Baseball 2009
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BASEBALL 2009 1 GROVE CITY COLLEGE TABLE OF CONTENTS EAD OACH OB KARICICH Head Coach Rob Skaricich 2 H C R S 2009 Roster 3 Rob Skaricich is in his 12th season as the head 2009 Preview 4-5 baseball coach at Grove City College. He has Returning Letterwinners 6-9 led Grove City to 179 wins as head coach, in- 2008 Review 10-11 cluding a program-record 26 victories in 2006. Record Book 12 Last season, Skaricich led Grove City to the About The PAC 13 Presidents’ Athletic Conference title and the About Grove City College 14-15 program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. QUICK FACTS In 2006, Grove City earned its first-ever NCAA Location __________ Grove City, Pa. regional ranking. Pitcher Erik Arnesen was se- Founded___________________ 1876 lected in the 17th round of the MLB First-Year Enrollment _________________ 2,450 Player Draft by the Washington Nationals while Colors ________ Crimson and White shortstop Mike Ritter achieved CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Nickname ____________ Wolverines Under his guidance, the Wolverines have captured four PAC champi- Affiliation _______ NCAA Division III onships while virtually rewriting the program’s record book. In 2001, Conference ___ Presidents’ Athletic Grove City captured its first-ever conference title, finishing with a 19-10 Home Field _________ College Field mark. That year, Grove City led the PAC in home runs (a school record President ______ Dr. Richard Jewell 29), fielding (.950 percentage) and pitching (3.77 earned run average). Alma Mater _____ Grove City, 1967 Meanwhile, the 2002 Wolverine squad picked up the program’s sec- Athletic Director _____ Dr. Don Lyle Alma Mater ____ Muskingum, 1971 ond straight PAC title. That year, Grove City closed the season with 13 Associate A.D. _____Susan Roberts wins in 18 games, including a win over Division II power Slippery Rock. TAFF Alma Mater ___________ Ohio, 1975 Skaricich has earned the conference’s Coach of the Year award four S Associate A.D. ________ Joe Walters times in his career. He first earned that award in 1999 after leading Alma Mater _ Slippery Rock, 1968 Grove City to 24 victories and a second-place finish in the conference. Head Coach _______ Rob Skaricich He also earned the Coach of the Year award in 2001, 2002 and 2008. Alma Mater _________ Hiram, 1991 Skaricich is also an assistant football coach at Grove City College. Career Record 179-176 (11 years) He recently completed his sixth season as the Wolverines’ defensive OACHING Assistant Coach ______ Cory Hake coordinator after spending seven years as a defensive assistant. /C Assistant Coach ___ Bruce Johnson A native of Wickliffe, Ohio, Skaricich earned his bachelor’s degree First Year of Program _______ 1884 from Hiram in 1991 and a master’s degree from Cleveland State in 1993. Head Trainer __ Kay Mitchell Emigh ACTS Assistant Trainer _____ Rick Hawke F Equipment Mgr ____ Larry Freeman ASSISTANT COACH BRUCE JOHNSON Equipment Mgr ___ Jim Richardson Bruce Johnson is in his fifth season as an assistant baseball coach at UICK CONTACT I NFORMATION Grove City College. A native of Howland, Ohio, Johnson has made a profound impact on the Wolverine program. Q Coach Rob Skaricich In his first full season with the program, 2006, he helped the Wolver- Office Phone ______ 724-458-3836 Best Time to Call ________ Mornings ines set a single-season program record with 26 victories. Grove City E-mail _______ [email protected] posted a 17-game improvement over the previous season, which ranked ••• as one of the top improvements anywhere in college baseball. Sports Info. Dir. _______ R.A. Briggs In 2008, Johnson helped guide Grove City to the conference title Office Telephone __ 724-458-3365 and a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament. A highly-successful Office Fax ________ 724-458-3855 coach and administrator at the scholastic level, Johnson recently re- Home Telephone _ 724-748-3718 tired as activities director for Howland Local Schools. E-mail __________ [email protected] Johnson is a 1979 cum laude graduate of Youngstown State. He Athletic Dept. Phone 724-458-2900 also earned a master of arts degree from Liberty University in 1991. Athletic Dept. Fax 724-458-3855 Web http://www2.gcc.edu/sports ASSISTANT COACH CORY HAKE CREDITS Cory Hake is in his second season as Grove City College’s pitching coach. He joins the Grove City staff after spending four years as the Editor _____________ R.A. Briggs, SID head baseball coach at nearby Slippery Rock High School (2002-05). Head shots by Gregg Studio, Grove Hake helped the Wolverines capture the Presidents’ Athletic Con- City, Pa. Action shots by Gregg Studio and ference title and a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2008. Dave Miller, Darlington, Pa. Hake earned a bachelor’s degree from Calvin College in 1994. He Printing by Sharon Commercial Print- then completed his master’s degree from the United States Sports Acad- ing, Sharon, Pa. emy in 2000. 2 BASEBALL 2009 20092009 RROSTER No. Name Pos. Yr. Hometown (High School) 2 *** Ben Wilson SS Sr. Mechanicsville, Va. (Lee-Davis) 3 *** Seth Thompson OF Sr. Canton, Ohio (GlenOak) 4 Brandon Durbin IF Fr. Cranberry Township, Pa. (Seneca Valley) 5 * Butch Kriger OF So. Pittsburgh, Pa. (Montour) 6 * Zach Wilson IF Jr. Mechanicsville, Va. (Lee-Davis) 7 ** Mike Herringshaw P Jr. Chardon, Ohio (Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) 8 *** Cody Koontz IF Jr. Moundsville, W. Va. (John Marshall) 9 Dan Perkins OF Fr. Hudson, Ohio (Hudson) 10 ** Mark Scriven IF Jr. Gibsonia, Pa. (Dutch Fork, S.C.) 11 * Scott Moran OF So. Columbia, Md. (Chapelgate Christian) 12 * Steve Stombaugh P So. Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mount Lebanon) 13 * Dan Quirk OF So. Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Schuylerville) 14 *** Matt Tindall P Sr. Copley, Ohio (Copley) 15 ** Tyler Thompson 3B-1B Jr. Lee, Maine (Lee Academy) 17 * Cory Metcalf P So. Ashland, Ohio (Ashland) 18 *** Brad Stombaugh 1B Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mount Lebanon) 19 Andrew Krull P Fr. Imperial, Pa. (West Allegheny) 20 Jason Ferguson 1B Fr. Mineral Ridge, Ohio (Mineral Ridge) 21 Robert Pecchio OF So. Aurora, Ohio (Cuyahoga Valley Christian) 22 * Chip Hasek P So. Valencia, Pa. (Mars) 23 * Marcus Magister C So. Allison Park, Pa. (Hampton) 2009 R 24 *** Zach Hillegas P Sr. Bridgeport, W. Va. (Bridgeport) 25 Kyle Wolff P-OF So. Centerville, Ohio (Centerville) 26 Marcus Chakot C Fr. Indiana, Pa. (Indiana) 27 * J.T. Seelman P So. Pittsburgh, Pa. (Thomas Jefferson) OSTER 28 Kyle Silk P So. Akron, Ohio (Cuyahoga Valley Christian) 29 Andrew Patterson IF So. Akron, Ohio (Cuyahoga Valley Christian) 31 Matt Smith P So. Albany, N.Y. (Loudonville Christian) 32 * Andy Klimek P So. Oakdale, Pa. (South Fayette) 33 Will McCoy C Fr. Newark, Ohio (Newark) *-letters earned Head Coach: Rob Skaricich (1) Assistant Coaches: Bruce Johnson (16) and Cory Hake (30) 20092009 SSCHEDULE February 24-28 Spring Trip -- Winter Haven, Fla. April 11 at Geneva (DH) 1:00 March 20 at Westminster* (DH) 3:00 April 14 at Thiel* (DH) 1:00 March 21 WESTMINSTER* 1:00 April 17 at Thomas More* 3:00 March 24 SAINT VINCENT (DH) 1:00 April 18 at Thomas More* (DH) 1:00 March 27 at Waynesburg* 3:00 April 22 THIEL* 3:00 March 28 WAYNESBURG* 1:00 April 24 at Wash. & Jeff.* 3:00 April 1 at Saint Vincent 3:00 April 25 WASH. & JEFF.* 1:00 April 2 D’YOUVILLE (DH) 2:00 April 27 at Fredonia State (DH) 2:00 April 4 CASE WESTERN (DH) 1:00 May 1 BETHANY* 3:00 April 6 PENN STATE BEHREND 3:00 May 2 at Bethany* (DH) 1:00 April 8 at Hiram (DH) 2:00 May 7-9 Presidents’ Athletic Conference April 9 GENEVA 3:00 Championship Tournament *Presidents’ Athletic Conference Games Home Games in ALL CAPS DH-Doubleheader 3 GROVE CITY COLLEGE 20092009 SSEASON PPREVIEW If a person could only use one word to de- scribe the 2009 Grove City College baseball team as it prepares for the upcoming season, the adjec- tive “experienced” would be an excellent choice. Grove City welcomes back 18 lettermen from the Wolverines’ historic 2008 season. The Wolver- ines became the first Presidents’ Athletic Confer- ence team to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament last year. Now, Grove City will look to make a return trip to the NCAA regionals as several key contributors are back in the fold. Grove City welcomes back five full-time starters in the field, several part-time starters and an experienced pitching staff as the Wolverines pursue their fourth conference title in an eight-year span. Versatility will also be a key for the Wolverines as several players are capable of performing well at numerous positions on the diamond. PITCHING Grove City returns the bulk of its starting rota- tion in 2009, including junior Mike Herringshaw and sophomore Cory Metcalf. Herringshaw made 18 Senior Zach Hillegas is a three-year letterman total appearances and led the Wolverines with six as a starting pitcher for Grove City. He struck out 38 batters in 36 innings last season. REVIEW victories. P Metcalf, meanwhile, tied for the team lead with Herringshaw and Metcalf started Grove City’s eight starts last season. He threw a complete game two games at the NCAA New York Regional last in Grove City’s PAC Tournament win over Thiel last May. Senior fireballer Zach Hillegas is back after fan- EASON year, sending the Wolverines into the finals. S ning 38 batters in 36 innings. He too made eight starts last year and will likely be a key member of the rotation.