VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 2009 CRUSADER BASEBALL NOTES Release 12 - May 11, 2009 Contact: Ryan Wronkowicz 2009 SCHEDULE & RESULTS Valparaiso (27-21, 12-10 Horizon) Date Opponent Time/Result Exhibition at Gary SouthShore RailCats Feb. 21 at Morehead State W 6-5, W 8-5 Feb. 22 at Morehead State CCD Tuesday, May 12, 6 p.m. CDT - U.S. Steel Yard, Gary Feb. 27 at Arkansas-Little Rock L 5-0 Feb. 28 at Arkansas-Little Rock PPD to 3/1 Game #49 vs. Illinois State (21-20, 11-11 MVC) Mar. 1 at Arkansas-Little Rock W 2-0, W 10-8 Mar. 3 at #21 Arkansas L 7-3 Wednesday, May 13, 3 p.m. CDT - Emory G. Bauer Field Mar. 4 at #21 Arkansas L 9-6 Mar. 6 at Memphis L 9-5 Games #50-52 vs. UIC (25-21, 16-6 Horizon) Mar. 7 at Memphis L 6-0 Friday, May 15, 3 p.m. CDT - Emory G. Bauer Field Mar. 8 at Memphis L 3-2 Mar. 11 at Mississippi State L 9-2, L 5-4 Saturday, May 16, 12 p.m. CDT (DH) - Emory G. Bauer Field Mar. 13 at Tennessee Tech L 6-4, W 12-8 Mar. 14 at Tennessee Tech (DH) CCD This Week in Crusader Baseball: Valparaiso heads into the final week Mar. 18 at Notre Dame L 10-4 Mar. 20 at Butler * W 14-1 of the 2009 regular season with lots still on the line. The Crusaders are Mar. 21 at Butler * W 10-5, L 5-2 nearing the 30-win mark and can finish as high as second in the Horizon Mar. 26 Milwaukee * L 6-5 Mar. 27 Milwaukee * W 4-2, W 7-5 League standings. This week Valpo plays an exhibition against Gary at Mar. 31 at Northern Illinois PPD to 4/29 the U.S. Steel Yard on Tuesday, hosts Illinois State on Wednesday, and Apr. 3 at Cleveland State * PPD to 4/5 Apr. 4 at Cleveland State * W 10-5, L 7-6 wraps up Horizon League play against regular season champion UIC on Apr. 5 at Cleveland State * L 3-1 Friday and Saturday. Apr. 6 Robert Morris (Ill.) CCD Apr. 8 at Indiana * L 9-5 Apr. 10 North Dakota W 3-2, W 2-1 (12 inn.) On the Air: Tuesday’s game against Gary as well as Wednesday’s con- Apr. 11 North Dakota W 6-5 (10 inn.), W 5-0 Apr. 13 Grace W 12-0 test against Illinois State can be heard live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Val- Apr. 14 at IPFW CCD paraiso) and online at www.valpoathletics.com. Friday’s game against Apr. 15 Anderson W 4-3 Apr. 17 Wright State * L 8-1 UIC as well as game one of Saturday’s twinbill will also be broadcast. Apr. 18 Wright State * L 6-2, W 14-1 Game two on Saturday will not be carried. In addition, live stats via Apr. 19 Saint Francis (Ind.) W 6-5 Apr. 21 Purdue (U.S. Steel Yard) CCD Gametracker will be available through www.valpoathletics.com for ev- Apr. 25 at UIC * L 14-2, CCD ery game this week. Apr. 26 at Wright State* L 16-1, W 2-1 Apr. 28 Bradley W 5-2 Apr. 29 at Northern Illinois W 12-2 Pitching Rotation: In Tuesday’s exhibition game, multiple hurlers are May 1 Youngstown State * W 6-4 May 2 Youngstown State * W 8-7, L 13-4 expected to pitch for both teams. John Snelten (RHP, 3-3, 4.31) is slated May 5 Northwestern (U.S. Steel Yard)W 14-2 to toe the rubber for Valpo against Illinois State on Wednesday while the May 9 at Youngstown State * L 8-4, W 6-5 Redbirds counter with Ryan Camp (RHP, 4-3, 4.90). This weekend May 10 Butler * W 7-6, W 6-3 May 12 at Gary RailCats (exhibition) 6 p.m. against UIC, Valpo plans to send Jon Gulbransen (LHP, 5-6, 5.47) to the May 13 Illinois State 3 p.m. mound on Friday while Alex Berry (RHP, 3-5, 5.48) and Bryce Shafer May 15 UIC * 3 p.m. May 16 UIC (DH) * 12 p.m. (RHP, 6-3, 3.84) are tentatively slated for Saturday. UIC has not an- May 20-24at Horizon League Tournament nounced its rotation, but has been sending Adam Worthington (RHP, 4- (Cleveland, Ohio) All Times Central. 5, 3.31), Chris Kovacevich (LHP, 6-4, 3.81), and Mike Kool (RHP, 4-7, * - Horizon League game 6.99) to the mound on the weekends. SPORTS MEDIA RELATIONS Wrapping Up Recent Action: Valpo opened last week with a 14-2 vic- Asst. A.D/Media Relations tory over Northwestern at U.S. Steel Yard behind a complete game per- (Baseball Contact): Ryan Wronkowicz Office Phone: (219) 464-5232 formance from John Snelten. Saturday, the Crusaders split a twinbill at Cell Phone: (219) 617-2466 Youngstown State. The Penguins won the opener 8-4, jumping out to an Fax: (219) 464-5762 early 6-0 lead, before Valpo took the nightcap 6-5. In Sunday’s double- Email: [email protected] header, the Crusaders rallied from a 6-1 deficit in the opener to earn a 7- Asst. Director: Aaron Leavitt 6 victory against the Bulldogs. Valpo again had to rally in game two, Website: www.valpoathletics.com scoring four times in the seventh inning on the way to a 6-3 win. HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS THIS WEEK IN THE (through games of May 10) HORIZON LEAGUE Team Overall Pct. Horizon Pct. UIC 25-21 .543 16-6 .727 Upcoming Games Wright State 27-25 .519 13-10 .565 Monday, May 11 Milwaukee 22-25 .468 11-9 .550 Toledo at Wright State, 5:30 p.m. Valparaiso 27-21 .562 12-10 .545 Youngstown State at West Virginia, 6:05 p.m. Cleveland State 18-28 .391 10-12 .455 Youngstown State 14-33 .298 10-14 .417 Tueday, May 12 Butler 11-36 .234 6-17 .261 Eastern Illinois at Butler, 2 p.m. Toledo at Youngstown State, 4 p.m. Scouting Gary: The RailCats are wrapping up exhibition play this week Valparaiso at Gary RailCats (exhibition), 6 p.m. before opening the Northern League (Independent) slate next weekend Milwaukee vs. Northern Illinois, 7:35 p.m. at Fargo-Moorhead. Gary has won the Northern League in two of the (Rockford, Ill.) last four seasons. Wednesday, May 13 Scouting Illinois State: The Redbirds enter the week having dropped Illinois State at Valparaiso, 3 p.m. UIC at Purdue, 3 p.m. eight of its last 10 games after starting the season 19-12 overall. Illinois State is .500 in the Missouri Valley Conference, currently sitting in fifth Thursday, May 14 place. Collin Salzenstein is the team’s leading hitter at .327 while Ryan Butler at Milwaukee (DH) *, 4 p.m. Court is hitting .312 with four homers and 37 runs batted in. As a team Illinois State is hitting .278. The pitching staff is led by Ryan Copeland Friday, May 15 and his 3.75 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. The Redbirds staff Butler at Milwaukee *, 2 p.m. has a 5.36 ERA on the year. UIC at Valparaiso *, 3 p.m. Cleveland State at Wright State *, 5:30 p.m. Scouting UIC: The Flames have wrapped up the Horizon League regu- Saturday, May 16 lar season title after winning five of their last six games. Jake Carr leads Cleveland State at Wright State (DH) *, 12 p.m. the team hitting .338 with six homers and 34 runs batted in on the year. UIC at Valparaiso (DH) *, 12 p.m. As a team, UIC is hitting .293. On the mound, closer Derek Miramontes is 5-0 with seven saves and a 2.02 ERA on a staff that has posted a 4.84 * - Horizon League Game ERA overall. (All Times Central) Miller Sets School’s Single Season Saves Record, Among Nation’s Leaders This Year: Jarad Miller recorded three more saves last week- HEAD COACH end and has slammed the door in his last eight appearances overall to TRACY WOODSON shatter Valparaiso’s single season save mark. The sophomore has 16 3rd Season Overall and at Valpo saves this season already, bettering Justin Craker’s mark of 12 set in Career Record: 70-90 2001. He enters the week ranked among the top five nationally in saves. Record at Valpo: 70-90 In Valpo’s 12 Horizon League victories this year, Miller has recorded 11 saves. - Member of 1988 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers First Time in Awhile: Valparaiso has already secured its first .500 sea- - 5 Year Major Leaguer son since the Crusaders went 30-27 during the 1999 campaign. With - Minor League Manager Rookie one win against UIC this weekend, the Crusaders will post a conference League through AAA record over .500 for the first time since 2001 when Valpo went 14-10 in the Mid-Continent Conference. HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL Fighting For Second: As Valpo heads into the final weekend of the 1. UIC (6) 36 regular season, the Crusaders are assured of not finishing any lower 2. Wright State (1) 29 than fifth in the Horizon League standings, thus avoiding the 6-7 play-in 3. Milwaukee 26 game on Tuesday at the conference tournament. The Crusaders are a 4. Youngstown State 21 half game out of second in the standings, and need to win one more 5.