.
Overall, Wittenberg stands at 21-14 heading into a three-game series at Wooster, the champion of the East Division and the fifth-ranked team in the nation. The two teams are scheduled for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday and then a nine-inning game at 1 p.m. Sunday if necessary. The team that gains two wins in the three-game series will advance to the NCAC Tournament Championship Series on May 5-6 in Springfield. Last year, Wooster defeated Denison in two straight games to capture the title and the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The doubleheader against Denison was originally scheduled as a four-game series over the weekend, but rain and snow, high winds and cold temperatures forced several postponements. That forced the two teams into a lone doubleheader on Wednesday and what was essentially a one-game playoff for the Tigers.
Handing the ball to senior ace Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) proved to be the key for the Tigers. Hartfelder tossed his eighth complete in eight starts while topping the 100-pitch mark for the first time all season. He allowed six hits and three walks while striking out one and allowing just one earned run in the game. He danced in and out of trouble throughout, getting key outs after each of Wittenberg's three errors.
Offensively, the Tigers got key RBI hits from junior Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) and senior Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) in the decisive three-run fourth inning. Junior Brian Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) accounted for the two insurance runs, scoring on a wild pitch in the fifth and singling in the fifth run in the sixth.
Sophomore Andrew Wellman (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington) remained hot at the plate in the doubleheader, going 2-for-6 with a run and an RBI. That kept his average on school-record pace, currently checking in at .549 in 51 at-bats on the season. In addition, junior Brad Koopman (Pleasant Hill, Ohio/Newton) kept up his scorching pace, catching both ends of the doubleheader and collecting three hits, one run scored and one RBI. He is hitting .443 on the season.
Next: 4/30 @ Wooster, 1 p.m.
NCAC Tournament Semifinals
April 20, 2005
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Andrew Wellman
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The Tigers had won three in a row before slumping to three straight losses against Thomas More April 9-10. The rollercoaster ride left the Tigers at 13-13 overall and 4-4 in the NCAC West with the clock ticking on the 2005 season.
Next came a 12-3 win over neighborhood rival Cedarville on April 11 and the game that may have turned things around, an 8-7 come-from-behind victory against Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouse Otterbein on April 13. Just two weeks earlier, the Cardinals had thumped Wittenberg 14-2 on their home field in Westerville, Ohio.
In those two games, sophomore Andrew Wellman (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington) emerged as an offensive force after playing sparingly through the first month of the season. Against the Cardinals, Wellman went 4-for-5 with four runs batted in, a stat line he has become familiar with.
During the seven-game win streak, Wellman is batting an incredible 17-of-24 with 13 RBI and 10 runs scored. His performance was enough for the NCAC to recognize him as Player of the Week on April 18.
Most recently, Wellman was again in the middle of things. After the four-game sweep of Earlham, in which the Tigers outscored their visitors 38-11, Wellman again collected four hits in five at-bats, drove in two runs and scored three more, including the game-tying run in the top of the ninth inning, as Wittenberg upended Muskingum 10-9 in 10 innings on April 19.
While Wellman has been the offensive spark, the teams pitching has increasingly relied upon the right arms of the Hartfelder brothers. Senior Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) is working his way toward several school records as he has pitched a complete game in all seven of his starts in the 2005 season. He is 6-1, including wins in the first game of the last four four-game weekend series, and his 3.91 earned run average and 46 innings pitched both lead the Tigers.
Freshman Eric Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) has emerged as perhaps the teams most dependable reliever, an important commodity for a team struggling to find pitching depth in the midst of a title chase. Eric Hartfelder is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in four appearances, three of which have come in the seven-game win streak.
The play of junior Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham), who is having the best season of his collegiate career, has also been noteworthy. In 29 starts in the field, McCulla is batting .304 with a team-best five triples and six stolen bases in seven attempts. On the mount, he is 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA in four appearances.
After Wellman, who is on a record-breaking pace in terms of batting averag (.578), three other Tigers are batting above .380 with extensive numbers of plate appearances. Junior Brad Koopman (Pleasant Hill, Ohio/Newton) has appeared in 21 games, with 20 starts, primarily as the teams catcher, and he is hitting .421 with two home runs and 12 RBI. Senior Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), coming off a team-best .441 batting average in 2004, ranks among the team leaders in numerous offensive categories, including batting average (.385). And freshman Jon Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), until he was sidelined with an injury recently, had done a bang-up job in the leadoff spot of the batting order. He is hitting .398 with a team-best 29 runs scored.
Next: 4/23 @ Denison, 7 p.m.
April 5, 2005
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Jason Holmberg
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The most important results thus far have been a pair of 2-2 splits against NCAC West foes Ohio Wesleyan and Wabash. After a four-game series against non-conference rival Thomas More this weekend, the Tigers hit the stretch run with four-game series' against Earlham and Denison to wrap up the conference schedule. Things are tremendously tight across the division currently.
Most recently, the Tigers put together one of their most complete games of the season at the most opportune time, claiming Game 4 of the series with Wabash at Carleton Davidson Stadium, 9-2. The victory was crucial after the Tigers lost Monday's opener, 12-1.
Junior Jason Holmberg (Miamisburg, Ohio/Kettering Alter) came up big. After spotting the Little Giants a 1-0 lead, Holmberg settled in to scatter eight hits and two walks in a complete-game effort. Offensively, the Tigers broke out for seven runs in a breakout second inning. Junior Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) led off by getting hit by a pitch (the first of three times he reached that way in the game) and scored the first run of the rally. Then he capped things with a two-run triple. Juniors K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) and Brian Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) each had three hits in the game.
The first two games of the series offered much more excitement but essentially the same type of results. In the opener, Wittenberg staged a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh for an unlikely 5-4 victory. In the nightcap, Wabash held on, stretching its lead out to five runs and then holding the Tiger rally off for a 7-4 victory.
Down 4-2 with two outs and no one on base in the seventh inning, Wittenberg's rally started with a bunt single by Fox. That was followed by singles by Schlievert and senior Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) to load the bases. Senior Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio/Granville) and Hampp followed with back-to-back walks and McCulla won it when he was hit by a pitch to drive in the winning run. The rally made a winner out of senior Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who tossed a complete game seven-hitter.
The only game on the calendar for last week turned out to be a 14-2 Tiger loss at Otterbein on Thursday. That was preceded by the four-game split with Ohio Wesleyan over Easter weekend In the March 24 doubleheader, the Tigers lost the opener 2-1 and won the nightcap 6-5 with another scintillating rally, and then in the March 26 doubleheader, the Tigers won the opener 7-4 but lost another 2-1 decision in the series finale, their fifth one-run loss of the 2005 season.
The most noteworthy performance was turned in by freshman Tyler Curlis (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), who played the role of hero both at the plate and on the mound in Game 2 of the series. Curlis moved from center field to the mound in the third inning and kept the deficit at three runs to pick up the pitching victory, the first of his collegiate career. The winning runs were plated on his two-out, two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning, which followed back-to-back doubles by junior Brad Koopman (Pleasant Hill, Ohio/Newton) and McCulla that had closed the gap to one run. Curlis' big fly was the first by a Tiger batter in 2005.
Rounding things out, the Tigers finished 1-2 in the 2005 Wittenberg Tournament on March 19-20. Early leads were washed away in losses to Hiram College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a day after the Tigers blanked Myers College, 11-0.
For the season, the statistics seem to indicate that the Tigers should be having more success, but perhaps that's a positive sign for the second half of the season. Wittenberg is outhitting its opponents, .316 to .273, outfielding them, .956 fielding percentage to .948 for its foes, and outpitching them, 5.10 earned run average to 6.24. But cumulative statistics don't tell the story of individual games, hence the 11-10 record.
Individually, the Tiger offense is led by Fox, who ranks among the conference's best with a .436 batting average and a team-leading 18 runs scored. Hampp has the team lead in doubles with nine and runs batted in with 18, while Curlis has a low batting average but an NCAC-best 23 walks and an on-base percentage of .507.
On the mound, Hartfelder leads with a 4-1 record and 3.66 ERA. Senior Ryan Goldschmidt (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie) is close behind in ERA with a 3.73 mark, although he has been victimized by nine unearned runs in accumulating a 1-3 record in six starts.
Next: Next: 4/6 vs. Wilmington, 7 p.m.
March 18, 2005
Wittenberg Baseball Tournament Features Seven Top Teams This WeekendSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — There may still be a chill in the air, but Wittenberg University's "Boys of Spring" are back on the diamond this weekend as hosts of the 2005 Wittenberg Baseball Tournament. Nine games will be played alternately at Carleton Davidson Stadium and the nearby annex field Saturday and Sunday. Read More...
March 18, 2005
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Jon Fox
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In that game, freshman outfielder Jon Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) continued his absolutely torrid start. He added four hits in five at-bats to raise his batting average to .605, primarily from the lead-off spot. He leads the Tigers with 12 runs scored and 25 total bases and he is second in runs batted in with 10. In addition, Fox has four stolen bases in four attempts.
As a team, Wittenberg is manufacturing runs very effectively. The Tigers are 17-of-19 on stolen bases, compared to 9-of-11 for their opponents, and they have outscored foes by a whopping 63-39 margin without the benefit of a home run. In fact, just 24 of Wittenberg's 97 hits have been for extra bases.
Other individuals of note statistically are senior Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who has picked up right where he left off a year ago when he led the Tigers in batting average and several other offensive categories. He is hitting .406 with seven runs and six RBI. Junior Jason Holmberg (Miamisburg, Ohio/Kettering Alter) has pitched exceptionally well thus far, winning his first two starts while compiling a team-best 2.25 earned run average. He tossed a one-hitter against Tri-State during the Spring Break trip.
The Tigers will host the 2005 Wittenberg Baseball Tournament this weekend with nine games played alternately at Carleton Davidson Stadium and the nearby annex field.
The host Tigers will be joined by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Hiram College, Mount Union College, Albion College, Myers College and John Carroll University. Wittenberg plays Albion and John Carroll on Saturday and Hiram and Mount Union on Sunday.
Next: 3/19 vs. Albion, 1 p.m.
3/19 vs. John Carroll, 4 p.m.
Wittenberg Tournament
March 8, 2005
Wittenberg Picked To Finish Fifth In NCAC Preseason BaseballCLEVELAND, Ohio — Defending champion Wooster has emerged as the preseason favorite in balloting by North Coast Athletic Conference baseball coaches in their annual preseason poll. Read More...
March 4, 2005
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Jon Komperda
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Leading the way are sluggers Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), a second baseman, Matt Foster (Granville, Ohio, Granville), an outfielder/catcher, and K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/ Findlay), a shortstop. Komperda (.441 average, 32 runs) and Foster (.327 average, 31 runs) posted excellent numbers at the plate while leading off and batting third respectively a year ago. Schlievert, the two-hole hitter who was among the team leaders in batting average as a freshman, overcame a slow start to post solid offensive numbers again in 2004, and he was also sterling in the field with a .936 fielding percentage and 143 assists while starting every game.
The Tiger pitching staff looks to be strong in 2005 with many of last year's top performers returning. Fifth-year senior Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) has recovered from Tommy John surgery in 2002, and he returns for his medical red-shirt season with hopes of getting back to all-conference form. Joining Hartfelder, who made five appearances and one start in 2004, in a likely starting rotation are senior Ryan Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/ Ft. Loramie) and juniors Steve Less (Sheffield, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) and Justin McCulla (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham). These three pitchers combined for 22 starts, 11 wins and 120 innings pitched in 2004.
McCulla and senior Tom Pickering (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) will share duties at third base after for the second straight year. Junior Colby Albert (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) and freshman Tyler Christillo (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) should see playing time in the utility role, backing up the middle infield positions, third base and the outfield. Rounding out the infield, junior Brian Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) is the returning starter at first base, but plenty of depth is available as sophomore Andrew Wellman (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington), who hit .333 and did not commit an error in 20 starts in right field a year ago, and junior Bret Wiseman (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond) will also compete for playing time.
Junior Matt Berry (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington), Foster and Wellman all return to the outfield, but a strong group of freshmen are in the mix as well.
Multiple players will see time at catcher, including Foster, junior Brad Koopman (Pleasant Hill, Ohio/Newton) and freshman Joey Spano (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe). Koopman has the most experience behind the plate after making six starts and 11 appearances a year ago.
The Tigers begin the season with eight Spring Break games in Port Charlotte, Fla., starting with a doubleheader against perennial powerhouse Lakeland on Sunday. They return to play a very tough schedule, featuring national and regional powers Ohio Wesleyan, Wooster, Marietta, Thomas More and NAIA foe Cedarville. Playing a majority of the dates at home figures to be an advantage, however, as the Tigers have just four planned road dates.
Next: 3/6 vs. Lakeland, 12:30 p.m. (DH)
Port Charlotte, Fla.
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© 2007 Wittenberg University
Non-discriminatory Policy Web Use Policy & Disclaimer Privacy Policy
© 2007 Wittenberg University