|
|||
 |
|||
|
|
Baseball 2008 Season Preview For Immediate Release: RICHMOND, Ind. — Joe Rodden was promoted from assistant coach to interim head coach after the season ended in 2007, and he is looking forward to the challenge of running the Earlham College baseball program as the Quakers begin the spring with a pair of road doubleheaders this weekend. “I'm excited to work with these student-athletes," Rodden said. "We have a great group of young players who have fit in well with the veterans to form a group of teammates who will discover both success and fun on the diamond.” Saturday’s games are at Principia College, while Sunday’s contests against Westminster College are at Maryville University in St. Louis. “We will not be without the usual early-season misplays that accompany any team that competes without the benefit of a single practice outside, but we are talented and possess enough baseball instincts and savvy,” Rodden said. “Other than the normal opening day jitters, we should be ready.” After this weekend, the Quakers were scheduled play the College of Mount St. Joseph in the home opener at McBride Stadium on March 4, but that has been postponed. “We are excited about getting out of the gym and on the field to face some competition to find out what type of team we have,” Rodden said. There are now eight games before the team makes its annual visit to Ft. Pierce, Fla. The first appearance at home for the Quakers is now a doubleheader with Kalamazoo College on March 13 and the Florida trip is from March 16-22. “We are also very excited about hosting Kalamazoo before we leave for Florida,” Rodden said. “The Florida trip is always a highlight for the guys and we look to do very well there." Another highlight on the schedule comes on April 17 when the Quakers play Cedarville University at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio. “That game will be exciting for us because of the opportunity to play in a first-class professional stadium is something that not everyone gets to experience,” Rodden said. Fifth Third Field is the home of the Dayton Dragons, which is the Class A minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Earlham competes in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division with Denison University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wabash College and Wittenberg University. The Quakers play two doubleheaders against each school with top two finishers in each division of the conference battling for the tournament title in May. Earlham was 6-24 last season and 1-15 in the conference. Leading the group of returnees is last year’s team Most Valuable Player senior Eric Sturgeon (Logansport, IN/Logansport), who was also named to the All-NCAC Second Team. “Eric has devoted himself to becoming an even stronger hitter this season and should make a solid run at hitting .400 once again,” Rodden said. “On the mound, he gave us some of our top performances last year, but also suffered with great inconsistency from start to start. We should see a much more consistent effort from him throughout his season.” Among the top hitters in the nation last spring, Sturgeon led the NCAC in batting with an Earlham season record .464 average. Sophomore Jake Carr (Richmond, IN/Richmond), junior Alex Anderson (Logansport, IN/Logansport) and junior Kevin Greve (Farmersburg, IN/North Central) also received post-season honors. An All-NCAC Second Team choice, Carr was voted Earlham’s Newcomer of the Year after finishing second on the squad in hitting with a .412 average. He also led the team with 22 RBI. “Jake has put on 20 pounds since last year and should also hit for a very high average, while posting stronger power numbers,” Rodden said. “The greatest improvement college players typically make is from year one to year two. I’m expecting Jake to take his offensive production to another level and defensively, he is one of the best third basemen in the NCAC.” Anderson led Earlham’s pitchers with 62⅔ innings and 36 strikeouts. He had a pair of complete games with one shutout and a save. Greve was the team’s Most Improved Player last season. He made 11 appearances on the mound for the Quakers with four starts and a complete game. Sturgeon and Greve are the team captains. “They are both solid young men and have done a good job adjusting too much greater demands,” Rodden said. “Both guys are looked to by the rest of the team to provide leadership and direction.” Infield Carr returns at third base with the most time as a starter in the infield. First-year Andrew Morrical (Summitville, IN/Madison-Grant) is expected to play shortstop with classmate Corey Murray (Richmond, IN/Richmond) getting time at first base. Juniors Alex Anderson (Logansport, IN/Logansport) and Tilmon Clark (Winchester, IN/Winchester) will play at second base. Sophomore Ben Schuttish (San Franisco, CA/Thurgood Marshall) and first-year Jesus Jimenez (Chicago, IL/Archbishop Quigley) will also see some time in the infield. First-year Kyle Stauffer (Kettering, OH/Fairmont) will be behind the plate with Sturgeon and junior Randy Kerns (West Manchester, OH/National Trail) serving as the backups. OutfieldRodden is expecting the outfield to be much improved over last season with the addition of some speed. First-year Kyle Ripperger (Richmond, IN/Richmond) should roam center with another first-year Adam Painter (Ft. Wayne, IN/Snider) in right. When Sturgeon is not on the mound, he will likely be in left. Painter is also expected to pitch so senior Manny Myers (Fairmount, IN/Madison-Grant) and junior Danny Bridge (Logansport, IN/Lewis Cass) will get extensive time in the outfield. PitchersSturgeon, Anderson, Painter and Kerns are slated to be the starters, while Greve, Murray, junior Corey Gareri (Thorntown, IN/Western Boone) and first-year Nate Garfinkle (Potomac, MD/Winston Churchill) will make up the bullpen. — EC — Contact: |
|
|
|||
|
Earlham College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |