(The following report is an expanded version of a release sent out earlier this
morning)
REPORT FOR MAY 13, 2002
BASEBALL TEAM HEADED TO SIX-TEAM NCAA III REGIONAL IN OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The Calvin baseball team will open NCAA III Tournament play
in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The 42-team NCAA III Tournament field was announced
Monday morning and Calvin will be part of a six-team Midwest regional field
hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Wisconsin-Oshkosh will also host
the NCAA III Baseball World Series the following week in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The Midwest Regional tournament will be held at Tiedemann Field on the campus
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Ticket prices for the regional tournament are $5.00 for
adults and $3.00 for students and senior citizens.
The six-team Midwest Regional tournament will represent five states. Joining
Calvin in the regional field in Wisconsin will be defending national champion
St. Thomas of Minnesota which will be the number-two seed in the regional field.
Ranked 24th in the latest ABCA Division III national poll, the Tommies will
carry a 29-10 record into the NCAA III Tournament. The top seed in the regional
field is 10th-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 34-8. Lakeland of Wisconsin is
the third seed at 29-14-1 while Calvin is the fourth seed at 28-11. Filling out
the regional are fifth-seeded Blackburn of Illinois at 26-10 and sixth-seeded
George Fox of Oregon at 26-13. St. Thomas, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and
Lakeland are entering the tournament out of the Midwest region with Calvin
coming in from the Mideast region; Blackburn from the Central region and George
Fox from the West region.
Calvin opens the double-elimination regional on Thursday with a first-round
game against Lakeland at 5:00 p.m. (EST). A Calvin victory would advance the
Knights into a 5:00 p.m. winner's bracket game Friday afternoon (EST) while a
loss would send the Knights into a 2:00 p.m. loser's bracket game Friday.
Calvin's game against Lakeland Thursday afternoon will be broadcast via real
audio on the Calvin web site at: www.Calvin.edu/sports/baseball/schedule.htm.
Calvin will be making its third NCAA III Tournament appearance including its
second in the last three years. Under the leadership of veteran head coach Jeff
Pettinga, Calvin will be seeking its first NCAA III Tournament victory as the
Knights are 0-4 in NCAA III Tournament play, having dropped a pair of games in
1984 and in 2000.
"We're excited for another chance in the tournament," said Pettinga. "Our team
has excellent chemistry this year and we are playing with a lot of confidence.
We're planning on giving it our best shot this week and we'll let the chips fall
where they may."
Calvin received an automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA III Tournament by claiming
its seventh MIAA title this past week with a three-game sweep of Hope, allowing
the Knights to finish 16-2 in the MIAA, one game ahead of Hope (15-3). At 28-11,
the Knights have already established a new Calvin single-season record for
victories in a season.
Five of Calvin's opponents this year including two at the NCAA Division II
level have also received NCAA Tournament bids.
At the NCAA II level, Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State received bids
to the national tournament. Saginaw Valley State was an 8-1 winner over Calvin
earlier this year while the Knights split a pair of games with Grand Valley,
defeating the Lakers 11-9 and then falling 8-7.
Opponents included in the NCAA III Tournament field include defending national
runner-up Marietta (34-7-1), Manchester (30-11-1) and Roger Williams of Rhode
Island (25-14). Calvin opened its season with a 13-4 win over Roger Williams in
Florida before later dropping both ends of a doubleheader at Marietta later in
the month. In April, Calvin topped Manchester 10-7 in a game played at Calvin
Field.
Lakeland - Calvin's first round NCAA III Tournament opponent earned its
first-ever bid to the NCAA III Tournament by winning the Lake Michigan
Conference Tournament title this past weekend. The Muskies also took first in
the LMC regular season standings, finishing 16-2 in conference play. In their
conference tournament, the Muskies dropped their tournament opener 13-6 to
Wisconsin Lutheran before rallying for four straight wins including a pair of
wins over Wisconsin Lutheran, claiming a 15-14 triumph in the championship game
bracket and then topping Wisconsin Lutheran 5-3 in a second and deciding game.
Lakeland is led at the plate by senior first baseman Chris Thousand who carries
a hefty .401 batting average along with three home runs and 31 RBI's. Senior
outfielder Vance Henning has also been dangerous at the plate for the Muskies,
batting .352 with a team-leading seven home runs and 42 RBI's along with a
slugging percentage of .610. The top pitcher for Lakeland has been freshman
right hander Steve Plucinski who is 8-2 on the year with a 3.57 ERA and 93
strikeouts against just 25 walks in 75.2 innings of work.
Calvin is led at the plate by a plethora of hitters as the Knights sport a team
batting average of .311. Freshman shortstop Josh Vriesman of Denver, Colorado,
leads the Knights with a .375 batting average while senior third baseman Mike
Noorman of Covenant Christian High School is batting .351. Junior designated
hitter Arie Eppinga of Walnut Creek, California, is next for the Knights with a
.347 average and 28 RBI's while senior catcher Ben Dykhouse of Grand Rapids
Christian High School is close behind with a .339 average that includes three
home runs and 26 RBI's. Sophomore first baseman Darrell Heuker of Unity
Christian High School has been another big bat in the Calvin lineup this spring
as he recently set a Calvin single-season record for RBI's (33) while batting
.325 at the plate.
Like Lakeland, Calvin has been led on the mound by a freshman right hander as
Kalamazoo Christian High School graduate Jim Deters has put together a superb
spring for the Knights, posting a 10-1 record with a 2.59 ERA. Deters also has
95 strikeouts against just seven walks in 76.1 innings of work, establishing a
Calvin single-season record for strikeouts. Deters has also established a
Calvin single-season record for victories in a season with his only loss coming
against nationally-ranked Marietta in an 8-5 decision on March 23. Seniors Mike
Ott (Grand Rapids Union), Matt Schmitz (Ionia High School) and Andy Miedema
(Unity Christian High School) have also stepped up for the Knights in the
pitching department. Ott is 5-4 on the year with a 3.14 ERA that includes 68
strikeouts against just 25 walks in 66.0 innings of work. Schmitz is 5-2 on the
year with a 3.77 ERA and two saves while Miedema is 6-1 overall with a 3.86
ERA.
Calvin and Lakeland have one common opponent in Salve Regina University of
Rhode Island. Calvin split a doubleheader with Salve Regina on its spring trip
to Florida, falling 7-6 and winning 5-2 on March 11. Lakeland also split a
doubleheader with Salve Regina on its spring trip to Florida, winning 4-3 and
losing 4-3 in a doubleheader played on March 15.
NCAA Division III Baseball Regional Pairings
at Tiedemann Field, Oshkosh
Thursday, May 16
Game 1 - #1 seed UW-Stevens Point (34-8) vs. #6 seed George Fox, Ore. (26-13),
10 a.m.
Game 2 - #2 seed St. Thomas (29-10) vs. #5 seed Blackburn, Ill. (26-10), 1 p.m.
Game 3 - #3 seed Lakeland, Wis. (29-14-1) vs. #4 seed Calvin, Mich. (28-11), 4
p.m.
Friday, May 17
Game 4 - Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 a.m.
Game 5 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 6 - Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 18
Pairings TBA
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