Baseball

Familiar Teams Picked to Return to MWC Baseball Tournament

Contact: Lou Groce, Director of Media and Information, 920-229-8157

GRINNELL, Iowa- The Midwest Conference (MWC) baseball season should feature tight races in both the North and South Divisions this spring.  In the North, Ripon College and St. Norbert College are expected to get back to the MWC Tournament after finishing in a tie atop the MWC Coaches’ Poll, while in the South, Cornell College and Illinois College tied for the most points.

The Red Hawks and the Green Knights both finished with 14 points with Beloit College coming in third with 11.  Ripon earned three of four possible first-place votes and St. Norbert earned the other two.  Carroll University came in fourth (7 points) with Lawrence University finishing fifth (4 points).

Illinois College and Cornell garnered 12 points apiece to lead the South half of the league.  The Rams were the only team in the South to earn multiple first-place votes.  The Blueboys also garnered a first-place tally.  Grinnell College is expected to play a factor in the South Division race as the Pioneers finished with 11 points and a first-place vote.  Monmouth College earned eight points while Knox finished with seven points. 

The winner of the North Division will host the four-team MWC Tournament on May 13-14. 

A team-by-team preview of all 10 MWC programs is below:

Beloit College Buccanneers
Head Coach (# of seasons): Dave DeGeorge (26th season) 370-440-1, 162-216 MWC
2015: 18-15, 6-9 MWC North
Projected MWC Finish: 3rd in North
Letterwinners Returning: 18
Letterwinners Lost: 10
Returning All-MWC Performers: Ryan Kaveney, Austin Martinez

The Buccaneers will have an experienced group as they enter the 2016 season.  Beloit brings back 18 letterwinners from last year including seven positional starters.  Third basemen Kam Sallee headlines the group after hitting .313 last year with 11 doubles.  Austin Martinez earned all-conference honors last season after the hitting .328 with 24 runs knocked in.  On the bump, a trio of lefties will anchor the Buc rotation.  Ryan Kaveney was an All-MWC pick last season after leading the Buccaneers in innings pitched (63) and strikeouts (77). 

Carroll University Pioneers
Head Coach (# of seasons): Stein Rear (3rd season) 31-43, 13-19 MWC
2015: 13-23, 6-10 MWC North
Projected MWC Finish: 4th in North
Letterwinners Returning: 18
Letterwinners Lost: 5
Returning All-MWC Performers: Dylan Grove

Two-time All-MWC outfielder Dylan Grove returns to the lineup again this spring.  The senior started all 36 games last season and hit just over .300 for the season.  His 43 hits were good for second on the team as were his 25 driven in.  Clayton Schmitt should also provide some pop in the order.   Schmitt slugged a team-best .560 and had a .411 on-base percentage in 2015.  On the hill, will be Carl Formento, who had a 4.17 ERA in seven starts last season.  Although the Pioneers bring back some critical pieces, 31 of their 44 players will be underclassmen.

Cornell College Rams
Head Coach (# of seasons): Seth Wing (5th season) 60-93, 25-22 MWC
2015: 19-22, 9-7 MWC South
Projected MWC Finish: T1st in MWC South
Letterwinners Returning: 33
Letterwinners Lost: 7
Returning All-MWC Performers: Walker Breard, Wyatt Kurzejeski
Returning All-Region Perfomer: Walker Breard

The Rams are expected to make it back to the MWC Tournament again this spring and will be a contender for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Cornell brings back seven positional players and three starting pitchers so experience should not be an issue.  Walker Breard had a stellar freshman season, hitting .357 with 10 home runs and an eye-popping OPS of 1.172.  Wyatt Kurzejeski will man the hot corner again this spring after the senior earned all-conference honors last spring.  Kevin Stahmer will lead the staff after he gave up just eight earned runs in seven starts and produced a 1.60 ERA.  Juniors Eric Daubach and Tyrus Harman will also be critical to the Rams’ success on the bump. 

Grinnell College Pioneers
Head Coach (# of seasons): Tim Hollibaugh (23rd season) 302-293, 136-135 MWC
2015: 18-19, 11-5 MWC South
Projected MWC Finish: 3rd in MWC South
Letterwinners Returning: 14
Letterwinners Lost: 5
Returning All-MWC Performers: Matt Hammond, Anthony Mack, Graham Fisher, Andrew Mack

The defending MWC South champions bring back a wealth of talent, including four all-conference players and the South Division Player of the Year Matt Hammond.  Hammond, just a junior, hit an impressive .352 last spring with nine doubles and four long balls.  Hammond was stellar behind the plate, producing a 95.5 fielding percentage and catching for a staff that had a team ERA of 4.87.  The Pioneers return every single starter to the lineup, with the only critical departure being Ian Sales, the 2015 MWC South Pitcher of the Year.  Graham Fisher will need to have a big year again this spring both at the plate and on the mound.  Fisher was the team’s top hitter last year, compiling a .368 average and an OPS of over 1.000.  On the mound, he was 4-5 with a 3.41 ERA, leading the team with 63.1 innings pitched and striking out 53 hitters. 

Illinois College Blueboys
Head Coach (# of seasons): Jay Eckhouse (15th season) 216-236-1, 78-102 MWC
2015: 17-19, 9-7 MWC South
Projected MWC Finish: T1st in North
Letterwinners Retuning: 12
Letterwinners Lost: 10

The Blueboys enter the 2016 season with high expectations, despite not returning any all-conference performers.  Austin Dormire will likely get the first crack at the lead-off spot after hitting in the two-hole most of last spring.  Dormire had 14 stolen bases last year and hit .373 for the season.  Dalton Kerans will add some power to the heart of the order after clubbing nine doubles and two homers with 31 RBI.  Junior college transfer Cain Brady can play either of the two middle infield positions and will settle into the middle of the order as well.  DJ Davis is Illinois College’s top returning starting pitcher after finishing 2015 with an even 4-4 record. 

Knox College Prairie Fire
Head Coach (# of seasons): Jamie Isaacson (17th season) 182-338, 79-125 MWC
2015: 9-27, 3-13 MWC South
Projected MWC Finish: 5th in MWC South
Letterwinners Returning: 15
Letterwinners Lost: 9
Returning All-MWC Performers: Drake Sykes
Returning All-Region Performers: Drake Sykes

The Prairie Fire return almost every player from last season’s team including Drake Sykes, who was an all-conference performer last year and was named First Team All-Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association and to the Second Team by d3baseball.com.  The center fielder set a Knox single season record with 60 hits last season and added nine doubles, five homers, and 37 RBI.  Matt McCaffrey will solidify the left side of the Knox infield.  McCaffrey had a solid freshman season, hitting .338 with 22 runs scored and 33 knocked in.  Ryan Weitendorf should also provide some power from first base after hitting eight homers last year.  Alec Jordan had 45 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched on the mound and will be Knox’s top returning pitcher. 

Lawrence University Vikings
Head Coach (# of seasons): Jason Anderson (8th season) 65-177, 20-92 MWC
2015: 12-24, 2-14 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 5th in MWC North
Letterwinners Returning: 9
Letterwinners Lost: 10
Returning All-MWC Performers: Matthew Holliday

The Vikings bring back six position starters from last season, so they should have plenty of experience throughout their order, but lost virtually all of their starting pitching from last season.  Matthew Holliday, an All-MWC pick in 2015, is back to man the hot corner.  Holliday hit 16 doubles and drove in 35 runs last spring and led the team with 50 hits.  Returning shortstop Anthony Oritz will solidify the left side of the infield, while Brandon Klar returns to the other middle infield position.  Catcher Travis Weber will be charged with handling virtually a brand new pitching staff. 

Monmouth College Fighting Scots
Head Coach (# of seasons): Alan Betourne (1st season)
2015: 17-19, 8-8 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 4th in MWC South
Letterwinners Returning: 10
Letterwinners Lost: 12
Returning All-MWC Performers: Ryan Sparks

First-year head coach and alum Alan Betourne inherits a strong core of players from last season including 2015 All-MWC utility player Ryan Sparks.  Sparks along with Brandon Harroun should start in the middle infield, while Austin Hardy is another critical vet for the Fighting Scots.  Hardy was Monmouth’s top pitcher last season as he was 5-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 58 1/3 innings pitched.  He will also be a critical bat in the lineup after hitting .305 with nine doubles and three bombs.  Sparks slugged an impressive .577 last spring and had an on-base percentage of .463.  His 14 doubles tied for the team lead and he added 15 walks.  Sparks can also double as a relief pitcher for the Fighting Scots.  Lucas Giertz and Nic Stevens will battle for the catching duties after losing Jesse Brucker to graduation. 

Ripon College Red Hawks
Head Coach (# of seasons): Eric Cruise (3rd season) 72-47, 42-6
2015: 24-16, 14-2
Projected MWC Finish: 1st in MWC North
Letterwinners Returning: 19
Letterwinners Lost: 13
Returning All-MWC Performers: Nick Schmitt
Returning All-Region Performers: Nick Schmitt

The Red Hawks won their 21st MWC title last spring and have won four of the past six league championships.  Ripon graduated 12 players from last year’s squad, but have been picked to get back to the league’s four-team tournament in May.  Second basemen Nick Schmitt is a two-time all-region and all-conference selection.  He currently ranks fifth in school history in doubles (42), fifth in RBI (133) and 10th in total bases (236).  Fellow All-MWC selection Nick Kita will transition from third base to the outfield.  Joining Kita in the outfield will be Bradley Knoblock and Jake Reinke.  On the mound, Matt Hecht is Ripon’s most experienced hurler.  Last season, Hecht went 3-5 with a 4.73 in nine starts. 

St. Norbert College Green Knights
Head Coach (# of seasons): Tom Winske (18th season) 370-242-1, 198-73 MWC
2015: 20-18, 11-4 MWC North
Projected MWC Finish: T1st in MWC North
Letterwinners Returning: 17
Letterwinners Lost: 8
Returning All-MWC Performers: Derek Klegin

St. Norbert has made the MWC Tournament in 19 of the past 22 seasons and are poised to make it back again in 2016.  Shortstop Derek Klegin leads a sold group of returners for the Green Knights.  The junior hit .354 last spring with 51 hits and a team-best 14 doubles.  Sophomore Tyler Banovich returns to the hot corner, while the trio of Tyler Brown, Sean Grant and Jason Malkowski will handle the outfield duties.  Junior Jake McMahon will be the Green Knights’ top pitcher this spring.  In 2015, he went 4-3 with a 3.35 ERA and added a save.  Brendan Herman and Matt Zacharias will also be critical arms this spring.