6 March 2002
 

Titan Baseball Team Looks to Build on Success

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- A lofty goal for the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team would be to simply Improve on last season's success. Because if that happens, the Titans will be squarely in contention for a national championship.

The season gets underway this Friday for IWU, ranked No. 10 in the preseason American Baseball Coaches Association Division III poll, as they play Coe College at noon in the Greenville (Ill.) Tournament. On Saturday, the Titans play the U. of Chicago at noon and face the host team at 2:30 p.m.

Last spring, the Titans were 37-15-1, won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship, won the NCAA Central regional and played for the first time in the Division III College World Series. IWU was No. 8 in the final ABCA poll in 2001.

"The experience from last season is invaluable," said IWU head coach Dennis Martel, whose 14-year record is 336-224-3 (.599) and was the Central Region coach of the year. "We are a very cohesive team this spring, which is great to see as a coach, and will work at getting it done like we did last year — with pitching and defense and getting the timely hit."

Heading the list of returning players are preseason All-Americans Steve Schilsky and Ryan Gilfillan, last year's most valuable pitcher and player, respectively.

Both players were on the first team of the all-Central Region squad and were first team all-CCIW selections. Schilsky, a junior righthander from Springfield (Sacred Heart Griffin HS), was the CCIW "Player of the Year" and was a second team Division III All-American while Gilfillan, a junior second baseman from Peoria (Notre Dame HS), was a third team All-American.

Schilsky had an 8-3 record, a 1.82 earned run average, and struck out a school record 107 while walking only 26 in 74.3 innings. Playing first base when not pitching, he batted .241 with a team-high six home runs and batted in 24 runs.

Gilfillan led the team with a .397 mark and set IWU single-season records in hits (71), doubles (20), walks (31), games played (53), and at bats (179).

Martel is particularly thrilled about his pitching staff. "I have six or seven guys I can put on the mound and be really comfortable with," he said. "If a couple of them can step up and have solid seasons, we'll be in great shape."

Along with Schilsky, four other starting pitchers are back, including senior Ben Pasulka (Chicago, Loyola Academy), juniors Steve Brook (Chicago Heights, Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and Eric Zier (Lockport HS), and sophomore Rob Blumberg (Freeburg HS).

Brook was 4-3 with a 6.61 ERA while Blumberg and Pasulka were both 2-1. The lefthanded Zier was 4-1 with a 4.18 ERA and fanned 44 in 56 innings.

Junior Scott Schiller (McHenry, Johnsburg HS), who will be a spot starter and the team's closer, and sophomore Rich Berthold (Elk Grove, Conant HS) add depth to the mound staff. In 15 games, Schiller was 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA and a team-leading four saves while Berthold was 3-0 with a 0.56 ERA.

"Defensively, we'll be better than last year, but the offense is my concern," said Martel. "I feel we have five quality hitters and, if we get production from some others in our lineup, we could be very good again."

Junior Chris Kaufman (Normal, West HS), who hit .281 in 31 games last season, will take over as catcher for the graduated Chad Rock, with freshman Jason Shearn (Wheeling, Buffalo Grove HS) as another backstop.

Returning at shortstop is sophomore Andy Brandt (Atlanta, Stanford Olympia HS) while freshman Mick Curran (Orland Park, Sandburg HS) will be given the chance at third base. Sophomore Chuck Nelson (Elk Grove Village, Conant HS) can play short and third and junior Kent Devine (Oak Forest HS) can handle first base when Schilsky is pitching.

The outfield is set with juniors Jeremy Hunt (Champaign, Centennial HS) and Mike Mazzone (Carol Stream, Glenbard North HS) in center and left with senior Justin Cripe (Crystal Lake, South HS) in right.

Hunt batted .297 with 15 doubles and 30 runs batted in and Cripe hit .276 with five doubles and 26 RBI. Mazzone missed most of last year with a broken hand but hit .290 in a full season as a freshman.

Junior Kory Blumer (Farmer City, Blue Ridge HS), who batted .241 last spring, can also play the outfield and will be the team's primary designated hitter.

Martel feels that IWU will be "marked" this year as a result of their success. "As a nationally-ranked team, we'll be a team that's circled on every opponents' schedule and we'll face a lot of No. 1 pitchers," he said. "This year we'll be the hunted instead of the hunters, but that's a position I'd rather be in."
 

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, (309) 556-3206
or head coach Dennis Martel, (309) 556-3335