Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘College Baseball’

Taylor baseball first baseman Ryne Otis (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) has been named the Mid-Central College Conference Player of the week. The MCC weekly award is the first for Otis this season, and the third of the sophomore’s career.

With at least one hit in each of Taylor’s five games, Otis hit .625 and slugged at 1.500 in 16 at-bats. His 11 RBI and nine runs scored accounted for 20 of Taylor’s 42 runs scored during the week. Otis hit home runs in three out of five games last week, including a blast that put Taylor up 4-1 against defending Big Ten champion Indiana in the top of the fifth inning on Saturday.

In a 9-6 victory over Indiana Wesleyan on Friday, Otis recorded an RBI in each of his four at-bats and was just a double shy of the cycle. He drove in both game-winning runs and tallied six total RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Grace (Ind.) during the Trojans’ conference opener on Tuesday.

The first baseman’s glove has also been sharp, as Otis was errorless in 42 chances last week. One of the major driving forces behind Taylor’s 18-4 start and current 13-game win streak against NAIA opponents, Otis leads the Mid-Central College Conference with 25 RBIs.

The Taylor University Athletic Department plans to broadcast live stats for most home softball and baseball games this Spring.  Fans who cannot make it to the live events will be able to follow the live, play-by-play action by clicking on the Live Stats icons that appear on the Taylor athletics website.  These images can be found on the right hand side of the athletics website (www.taylor.edu/athletics) or by clicking on the ‘Schedule and Scores’ section of each team’s home page.

After clicking the Live Stats link, the page will automatically refresh every 30 seconds with the updated time, stats, play-by-play, and score.

The school is currently providing live stats on the Internet for all remaining home contests for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Plans are being made to provide coverage next fall for Trojan football and volleyball, along with men’s and women’s soccer games.

The Taylor University baseball team features several area standouts, including; Nate Hillary (Junior – Fort Wayne North), Ryne Otis (Freshman – Norwell), Travis Carsten (Freshman – Homestead), Taylor Kinzer (Sophomore – Homestead), and Chris Howell (Sophomore – Bishop Dwenger)

Notre Dame head baseball coach Dave Schrage announced the signing of five student-athletes to national letters of intent today. The class will be eligible beginning in the fall of 2009 and includes Homestead’s Patrick Veerkamp.

“I’ve been a Notre Dame fan for my entire life and when offered the opportunity to play baseball there, it was a dream come true,” said Veerkamp. “After visiting the campus and meeting with the coaches, I felt at home and that it was the right place for me. The academic excellence and the success of the athletic programs at Notre Dame can’t be beat.”

Schrage on Veerkamp: “Patrick is a power arm right-hander that throws three pitches for strikes. He has a power breaking ball and fastball that will touch 90 miles per hour. Patrick will be ready to pitch right away as a freshman. His fastball will also continue to develop as he gets stronger.”

Three-year starter and letterwinner at Homestead High School … went 6-1 with a 3.46 earned run average with 33 strikeouts in 26.1 innings of work last spring … led Homestead to a runner-up finish in the 4A state tournament … two-way player also batted .347 with a .613 slugging percentage for the 26-6 Spartans … ranked as the sixth-best player from the state of Indiana by the Prep Baseball Report … been named to the honor roll every semester of high school … member of the National Honor Society and also a AP Scholar of Distinction

[source: The College Baseball Blog].

When Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) head baseball coach, Billy Gernon stepped down after nine seasons to accept a position at Michigan State, the school was suddenly in need of a new head coach. Today, Metropolitan State College of Denver (Metro State) announced that their head baseball coach, Bobby Pierce has resigned to success Gernon.

Pierce spent the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons at Metro State after arriving from Arkansas-Little Rock.

He led Metro State to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) tournament berths in each of his two seasons at the helm. The Roadrunners went 55-54 in two seasons under Pierce, including a 43-34 mark in RMAC play. Pierce and Metro State had an outstanding 2008 season, going 38-19.

Prior to his arrival at Metro State, Pierce spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Little Rock. He was also an assistant coach at Central Arizona College. Pierce earned a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State in 2001.

Former Carroll High School Standout, Jarrad Miller has signed to play baseball with the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League. The freshman righty out of Valparaiso University has had a solid rookie campaign while closing for the 16-28 Crusaders, leading the team with six saves. Miller has appeared in 19 games, compiling a 3-1 record while posting a 5.96 ERA. He’s struck out 17 and walked eight in 25.2 innings pitched.

While at Carroll High School, Miller was a three-time letter winner whose accolades include Honorable Mention All-State, First-Team All-Northeast Hoosier Conference, First-Team All-Area, and Team MVP in 2007 as a senior. Miller also participated in the North-South All-Star Game during his senior season.

The Wilmington Sharks are a member of the Coastal Plain League, one of the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball leagues. Celebrating its 12th season, the Coastal Plain League features 14 teams that play in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer. The Sharks home opener will be May 28 versus the Wilson Tobs.

[Sources: Photo from Valparaiso University's website | WWAY-TV; North Carolina]

MARION, Ind. – The Taylor University baseball team hit seven home runs in total; including one from North Side standout, Nathan Hillary, to top the University of St. Francis before bowing out at the hands Huntington University in the Mid-Central Conference Tournament where they fell 9-2, ending their season at 27-19.

Starting pitcher Chris Howell (Bishop Dwenger) picked up the win for the Trojans in the first game to improve his record to 5-1.

In the second game, Taylor Kinzer (Homestead) got the starting nod. He pitched three innings and gave up three earned runs in the loss.

After finishing the regular season third in the MCC standings, Taylor matched that effort with a third place finish in the conference tournament.

The Calvin College Knights are off to their best start in the baseball program’s history. With a 17-2 record, senior and Fort Wayne native, Kyle Fletcher is looking to put the 46-65 record of the last three years behind him.

Calvin, led by first-year coach John Sparks, is ranked 23rd in NCAA Division III for its first top 25 rating. The Knights’ only setbacks were against Division III William Paterson (N.J.) in Arizona after an 8-0 start, and this week against Grand Valley State, the No. 10 team in Division II, after another eight-game winning streak. [source: mLive.com]

The catcher has a .397 batting average with six doubles and 18 runs batted in.