CSR (Calvin Ties for Commissioner's Cup With Hope/All-MIAA Baseball Honors/Spoelstra MIAA POW)

From: Jeffrey Febus <jfebus@calvin.edu>
Date: Tue May 13 2008 - 00:24:52 EDT

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 12, 2008 (PART TWO)

Calvin/Hope Finish in Tie for MIAA Commissioner's Cup Standings;
Calvin Baseball Players Land All-MIAA Honors;
Keith Spoelstra Named MIAA Pitcher of the Week

CALVIN AND HOPE SHARE MIAA COMMISSIONER'S CUP AWARD
(Written with assistance from MIAA Publicist Tom Renner)

Add another chapter to the storied Calvin-Hope rivalry. On Monday, the MIAA
announced that the two rivals schools have tied for first place in the final
MIAA Commisoner's Cup Standings. It marks the first time in eight decades of
the award that two MIAA teams have tied for first place and will share the
award. Calvin and Hope both finished with a total of 202 points with Hope
outscoring Calvin 97-90 in men's sports with Calvin outscoring Hope 112-105 in
women's sports.The co-title for Calvin's in the Commissioner's Cup Standings
marks Calvin's first title since 2000. The closest finish before this tie
occurred in 1999-2000 when Calvin edged Hope 178-176. Hope won the
Commissioner's Cup the next seven years (2000-01 thru 2006-07).

This year's "race" came down to the final MIAA athletic of the school year. By
winnning its final baseball game, Calvin clinched the MIAA championship and
garnered enough all-sports points to cause the tie.

In finishing ahead of Hope on the women's side, Calvin wins the MIAA women's
all-sports award for the fourth time in the last five years.

 ●The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup award is based on the cumulative performance
of each member school in the league's 18 sports for men and women.

●The final Commissioner’s Cup standings is determined on the basis of each
college's standings in eight of nine sports for men and eight of nine sports
for women.

 ● This is the first time that the Commissioner’s Cup standings have ended
in a tie for first place. The standings have been based on men’s and
women’s sports since 1981-82. The closest first place finish before this
tie occurred in 1999-2000 when Calvin edged Hope 178-176. Hope won the
Commissioner’s Cup the next seven years (2000-01 thru 2006-07).

● As a single sport member (football), Wisconsin Lutheran was not computed
into the all-sports standings.

● The Commissioner’s Cup (MIAA All-Sports Award) has been presented since
1934-35. Hope has won the award 30 times, followed by Albion 14, Kalamazoo 13,
Calvin 9 and Alma 5.

CALVIN LANDS SEVEN ON ALL-MIAA BASEBALL TEAMS

Eight members of the MIAA champion Calvin baseball team have received All-MIAA
honors. Named to the All-MIAA first team from Calvin are junior pitcher Nate
Pocock and sophomomore shortstop Matt Schepel. Named to the All-MIAA second
team from Calvin are seniors Alex Marcus and Kyle Fletcher, juniors Kyle
Cousins, Jacob Vriesman and Chris Blacklidge and freshman Peter Steiner.

In addition, Pocock has been named the MIAA's Pitcher of the Year. Pocock is
the second individual from Calvin to receive MIAA Pitcher of the Year honors
since the award was instituted in 2004. Jim Deters was also so honored in 2005.
A native of Wayland, Massachusetts, Pocock was 6-1 in MIAA play this year with
a league-leading 2.25 earned run average. He was also third in the MIAA in
strikeouts (47) and innings pitched (48). Pocock is also making his first
appearance on the All-MIAA first team.

A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School,
Schepel is also making his first appearance on the All-MIAA first team. Schepel
finished third in the MIAA batting race (.409) and led the league in home runs
(7) and was second in slugging percentage (.739) and on-base percentage
(.439).

An outfielder, Marcus is appearing on the All-MIAA second team for the second
straight year. A native of Willmar, Minnesota, Marcus is a graduate of Willmar
Senior High School. Marcus finished tied for third in the MIAA in doubles (9)
this spring and was fifth in runs batted in (24) and third in slugging
percentage (.716).

Fletcher is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a graduate of Concordia Lutheran
High School. A catcher, Fletcher batted .330 in league play this spring with 23
runs scored and 20 runs batted in. Defensively, he threw out six runs on 22
attempts.

Cousins is from Holland and is a graduate of Holland Christian High School. A
lefthander pitcher, Cousins was 5-1 in league play this spring with a 2.48
earned run average which ranked third among MIAA pitchers.

An outfielder, Vriesman is from Denver, Colorado. He is a graduate of Denver
Christian High School. In conference play, Vriesman batted .376 with 21 runs
batted in and 18 runs scored. He also stole 12 bases on 15 attempts while
compiling a .977 fielding percentage.

Blacklidge is from Comstock Park and is a graduate of Comstock Park High
School. A first baseman, Blacklidge batted .325 in league play this spring with
23 runs scored and 11 runs batted in. He also compiled a .986 fielding
percentage.

Steiner is from Chicago, Illinois. He is a graduate of Glenbard South High
School. This spring, Steiner was a perfect 7-0 in league play this spring along
with a 2.90 earned run average. Steiner led the MIAA in victories and was fifth
in earned run average. His win total matches the best single-season total in
conference play since the MIAA instituted a 28-game league schedule in 2006.

Calvin finished the MIAA season with a 23-5 overall record, gaining the
league's automatic bid to the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin (32-8 overall) will
open NCAA III Tournament play on Wednesday agaisnt Rose-Hulman Institute at
7:00 p.m. in a first round game in Terre Haute, Indiana.

KEITH SPOELSTRA NAMED MIAA PITCHER OF THE WEEK

For the first time in his Calvin career, freshman Keith Spoelstra has been
named MIAA Pitcher of the Week. Spoelstra (Oakland, NJ/Eastern Christian HS)
tossed a complete game, five-hit 2-0 shutout victory over Kalamazoo in Calvin's
regular season finale last Friday afternoon, allowing the Knights to clinch the
outright MIAA title and a berth in the upcoming NCAA III Tournament. Spoelstra
struck out eight batters including two in the bottom of the seventh inning
while walking only two.

Spoelstra is the second consecutive Calvin pitcher to receive the award as
junior Nate Pocock was the MIAA Pitcher of the Week last week.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Tue May 13 00:26:25 2008

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