2001 Wittenberg Baseball Press Releases

Ryan Peters

Lance Dill

May 10, 2001 - Wittenberg University's baseball team completed the 2001 season on May 5 in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division playoffs at Ohio Wesleyan. The second-seeded Tigers lost the first two games of a best-of-three semifinal series by scores of 16-8 and 9-5. The Bishops, the No. 1 seed and one of the nation's top-ranked teams, advanced to take on East Division winner and No. 3 ranked Allegheny in the championship series this weekend. Wittenberg led 4-1 early in the opener, only to see Ohio Wesleyan score nine straight runs to take command. Senior rightfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) and junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) both hit home runs for the Tigers, but both came late in the game after seven errors helped the Bishops build a big lead.

Peters is tied for the NCAC lead in home runs (14) and is fourth in batting (.438). He ranks among the nation's leaders in homers per game with 14 in 35 outings.

Peters had a spectacular 2001 season to conclude a fine career. His 14 round-trippers tied Bryan Magoteaux's season record from 1998, his 48 runs batted in ranks fifth in school history, his 108 total bases are one short of Magoteaux’s 1997 record, his 45 runs scored tie him for sixth in school history and his 56 base hits rank in a tie for seventh. For his career, despite the fact that he was only a two-year starter, Peters wound up second to Magoteaux in home runs with 25, third in batting average (.397) and a tie for 10th in total bases with 209.

As a team, Wittenberg set a team record for batting average in a season at .349, which ironically was only good for fourth in the homer-happy NCAC in 2001. The team’s 32 home runs rank No. 2 in school history and 84 doubles rank fourth.

Finally, freshman pitcher Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) is eighth in the conference in earned run average (3.91) and led the Tigers in wins with five.

Next: Season Complete

Wittenberg was swept 10-5 and 12-5 in a doubleheader by Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, April 28, before recovering for a 7-4 win in the final game on April 29. As a result, the Battling Bishops, ranked in the top-15 nationally and the top-5 in the region, will again host the Tigers, who are ranked No. 7 in the region, in a best of three semifinal series this weekend. The two teams first meet in a doubleheader on Saturday, and a third and deciding game is slated for Sunday if necessary. All games will be nine inning contests, and the winner will move on to the Championship Series May 12-13 at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton, Ohio against either the College of Wooster or Allegheny College, the top two teams in the East Division who also play a series this weekend.

Earlier in the week the Tigers made up a pair of rainouts with an 11-7 win at Denison and an 8-7 triumph against Wabash. Senior first baseman Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) and junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) each drove in three runs against Denison, while Peters had a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to win the Wabash game. In the win over the Little Giants, the Tigers coughed up a 6-4 lead in the ninth inning and had to rally behind a leadoff double by junior shortstop Bryan Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), a well-placed bunt by sophomore infielder Shane Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/South), an intentional walk to Dill and then the clutch double to the base of the fence in right-centerfield by Peters.

Peters ranks fourth in the NCAC in hitting (.450) and is in a three-way tie for first in home runs (12). Freshman pitcher Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who won a pair of games last week, ranks seventh in the conference in earned run average (3.57) and has a 5-1 record.

April 24, 2001 - Wittenberg University's baseball team has won nine of its last 10 games, including two of three over the weekend against North Coast Athletic Conference West Division rival Denison University. The Tigers, who had a season-best eight-game win streak ended on Sunday by the Big Red, face an important four-game conference schedule this week. The Tigers play a makeup game against Wabash on Tuesday, and then Wittenberg heads east to Ohio Wesleyan for a three-game weekend series. The Tigers trail the nationally ranked Battling Bishops by one-half game in the West Division starting the week.

Junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) had two home runs and five runs batted in as Wittenberg defeated Kenyon, 9-7, onApril 19 in a non-league game. Jay Nunn (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) came in with a tenuous one-run lead and going three scoreless innings for his first career save.

The Tigers then split a doubleheader on Sunday against NCAC West foe Denison, winning the opener 6-5 and losing thenightcap 8-5. Senior first baseman Brad Pochard (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) and junior third baseman Jeff Buelow (Oakland, Mich./Rochester) each drove in two runs in Game 1, while senior outfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in game two. Peters ranks among the NCAC leaders in home runs, batting average and RBI this season.

The top two teams in each division will square off in a best of three series on May 5-6. The winners advance to the tournament finals May 10-11 at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton. The teams in third through fifth in each series will play crossover series on May 5-6 to determine the final league standings. The Tigers are in position to head back to the tournament again in 2001, most likely joining nationally ranked Wooster and Allegheny from the East Division and OWU from the West.

April 18, 2001 - Wittenberg University's baseball team has won six straight games, its longest streak since March 1998, and padded the streak with four wins last week. The Tigers opened the week with a 11-3 non-conference win at Mt. St. Joseph then swept Earlham in a three-game North Coast Athletic Conference West division series. The series opened with a 24-9 win on Thursday, followed by 20-11 and 6-4 victories in a doubleheader on Saturday.

Junior third basemen Jeff Beulow (Oakland, Mich./Rochester) was named the NCAC Player of the Week for his offensive heroics. For the week, he batted .625 (10-of-16) with two home runs, 11 runs batted in and seven runs scored. In Game 1 of the Earlham series he went 5-for-5 with three doubles, a home run and six RBI, and in Game 2 he went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and RBI as the Tigers scored 14 runs in their last two at-bats to overcome an 11-6 deficit.

Freshman righthander Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) was named NCAC Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 with a 1.64 earned run average for the week. He pitched a nine-inning complete game at Mt. St. Joseph, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Then on Saturday, Hartfelder entered in relief in Game 2 of the Earlham series and pitched two innings of scoreless one-hit ball to pick up the win in relief. Tiger pitchers had struggled to that point, yielding three home runs and hitting four Quaker batsmen in giving up 11 runs. Hartfelder entered the game with the score tied at 11 and allowed just one baserunner in the final two innings.

The latest NCAC statistics have been released, and the Tigers' total team effort is evident. Wittenberg doesn't rank higher than third in any team category (batting, fielding or pitching) and only senior rightfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) leads the league in an individual category. Peters has 11 home runs, and he also leads the Tigers with a .449 batting average.

Wittenberg, which scored 61 runs in four games last week and has reached double-figures offensively 10 times this season, is in first place in the NCAC West division with a 5-0 record and lead Ohio Wesleyan (5-1) by one-half game and Denison (6-3) by two games. The Tigers and Big Red square off in an important three-game series this weekend, and then the Tigers head to Ohio Wesleyan the next weekend for potentially the biggest series of the regular season.

Finally, Tigers Head Coach Jay Lewis reached a milestone last week with his 100th career win against Ohio Northern on April 8. A 1994 Wittenberg graduate, Lewis is 104-78-3 in five seasons as head coach.

April 12, 2001 - The Tigers went 3-3 last week, with a win over Cedarville and a doubleheader sweep of Ohio Northern. The losses included a 9-8 decision to neighboring Division I rival Dayton and a pair of losses at perennial North Coast Athletic Conference powerhouse Wooster, which is nationally ranked this year. 

Senior outfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) continues his hot hitting. He leads the North Coast Athletic Conference with 11 home runs and ranks among the conference leaders in both batting (.455) and runs batted in (34). Wittenberg also continues to get strong pitching from its top three starters: senior Jeremy Emch (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales), junior Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) and junior Nick Allen (Dayton, Ohio/Vandalia-Butler). All three pitchers have won-loss records of 3-1. Emch has an earned run average of 3.46, Cerovac is at 3.71 and Allen has a 4.12 ERA. 

The Tigers lead the NCAC west division with a 2-0 record heading into an important stretch of conference action over the next week (the doubleheader against Wooster did not count in the standings). The Tigers host Earlham in a three-game series on Thursday and Saturday. 

April 3, 2001 - Wittenberg got the North Coast Athletic Conference part of its schedule off to a good start with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Wabash Saturday by scores of 11-1 and 2-1. The scheduled finale of the three-game set on Sunday was postponed until April 16 at 4 p.m. due to rain and cold weather. 

The Tigers received a pair of complete-game pitching performances by senior Jeremy Emch (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) and junior Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick). The two righthanders each improved to 3-0 on the season by beating the LittleGiants. Emch has two complete games in three starts and has a 4.05 earned run average. Cerovac has gone the distance in three of his four starts, while compiling a 2.19 ERA, and has 26 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.

Junior shortstop Scott Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) drove in four runs in Game 1, while senior rightfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) added a three-run homer. Peters, who added another homer in the nightcap, leads the team in batting (.500), home runs (8) and RBI (29). The Tigers are batting a robust .342 as a team.

After blowing the first game open with a seven-run fourth inning, Wittenberg won the nightcap in a pitcher's duel. The decisive plays came in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by junior catcher Nate Williams (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) and in the seventh inning on a great defensive play by centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork), who took away a home run to preserve the victory. 

March 28, 2001 - The Wittenberg University baseball team split four games over the weekend in the annual Wittenberg Baseball Classic. The Tigers came into the tourney with a modest four-game win streak built primarily on a powerful offense. In two games against the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford on Friday and single games against Muskingum and Malone on Saturday, the Tigers proved they could win games in a variety of ways. 

Against Pitt-Bradford, Wittenberg won the opener in dramatic fashion. Senior outfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London), who is hitting a team-best .489 on the young season, hit a home run to give the Tigers an early lead, but the Panthers tied things up in the top of the seventh inning. In the bottom of the inning, Wittenberg loaded the bases with two outs and junior second baseman Karl Friedhoff (Sunman, Ind./East Central) walked to force in the winning run. 

In Friday's nightcap, the Tigers lost to Pitt-Bradford 6-5 despite a three-hit game from junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork). Wittenberg nearly rallied from a 6-0 deficit but couldn't push across the tying run during sixth and seventh inning rallies. 

On Saturday, Wittenberg dropped its first game against Muskingum 7-2. But in the final game of the day, the Tigers got a tremendous pitching performance from junior Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), a five-hit, 10-strikeout, complete-game shutout victory over Malone. The win was preserved when freshman leftfielder Shawn Jarecki (Parma Heights, Ohio/Valley Forge) made a perfect throw to third base to record the final out of the game. 

March 19, 2001 - The Wittenberg University baseball team ran its early-season win streak to four last week with a 14-11 win over Wilmington on March 14. Doubleheaders scheduled at Walsh and Mount Union over the weekend were cancelled, however. 

The Tigers' season started with a Spring Break trip to Ft. Myers, Fla. in which the team compiled a 5-2-1 record. 

In the win over Wilmington, junior catcher Nate Williams (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) had the biggest offensive day of his career, collecting three doubles and driving in eight runs. The first three hitters in the order - junior shortstop Scott Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) , junior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) and senior rightfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) - each scored at least three runs. 

Next up for the Tigers is the Wittenberg Invitational March 22-25. Games will be played at four sites during the four-day tournament - Wittenberg, Urbana, Wilmington and Cedarville. Joining the four host schools are Hiram, Malone, Walsh, Pitt-Bradford, John Carroll and Muskingum. 

March 12, 2001 - Wittenberg got some strong pitching performances during the trip. Junior righthander Nick Allen (Dayton, Ohio/Vandalia-Butler) pitched a complete game in a 9-2 win over William Penn. Freshman righthander Kurt Harfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) threw a complete game in his first collegiate start, a 7-3 win over Chowan. And senior righthander Jeremy Emch (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) threw a two-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over Clark in the final game of the trip. 

Offensively, senior outfielder Ryan Peters (London, Ohio/London) had an excellent trip, batting .531 (17-of-32) in eight games with five home runs and 20 runs batted in. He hit home runs in five of six games in one span, including a grand slam against William Penn. Junior outfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) went 4-for-4 with three RBI against William Penn, while junior third baseman Jeff Buelow (Oakland, Mich./Rochester) went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI against Clark.

March 5, 2001 - The Tigers will open their season this weekend on their spring trip to Fort Myers, playing 10 games in six days starting Sunday. Wittenberg is led by junior shortstop Brian Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) who was an honorable mention All-NCAC selection in 2000 and leads a host of returners hoping to climb over the competition in the always-tough NCAC.

Baseball Home Page