February 26, 2003
(Release courtesy of Kelly Mueller, IIAC Intern)

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . The 2003 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) baseball season is underway. Wartburg and Loras got the season started on Tuesday with doubleheaders at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. Wartburg defeated Morningside College in the first game (4-3) then tied the second game (5-5). Loras opened its season with a doubleheader split with Bethel College (Minn.), winning game one (1-0) and falling in game two (7-0).

Cornell will travel to Cocoa, Fla. to play Wilmington College (Del.) at 1:00 pm (EST) on Thursday, February 27, while Upper Iowa will also open its season at the Metrodome on Friday, February 28 against Augsburg College at 10:00 am.

Buena Vista and Coe begin season play on Saturday, March 1, with Buena Vista making the trip to Fremont, Neb. to play Midland Lutheran at 1:00 pm and Coe traveling to St. Louis, Mo. to take on Washington University at 2:30 pm. Dubuque also will begin play that weekend, going up against Edgewood College (Wis.) at the Metrodome on Sunday at 7:00 pm.

The other three IIAC schools will wait nearly another week before opening their seasons. On Saturday, March 8, Luther will play Augsburg at 5:00 pm and will be the fourth IIAC team to open its season at the Metrodome. Monday, March 10 will mark the beginning of the season for both Central and Simpson as both teams embark on its spring trips to Florida. Central will take on Moravian College (Pa.) at 3:00 pm (EST) in its first game in Ft. Myers and Simpson will play Ursinus College at 4:00 pm (EST) in Cocoa, Fla.

Conference play begins Thursday, April 3 and concludes with the Conference Tournament Thursday, May 8-Saturday, May 10 at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo, Iowa.

In a preseason poll of the Iowa Conference coaches, six-time defending Champion Wartburg College is the unanimous selection to repeat as Conference Champion again in 2003. Wartburg received first place votes from all eight coaches that participated in the poll. Upper Iowa University received three second place votes and three third place votes, edging Coe College for second place in the poll. Loras finished one point ahead of Buena Vista for the fourth spot.

The composite Conference schedule, results and statistics are available on the baseball home page of the Conference web site. For the most up-to-date team rosters, visit the baseball page of each schools’ athletic web site.

A complete team-by-team preview follows.

Buena Vista University Beavers
(24-14, 15-6 IIAC – Tie 2nd)

Starters Returning/Lost: 5/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/6

About the Team: Buena Vista, a team that entered last year’s Conference Tournament as the top seed, returns All-Conference pitcher Nathan Kleve, All-Conference catcher Cory Kennedy and an All-Region center fielder Travis Wielenga. Kleve led the team last year with 8 wins, the highest total wins of any Buena Vista pitcher since 1980. Kennedy hit .347 and drove in 23 runs. Wielenga returns after hitting .393 a year ago and driving in 18 runs. He also came up with 26-of-28 stolen base attempts.

The Beaver infield lost two All-Conference players including MVP Nick Beard (.422 avg. 12 HR, 58 RBI) and Second Team All-Conference shortstop, Tom Cooper (.336 avg., 7 HR, 32 RBI). Junior Dan Nuehring, who played right field for the last two years, will move to shortstop to fill the vacancy left by Cooper. He is coming off a year in which he hit .387 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 26 games. At third base, freshman Matt Reichle will look to fill the spot left by Beard. Another freshman, Tom Murphy may be called on as the starting first baseman for the Beavers. Sophomore Brian Ricken and freshman Josh Lewis are the leading candidates to fill the second base vacancy.

Playing on either side of Wielenga in the outfield will likely be sophomore Ben Lickteig in left field and sophomore Mike Soenen in right, whose playing time last year was limited due to a shoulder injury. Also challenging for the outfield positions will be juniors Kent Bass and Jeremiah Knutzen, and freshman Joe Poole. Bass played in 12 games in 2002 as a sophomore and had a .300 batting average while Knutzen stole 5 bases and committed only 1 error in 26 games.

Sophomore Brian Notch or freshman Nick Price will back up Kennedy.

Kleve returns as the team’s top pitcher and senior Mike Fong is also expected to be among the top pitchers of this year’s staff. Junior Chris Carlton, who sat out last year, is back to improve upon his 2.08 ERA in eight appearances in the 2001 season. Knutzen will challenge for a spot in the starting rotation as well. Last year he started four games and pitched 18 innings. Cody Tibbetts saw action in 13 games as a freshman and should see more time this year. Other pitchers who will see time on the mound are sophomore Nick Ginapp and freshmen Jason Hillman and Ryan Brock.

About the Coach: Entering his third season as head coach of the Beavers is Steve Eddie. After his playing days at the University of Iowa, he spent seven seasons playing professionally before retiring in 1999. Upon retiring, Eddie returned to Buena Vista serving as assistant baseball and basketball coach. In 2000, he was named head baseball coach and has since posted a record of 36-31-1, earning IIAC Coach of the Year honors in 2002.

Coach Eddie on his Team: “(Offensively) This year’s team may go through some growing pains, as we will not start a senior in the everyday lineup. It will be interesting to watch our guys develop into college baseball players. After losing two of our top three starters, we are going to need to see some guys develop. We will give a number of different guys a chance to establish themselves (on the mound).”

Coach Eddie on the IIAC: “There are a lot of teams around the league that lost their best players, so it will be interesting to see which kids will be the next great players in the league. The Iowa Conference standings will come down to who fills the positions left by the great seniors from a year ago.”

Central College Dutch
(15-23, 8-12 IIAC – 6th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 5/4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/8

About the Team: The Central baseball team, which lost 12 letterwinners from a year ago, four of whom were starters, will be under the guidance of new co-head coaches for the 2003 baseball season. They are looking to better last season’s sixth place Conference finish. Central’s pitching staff is led by senior left-hander Jim Barclay, a First Team All-Conference selection in 2002. A four-year starter for the Dutch, he had a 6-2 record to go along with the best ERA on the team last year at 2.78.

Senior right-hander Nick Poch and left-hander Eric Van Wyngarden will compete with junior left-handers Casey Ragar and Adam Meyer, sophomore left-hander Kent Patterson, junior transfer Justin Kingery, and freshman Matt Rohach for the remaining spots in the rotation. Senior southpaw Adam Rozenboom will be a key reliever for the Dutch, though he’ll likely start a few of the opening games in Florida over spring break.

After losing All-Region catcher Matt Menninga (.360 avg., 7 HR, 39 RBI in 36 games), to graduation, the Dutch need to find someone who can pick up the slack behind the plate on defense, as well as at the plate on offense. Sophomore Kody Wohlers, will be battling with freshman Adam Duerfeldt and junior Todd Ehlers for the catching job.

With the exception of third base, the Dutch infield brings a good deal of experience on the defensive side of things. Senior Travis Hilsabeck returns to first base and will likely be backed up by senior Scott Crannell. Junior Nathan Landas is back at second base, where he played in 18 games and made 10 starts, while hitting .250 last year. Junior transfer Tim Higgins may also see some time at second. Senior Brent Fridley and Landas will see time at shortstop. Third base is open, with sophomore Steve Gebhart and junior Casey Olney as the leading candidates.

The two returnees in the outfield are senior Ben Metzger and sophomore Austin De Hoogh. Junior transfer Pat Johnson appears to be the frontrunner in center field.

From a hitting standpoint, three of the four starters that Central lost, batted over .300 and all of the returning starters were in the .200’s last season. The Dutch will need to swing the bat better if they want to win games. The coaches do, however, like what they see offensively in Wohlers (21 RBI in 34 games), Fridley (.269 avg.), Hilsabeck, and newcomer Higgins. They have a lot of confidence in left-handed batter sophomore Alex Foell as a designated hitter and won’t hesitate to call on Duerfeldt or Landas to play that role either.

About the Coach: Dave Baker and Matt Ballou, both of whom are veteran assistant coaches for the Dutch, have taken over as interim co-head coaches for the 2003 baseball season following the retirement of long-time coach, John Edwards. Baker, who has been on the Central coaching staff for three years, is a member of UCLA’s Hall of Fame and former professional baseball player. Ballou, a graduate of Southwest Louisiana, has been coaching for 11 years and has been the Central pitching coach for the last nine years under Edwards.

Coach Baker on his Team: “We lost nine one-run games last year. I want to be on the other end of that this year. I want to put pressure on the other team’s defense. We want to make it as simple as possible. You work hard, you get good results. We don’t have nine home run hitters. We have to manufacture runs. That’s why I talk about needing everybody playing a role to make us successful. We’ve got a lot of these little pesky guys who know how to get on base, move runners over and score runs. These guys are going to play old-fashioned baseball, and that’s what I like.”

Coach Baker on the IIAC: “I wasn’t sure what to expect from Division III when I came here, but I think the Iowa Conference plays very good baseball. Anybody can beat anybody in this league. You have to be ready to play every game.”

Coe College Kohawks
(21-20, 14-7 IIAC – 4th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 4/5
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/7

About the Team: The Coe baseball team has some big shoes to fill as a result of the graduation of three of its top players. The Kohawks lost All-Conference players in outfielder Tim Vinyard, shortstop Nate Iverson, and first baseman Nick Nissen. Vinyard and Iverson also earned All-Region recognition.

Senior Kyle Bassett, a Second Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region performer returns at third base. He started all 41 games for the Kohawks in 2002, was seventh in the Conference in batting average at .407, hit eight home runs, and drove in 34 runs. Another senior, Wes Digmann, returns at second base.

Other players that may compete for the remaining infield spots are senior Travis Johnson, junior Mike Kastner and freshman Nathan Dlouhy. The Kohawks also will need a new catcher to step up and may call on senior Ian Cooper or freshmen Josh Schauf and Chris Larson to do the job.

Senior Eric Blaser returns to the outfield with junior Jon Schroeder. Junior Aaron Nielsen and sophomore Eric Hemesath will also compete for playing time in the outfield.

As far as offensive production goes, the returnees, most of whom were in the upper .200’s, will need to be more productive, in order to make up for the losses of Nissen (.357 avg.), Iverson (.396 avg.), and Vinyard (.389 avg.). Schroeder hit .289 for the season, drove in 38 runs and knocked seven out of the park last season. Digmann was tied for second on the team in home runs with seven, while hitting .261 and driving in 25 runs.

Coe has a relatively young, but experienced, pitching staff returning with three sophomores and two juniors after not graduating a single pitcher. Senior Mike Wiesler was 5-2 with one save, 31 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 52.1 innings pitched. Nielson struck out 22 in 27.1 innings.

Sophomore Tom Hauck finished 5-3, struck out 28 batters and walked 13. Sophomore Travis Kisner was 4-4 with 1 save and 18 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. Mitch Bockenstedt, yet another sophomore, was 3-3 with two saves, fanning 26 batters. Kastner also racked up two saves for the Kohawks.

About the Coach: Steve Cook will be entering his seventh year as head coach of the Kohawk baseball team. A former All-American from Allegheny College (Pa.) and minor leaguer, he has a career coaching record of 97-136-1.

Coach Cook on his Team: “It should be a much different Coe team this year. Graduating so much offense and not graduating any pitching has changed our strengths for this year. We have also added three transfer pitchers who will all play significant roles. We feel that we’re a solid eight to nine deep; it will easily be the best pitching staff that I have had here. Offensively, Kyle Bassett will be our go to guy. Around him will be a mix of returnees and new players. We won’t be able to sit back and rely on the big hit to spark big innings. We’re going to have a lineup that runs more and plays more ‘small ball’.”

Coach Cook on the IIAC: “The Conference should shape up to be as competitive as ever. There are some programs that have lost significant players to graduation. Wartburg is the obvious favorite, especially because they haven’t lost much. I think Loras will be the most improved team; they have a potentially great pitching staff.”

Cornell College Rams
(21-15, 11-9 IIAC – 5th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 7/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 18/10

About the Team: After only losing three starters from a team that finished fifth a year ago and made a good run in the Conference Tournament, Cornell is in good position to move up in the Conference this season. The Rams have experienced players returning at all positions in the infield.

At first base will be junior Nate Eichmeyer, who led the team in home runs last year with six and in runs batted in with 30, while batting .324. He will likely be backed up by junior Kevin Moses or junior transfer Paul John Zobek. At second base there will be a battle between junior Justin Mashburn and sophomore Jared Spangenberg.

Sophomore Danny Love returns at shortstop, where he started 35 of 36 games as a freshman and batted .324 with two homers and 18 RBI. He will be backed up by senior Brett Townsend. Senior Chet Knake, who was second on the team with 29 runs batted in, while batting .367 and hitting four home runs, returns at third base for the Rams. Freshmen Dan Latimer and Joe Campanelli may also provide depth in the infield. Behind the plate will be senior Ian Harden, who hit .396, hit two home runs, and brought 20 runners across the plate.

In the outfield for the Rams are junior Matt Ditch, who finished the 2002 season with three home runs, and 13 runs batted in while playing in 20 games, and sophomore Pat Block, who batted .253 with two home runs while also driving in 20 runs a year ago.

Cornell will miss the speed of Darnell Wiltz in the outfield as well as on the base path, where he stole 17 bases last season. Junior Drew Simonis and sophomore Adam Hadenfeldt will battle for the remaining spot in the outfield, while sophomores Ricky Legree and Dominic Wilson, and Zobek will also challenge for playing time.

The Rams also lost designated hitter Brent Henry. Henry had a .295 batting average with two home runs and 17 runs batted in and also had seven sacrifice bunts. He is back as an assistant coach for this season after graduating in May.

The pitching staff returns four of its top-five starters, losing All-Conference and All-Region selection Nick Boeset (6-2, 1 save, 70 SO, 60 IP) to graduation. Senior Matt Loptien had a 2-5 record in his 2002 campaign, with 44 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched. Also back is senior Tyler Broders, a lefty who was 3-2 a year ago.

Junior Justin Flansburg showed some potential finishing 2-1, as did sophomore Ryan Williams who finished the season 4-1 with two saves and 17 strikeouts. Williams and Hadenfeldt might see time out of the bullpen for the Rams this year. Other returnees who will add depth are sophomores Andrew Buck, Dylan Hagan, and Bill Deitch. The Rams will look to freshman Ryan Rosenberg to step in right away and provide some depth to the rotation or some valuable innings in relief.

About the Coach: Frank Fishler is entering his second season as head baseball coach at Cornell after serving as interim head coach in 2002. Prior to the 2002 season, he served as assistant coach to Ray Reasland. Fishler also coached eight seasons at Midland (Iowa) High School, where he was named Big East Coach of the Year in 1999.

Coach Fishler on his Team: “The 2003 Cornell College baseball team has the potential to be a complete team with solid offense, defense, and pitching. If we can combine everything together with the strong leadership and work ethic of this program, this could be a very solid team that will be an Iowa Conference contender.”

Coach Fishler on the IIAC: “The Conference should be very strong from the top to the bottom. Every game will be competitive and meaningful in the conference race. The difference between first and last place in the conference could be only a few runs. Every team has a chance to be at the top of the Conference.”

University of Dubuque Spartans
(8-25, 4-14 IIAC – 10th)

Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 6/4
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 5/5
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/7

About the Team: With some good young talent coming in, Dubuque expects great improvements from their 8-25 season in 2002 and will use their experience with a mix of newcomers to reach those expectations. Senior Corey Parr is back at first base. Senior Marc Mette is also back and will likely defend the middle infield alongside junior transfer Keith Bernard at either second base or shortstop. Freshman Cole Lyons should see time immediately at third base. Senior Andy Dunkin, junior Ben Gabriel and freshman Kyle Miller, may also see time in the infield.

Senior Pat Brown returns to the outfield, along with juniors Tim Griffith and Curtis Schultz. Junior Brian Loughren, sophomore Chris Tanner and freshmen Ryan Page and Mark Becker will challenge for playing time as well. Sophomore transfer Justin Shepard may be called on right away at catcher.

Parr (.310 avg., 3 HR, 13 RBI), Brown (.250 avg., 10 RBI), Schultz (.301 avg., 16 RBI) and Griffith (.354 avg., 10 RBI) are the top returning offensive threats.

The Dubuque pitching staff hopes the experience their three sophomores received as freshmen will payoff this year. Sophomores Adam Busch (1-0, 3.71 ERA, 18 strikeouts in 17 innings), Mike Kelley (0-1, 3.97 ERA, 11.1 innings), Alex Howe (1-3, 16 strikeouts in 25.1 innings) led the pitching staff that saw 10 different players take the mound in 2002. Senior Chris Pauley (1-4, 31 strikeouts in 40.1 innings), and Parr (3 strikeouts in 3 innings) also return with pitching experience.

The newcomers on the Spartans’ staff include four right-handers and three southpaws. Looking to challenge for a spot in the rotation are juniors Joshua Knoll, Andre Robles and Gabriel, and freshmen Mike Blavat, Tim Kinney, Miller, and Page.

About the Coach: Dennis Rima heads into his 14th and final season as head coach of the Dubuque baseball team, during which time he has compiled a194-282-2 record. He has a career coaching record of 405-340-2 in 21 years of coaching. Rima will turn over coaching reigns to Shane Schellsmidt following the 2003 season.

Coach Rima on his Team: “We are very excited about this year’s squad. We have a good mix of veterans and newcomers. We have about 20 new players, so we are curious to see what they can do once we get into games in March. I expect that we will be very competitive in the Iowa Conference and hopefully we can finish in the upper half of the conference.”

Coach Rima on the IIAC: “I think the Iowa Conference will be very strong this year. A lot of teams have a lot of returnees back from last year and I think parity will reign in the league. I feel that on any given day anybody in the league can beat anybody. That is the way you like it!”

Loras College Duhawks
(15-22, 5-13 IIAC – Tie 7th)

Starters Returning/Lost: 9/4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 19/4

About the Team: Graduation did not take much away from Loras in terms of personnel. After losing only four players, they have a lot of experience and leadership, and are in good position to move up in the standings. On the mound, the Duhawks bring back six pitchers from a squad that finished in a three-way tie for seventh place in 2002.

Junior Tim Cundiff is back and looking to improve on his 4-4 record, 2.16 ERA, and 35 strikeouts from last season. Also back are seniors Jason Kuffel (4-4, 4.93 ERA, 31 strikeouts), Cory Schultz, (4.82 ERA, 35 strikeouts), Kevin Corkery (4-6), and Pete Bonifas (2-1, 23 strikeouts) as well as junior David Fischer (4.07 ERA). Newcomers Chris Gaulin and James Vorbau could also compete for time on the mound.

Senior Jeremy Bartolo will see more time behind the plate this year. Last year he played in 14 games, 10 of which he started. First base will be covered by junior Eric Gold, who started all 36 games in which he played, while batting .298 with two home runs and 23 runs batted in. Freshman AJ Sagen, may see some time at first as well.

Sophomore Tim Schneden will be at second base, where he gained valuable experience last season, playing in 27 games as a freshman and starting 19 of those with a .944 fielding percentage. He will be challenged by freshman Bobby Bibeau for playing time.

A key loss for the Duhawks was at shortstop, a position for which freshmen Dustin Roth and Jesse Bouman will compete. Senior Kory Tuescher with his .929 fielding percentage, is back at third base after playing in 20 games last year and starting 18. Freshman Matt Mausser may also see some time in the infield.

The outfield will be patrolled by senior Justin McDermott, junior Tom Andrews, and sophomore Jesse Freiberger, while sophomore Chet Medinger may also be called on at times. The Duhawks will look to Andrews, who batted .315 a year ago with two homers and 20 RBI, while stealing 15 bases, for much of their offense. McDermott (.256 avg., 12 SB), Gold (.298 avg., 23 RBI), and Freiberger (.242 avg., 14 RBI) should also provide some valuable at-bats for them.

About the Coach: Coach Carl Tebon is in his eighth year as the head coach at Loras and in his 11th year of coaching. He has a 154-118-3 record with the Duhawks and a 210-156-3 record overall which includes three years at Wisconsin-River Falls.

Coach Tebon on his Team: “The Duhawks are in a great position this year to make a run at the top of the Conference. I have the best pitching staff that Loras has seen in my eight years here as head coach. We are young in a lot of other areas, but I feel good about this year’s team.”

Coach Tebon on the IIAC: “The IIAC as a whole is one of the best Division III conferences in the nation. From top to bottom it is very competitive. If you don’t come ready to play, you will get beat.”

Luther College Norse
(10-24, 5-13 IIAC – Tie 7th)

Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 4/3
Starting Pitchers Returning/Lost: 5/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/14

About the Team: In the infield the Norse return Second Team All-Conference senior shortstop Jason Karaidos, sophomore first baseman Brad Paulsrud, and sophomore third baseman, John Jaeger. Junior Jason Stravers and sophomores Andy Haugen, David Zelinskas and Neil Theisen may see time in the infield this season.

The catching position is wide open with Stravers, senior Justin Jaeger, junior Dennis Bradbeck, sophomore Mark Guy and freshman Michael Schmalfeldt all competing for playing time behind the plate.

In the outfield, junior right fielder, Brock Reed is the lone returnee. Guy and freshmen Mathew Cessna, Adam Klaren, Spencer Jones, Steven Lunn and Michael Nass are among those competing for the left field and center field positions.

The players that return for the Norse, do swing the bat well. The Norse will look to John Jaeger, who led the team in batting average at .366 and runs batted in with 29 last season, Reed (.359 avg., 7 RBI), and Karaidos (.338 avg., 15 RBI) for much of their offense.

From a pitching standpoint, senior Ryan Conway had the lowest ERA a year ago at 3.65. As a junior, he went 2-6 with 14 strikeouts. Junior Josh Jevne led the team with 46.1 innings pitched and finished 3-5. John Jaeger pitched 34.2 innings last year and fanned 24 batters while walking only five. Paulsrud and sophomore Justin Patnode will provide depth on the mound.

About the Coach: Coach Brian Gillogly enters his second season at Luther and 14th overall. He has a career coaching record of 348-208-2, which ranks 38th among active NCAA Division III coaches in wins. Prior to coming to Luther, he coached at Marian College (Wis.).

Coach Gillogly on his Team: “We are a team that will strive to be fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. As a whole we are a young, inexperienced group with a very good work ethic and attitude. Execution on a consistent basis, with good pitching and defense being the emphasis, will enable our team to do positive things this season.”

Coach Gillogly on the IIAC: “The Iowa Conference should again prove to be very competitive from top to bottom. There seems to be a great deal of parity, with anything being possible on any given afternoon. The teams that will finish in the upper half will be most consistent in quality of play throughout the Conference season. We look forward to the challenge.”

Simpson College Storm
(19-19, 5-13 IIAC – Tie 7th)

Starting Position Players Returning/Lost: 7/2
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 6/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 18/8

About the Team: Simpson managed a .500 overall record in 2002 but the Storm do not expect to have a repeat of last year’s seventh place tie and absence from the Conference Tournament. First Team All-Conference shortstop Scott Sibbel, a senior, anchors the infield. Last season he finished with a .356 batting average, six home runs, and 38 runs batted in. He will play alongside second baseman Bryan Cyronek, a transfer from Division II University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Sibbel and Cyronek will be joined in the infield by senior Matt DeWolf, who will be asked to fill the vacancy left by Simpson’s career home run leader, Brent Delger at first base. Last season DeWolf saw action in 12 games and hit .312. Sophomores Dan Rieck and Joey Young, who both saw time at third base last season will compete for the starting spot, but may also back up DeWolf at first or play outfield. Rieck hit .318 and Young hit .339 last season. Both players had two homeruns and drove in 11 runs. Freshmen Dusty Kain, and Ross Anderson will provide additional depth around the infield, mostly at second base, shortstop, and third base.

Catchers Brett Murphy and Jon Clanton split the playing time behind the plate last season and will compete for time this season as well. Murphy, a junior, hit .276 in 25 games, while Clanton, a sophomore, played in 23 games as a freshman. Both players hit two home runs and drove in nine runs.

In the outfield, Steve Lamberti, a First Team All-Conference selection in 2001 returns after sitting out the 2002 season due to injury. Other returnees that will compete for playing time in the outfield are juniors Grant Fjetland, David Isaacson, and Vince Klopfenstein. Fjetland hit .263 with one RBI, and scored five runs. Isaacson had a .368 batting average, one home run, and drove in 14 runs.

The top four starters from Simpson’s 2002 pitching staff are back. Junior Mike Donnenwerth, who also plays outfield, was 5-4 with a 4.81 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 39.1 innings. He is also an offensive threat; he hit .271, with three home runs, and 10 RBI a year ago. Another junior, Scott Brown went 2-3 for the season with a 3.98 ERA, 28 strikeouts and one save in 11 games. J.D. Hews led the team in strikeouts (43) and innings pitched (54). He compiled a 3-3 record and had a 4.50 ERA. Sophomore southpaw Wade Samo pitched 25 innings as a freshman.

Rounding out the pitching staff for Simpson is junior Ben Ramsay who appeared in 10 games last season. He will look to challenge for a spot in the starting rotation. Sophomore Shawn Parker saved two games a year ago. Isaacson, another lefty, went 2-0 and struck out 17 batters in 17 innings. Transfers Josh August, Jared Miller, and A.J. Simmons, and freshman Terry Beavers will look to get some varsity experience on the mound as well.

About the Coach: John Sirianni begins his 19th season as head coach of the Simpson baseball team. The five-time Iowa Conference Coach of the Year has a career coaching record of 407-245-1 in his 18 years with the program. He has led the Storm to 12 20-win seasons, two 30-win seasons, five NCAA Tournament appearances and three Conference titles. He ranks 41st in best career winning percentage (.631) and ranks 28th in most career victories (411) among active Division III baseball coaches.

Coach Sirianni on his Team: “Our pitching staff gained a great deal of experience (last season) that we hope will springboard them into a very successful 2003 campaign. Catching has the potential to be one of our real defensive strengths. Our middle infielders are excellent athletes and our corner infielders will be keys to our offense. Our outfield should be very strong offensively and defensively.”

Upper Iowa University Peacocks
(26-13, 15-6 IIAC – Tie 2nd)

Starters Returning/Lost: 2/7
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/17

About the Team: The 2003 Upper Iowa baseball team will be inexperienced after losing 17 letterwinners and seven starters from last year’s team that finished in a tie for second place in the Conference. From an offensive standpoint, they will need to find someone to replace the hitting of designated hitter Emile Shaffer (.429), outfielder Bobby Glaser (.421), and third baseman P.J. Garcia (.397), all of whom ranked in the top-20 in Conference batting.

The Peacock infield will be very young with only one returning starter - Jason Moreno at second base. He batted .285 a year ago, with two home runs, and 17 RBI. Senior Robert Ripley will compete with junior Donald Broer and sophomore Ben Bowers for the opening at first base. Backing up Moreno at second will be junior Bryan Grewe, also a pitcher, and freshman Jacob Naumann. The shortstop position will likely be filled by sophomore Robbie Lee, but Moreno could also see time there. Bowers, Lee, senior Jimmy Slater or junior Dave Manion will challenge for playing time at third base. Also looking for some infield experience will be freshman Dan Mang. Sophomores Brad Baker and Steve Higgins will compete for starting catcher.

Senior outfielder James Scherf returns looking to improve on his .373 batting average, 13 RBI campaign in 2002. Other players looking to step into the vacancies in the outfield are juniors Adam Sires and Jon Michael Porras, sophomore Jade Knippel, and junior transfers Chris Green and Justin Inskeep.

As the only two returning pitchers with more than 20 innings pitched last year, senior lefthanders Jon Osborn and Jason Roggentien will be relied upon heavily. Osborn posted a 2-2 record with two saves and 22 strikeouts in 11 games, all in relief. Roggentien went 3-2 and struck out 22 batters in nine games including six starts.

Senior Jesse Evans (2-1, 1 save, 16.1 innings, 7 games) and junior Justin Eichelberger (1-0, 11 innings, 4 games) along with newcomers Brandon Bowling, Joe Grandgenett, Jay Huedepohl, and Mike Droste will see time on the mound this season.

About the Coach: Mark Danker enters his fourth season as head coach of the Upper Iowa baseball team after serving as an assistant coach for the Peacocks for 10 years. In his three years as a head coach, he has an overall record of 76-55-1 and a 43-25 record in the Iowa Conference. Last season marked the ninth consecutive season that Upper Iowa has finished in the top-three in the Conference.

Coach Danker on his Team: “We graduated 15 players after last season and nearly 95% of our at-bats and innings-pitched. Those who are returning lack experience at the varsity level. The pitching staff will be our strength even though we lost two All-Conference pitchers to graduation.”

Coach Danker on the IIAC: “The conference has been very competitive from top to bottom the past few years. I would expect more of the same this season.”

Wartburg College Knights
(29-15, 16-5 IIAC – 1st)

Starters Position Players Returning/Lost: 7/2
Starting Pitchers Returning/Lost: 5/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 18/5

About the Team: After winning its sixth straight Conference title in 2002, Wartburg is the favorite to repeat in 2003. The Knights’ are ranked 26th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s preseason poll. Pitching should be one of Wartburg’s strengths with two All-Conference pitchers returning from last season. Chris Goerdt and Patrick Smith combined for 17 of the team’s 29 victories. Goerdt went 9-0 last season and struck out 60 batters in just over 73.1 innings while posting a 2.58 ERA. Smith went 8-3 with a 4.21 ERA and 68 strikeouts.

Junior Caleb Klein started nine games for the Knights last season and ended with a record of 4-2. Junior Ash Larsen made 17 appearances out of the bullpen in 2002 recording six wins in nine decisions. Senior Andy Arthur and junior Jared Pirkl will all see time from the mound again this season. Junior Steve Domino and sophomore Eric Johnson along with newcomers Ryan Moorman, Grant Finley, Tyler Archer, Nick Blomme and Charlie Colvin will add depth to the pitching staff.

All-American Greg Torgerson returns at first base. Torgerson led the team in batting average (.457), slugging percentage (.790), on-base percentage (.587), hits (63), runs batted in (62), and home runs (10). At second base, sophomore Casey Toops appears to be the leading candidate to replace All-Conference performer Jude Burger, though freshman Brian Greiner is in the mix too. Senior Jay Whannel, a three-year starter at shortstop, returns to the middle of the Knights’ infield with junior Brian Pins backing him up. Junior third baseman Chris Winter broke his leg during the 2002 football season and will be out for much of the baseball season. That leaves an opening at third, which will be filled by sophomore Joel Reynolds or Pins.

B.J. Meaney (.310 avg., 4 HR, 12 doubles, 40 RBI) an All-Conference designated hitter last year, returns as does junior catcher junior Tim Gearhart. Junior Nathan Carlson and senior Damon Scholl will back-up Gearhart. Carlson showed some offensive potential at the end of the season last year by batting .300 in eight games.

Five returnees are competing with four newcomers for playing time in the outfield. Seniors Kevin Huston, Ryan Mix and T.J. Stoffer, junior Caleb Klein, and sophomore Adam Heineman are competing with freshmen Marcus Washington, Justin Brown, Ryan Johnson and Patrick Henderson. Stoffer hit .322 last season and committed just two errors (in 36 chances). Mix had a .500 on-base percentage and Klein finished third on the team in batting (.347) Heineman has proven himself as a dependable pinch-runner and brings a lot of speed to the outfield.

About the Coach: Joel Holst begins his eighth season at Wartburg. In his first seven years, he has compiled a record of 230-92-1 to go along with his 12-year career coaching record of 330-172-1 which includes five years at Loras College. A six-time IIAC Coach of the Year, Holst ranks 33rd among active Division III coaches with a .655 winning percentage and 40th with 330 career victories.

Coach Holst on his Team: “This season, the Knights could be as strong as they have even been. We have many returnees that know how to win and a very strong group of young kids that will mix well with these veterans. I am excited about an excellent group of young pitchers! This should help with the lack of depth we had last year. We will also have a strong and deep offensive line-up.”

Coach Holst on the IIAC: “I feel the conference will be well balanced. Just like last year, you will have to show up ready to play each time out or you will get beat.”

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