Wesleyan baseball set to open up World Series versus Wheaton

Appleton, WI - As our very own Battling Bishops prepare for the 2006 World Series, Wesleyan fans hope that tradition is on our side.  With 1989 and 1999 National Championships under our belt, this year’s Bishop squad is looking to continue the success of a storied program making its 12th appearance at the eight-team event.  Wheaton College, the only top-seeded team to survive the regional round, will be Wesleyan’s first opponent. The other seven teams have all been there before, including six teams that have made six or more appearances in the 31-year history of the championship.

This weekend’s event is co-hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Lawrence University and is being played at Fox Cities Stadium for the seventh consecutive year. For the 27th straight year, there will be a new champion as defending champion University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is not in the field. In fact, Division III baseball has gone the longest of any NCAA sport without a repeat champion.

Wheaton is the exception to all the themes as the only newcomer, the only top seed and the only team to complete its regional undefeated. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is the other relative newcomer, making just its second appearance and first since 1997. The other six teams have combined to make 66 all-time appearances while winning 13 national championships.

Marietta College (Ohio) is the most experienced of the group, qualifying for the finals for the 18th time, surpassing University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for the most appearances. Montclair State University (N.J.) is in its 13th trip, while North Carolina Wesleyan College is back after a six-year absence for its 12th appearance. Eastern Connecticut State University has the most titles of any school with four and qualified for the 11th time. Chapman University (Calif.) and Aurora University (Ill.) are each in the field for the sixth time.

Aurora University is the only of the veteran teams yet to win a title, placing second in 1990 and third in its most recent trip in 2004. The Spartans were granted an at-large berth after losing in the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference tournament and then rallied with four straight wins by a total of five runs in the regional, including two wins over Millsaps College (Miss.) on the final day. The Spartans are led by senior Aaron Thor with a .429 average, 10 home runs and 59 RBI’s. Senior Alex Chapple is 8-1 with a 3.05 ERA and threw back-to-back no-hitters earlier this season. Junior Ryan Fair saved the final four games of the regional and has 12 saves for the year.

Chapman University has been to Fox Cities Stadium more than any other team, making its fifth appearance in seven years, including a national title in 2003. The Panthers boast one of the country’s top pitching staffs, led by junior Devin Drag, who is 9-1 with eight saves and a 0.80 ERA. Senior Buddy Klovstad is 12-1 with a 2.48 ERA. Senior Brian Brubaker is hitting .423 with 35 RBI’s. Chapman beat first round opponent Eastern Connecticut State 5-3 on March 24.

Eastern Connecticut State University had a miraculous journey to Fox Cities Stadium, winning four times in a 27-hour span to rally from an early loss in the Little East Conference tournament and then posting five straight victories in the regional, including a sweep of last year’s national runner-up State University of New York-Cortland. Freshman Shawn Gilbair, who is 8-1 with a 1.43 ERA and a .312 batting average, was last week’s regional Most Valuable Player. Marc Garofalo is the leading hitter with a .343 average.

Marietta College overcame its biggest nemesis in conference rival Otterbein College to reach the finals. The Pioneers, who are 31-6 since March 27 with five losses to Otterbein, conquered the Cardinals 8-7 in 11 innings in the regional title game to qualify for the first time since 2002. Junior pitcher Mike Eisenberg is 11-2 with a 1.36 ERA and has 115 strikeouts in 99 innings, while senior Jarrod Klausman is hitting a team-high .435. Sophomore Tom Doty was seven-for-eight in the regional to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

Montclair State University battled back from a first round regional loss to win six straight games, including two victories over top-ranked College of New Jersey in the title round. The Red Hawks used a three-hit pitching performance in the title game from sophomore Tim Stringer, who was named the regional Most Valuable Player. Brian Butler is the top hitter with a .354 average and 46 RBI’s. Rob Bowness has 10 home runs and 48 RBI’s. Prior to the regional, the Red Hawks played 18 of their 45 games against teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament.

North Carolina Wesleyan had 28 days off prior to the regional, but showed no ill effects, holding opponents to 17 runs over its five games. The Battling Bishops have 104 stolen bases, including 37 by sophomore Chris Pecora, who is hitting .406 for the season. Senior Ryan Snyder is among the nation’s leaders with 23 doubles. Freshman Luke Williford is hitting .416 and shared regional Most Valuable Player honors with junior Blake Rice, who is 10-2 with a 2.82 ERA and 11 complete games.

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has the shortest trip to Fox Cities Stadium, but took perhaps the longest route, rallying from opening round losses in both the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and regional tournaments. The Pointers had their single-game school strikeout record set by three different pitchers in the last 16 games, including a 15-strikeout performance from sophomore Jordan Zimmermann in the regional final to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Senior Jake Frombach is the school’s all-time hits leader and is hitting .385, while senior Chuck Brehm was the conference Player of the Year and has 15 home runs and 26 stolen bases.

Wheaton College has had a baseball program for just nine years and already qualified for its sixth regional appearance in the past seven years. The Lyons had a 24-game winning streak earlier this year that was snapped by Eastern Connecticut State. Sophomore Jake Yagjian is hitting .381 with 33 RBI’s, while sophomore Scott Guillerault has team-leading totals of 13 home runs and 54 RBI’s. Sophomore Chris McDonough leads a balanced pitching staff with a 7-1 record and a 2.12 ERA. Senior Jamie Baker has nine saves and has allowed just 11 hits in 21 appearances.

The Battling Bishops will take the field against Wheaton at 1:15 p.m. (Central Time) on Friday.  Live in-game statistics should be available via the official website of the World Series at http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/NCAAChampionship/2006/.

Parts of this story are courtesy of Jim Strick, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point SID