Media Guides

Senior Tyson Rowland is among AU's career leaders in runs, hits and stolen bases.

Overview

            The Ashland University baseball team is in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and for the 10^th time in 11 years.  The Eagles will host this year’s NCAA Division II Midwest Regional tournament, May 14-17, at VA Memorial Stadium, Chillicothe, OH.  The Eagles are the top-ranked team in the region and are ranked third in the country.  Ashland has advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series two of the last three seasons.  This year’s team is attempting to become the first Ashland team to advance to the World Series in consecutive seasons.

 

Tournament Schedule

            The Midwest Regional tournament is made up of six teams.  This is a double-elimination tournament. The winner will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 23-30 in Cary, NC.  Eight teams from around the country will advance to North Carolina.

            The six teams in the Midwest Region are from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).  Listed below are the six teams in the Midwest Region, their seeding, record and conference.

 

Ashland (No. 1 Seed/41-13-1/GLIAC)

Grand Valley State (No. 2 Seed/41-13-1/GLIAC)

Southern Indiana (No. 3 Seed/37-17/GLVC)

Northern Kentucky (No. 4 Seed/40-20/GLVC)

Indianapolis (No. 5 Seed/40-19/GLVC)

Rockhurst (No. 6 Seed/35-21/GLVC)

 

            On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, three games will be played each day. Game times are 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.  On Sunday, the championship game will be played at 12 p.m., with a second game slated for 3 p.m., if necessary. Listed below is the schedule for Thursday.

 

12 p.m. – Grand Valley State (#2) vs. Indianapolis (#5)

3 p.m. – ASHLAND (#1) vs. Rockhurst (#6)

6 p.m. – Southern Indiana (#3) vs. Northern Kentucky (#4)

 

 About the Eagles

            Ashland has been nationally and regionally ranked all season.  The Eagles won the GLIAC regular season championship with a 26-5-1.  Ashland’s overall record is 41-13-1. This is the second consecutive season AU has won 40 or more games and the third time in four seasons the Eagles have reached that plateau.

            The Eagles lead the GLIAC in runs scored (433) and on-base percentage (.427) and are second in batting average (.340).  Ashland had six first team All-GLIAC picks, three second team selections and had two players placed on the conference’s honorable mention list.

 

Head Coach John Schaly

            Ashland University head coach John Schaly has a career record of 844-424-1 (.666). This is his 22^nd season as a collegiate head coach. This is Schaly’s 12^th season at Ashland. His record with the Eagles is 481-206-1 (.700)  At Ashland, Schaly is averaging 40.1 wins per season. He’s guided the Eagles to the NCAA Division II World Series four times (1999, 2002, 2006, 2008) and to the NCAA playoffs 10 times. Schaly is the 2009 GLIAC coach of the year. He’s won that award five times.

             Schaly is also Ashland’s career leader in victories.  Entering the 2009 season he was tied for sixth place among active NCAA Division II coaches and he was 14^th in winning percentage. On the all-time NCAA Division II list he was tied for 19^th place in victories and was 31^st in winning percentage.

            Schaly’s 2002 team (48-13) owns the school record for wins.  That team was also the first to win a game at the NCAA Division II World Series. At Ashland in NCAA Division II postseason play, Schaly is 22-20 (.523).

 

Flying High

            Listed below are some of AU’s top players.

            Ryan Avery (Berea, OH/Cuyahoga C.C.) – Avery owns a .344 batting average, which puts him fourth on the team.  He is a GLIAC honorable mention selection.  Avery has four homers, 34 RBI and 22 two-out RBI (third in the conference).

            Jeff Foltz (Findlay, OH) – A senior outfielder, Foltz has a team-best .449 batting average.  Foltz is a first team All-GLIAC selection for the first time in his career.  For several weeks this season he led the nation in hitting.  The left-handed hitter leads the conference in batting average and hits, is tied for first in doubles (19), is tied for third in total bases (102) and is fourth in on-base percentage (.488). Earlier this year he tied the school single-game record for hits when he went 6-for-6 at Kent State.

            Josh Kirsten (Elkhart-Harper Woods, MI/Macomb C.C.) – A second team all-conference selection, this is Kirsten’s first year as the starting catcher.  He is hitting .331 and is 20-for-25 on stolen base attempts.

            Matt McAllister (Westlake, OH) – A sophomore second baseman, McAllister is hitting .352.  He was named to the GLIAC first team for the first time in his career.  McAllister is 17-for-19 in stolen base attempts and for his career, is 29-for-33 on the base paths.

            Ajay Meyer (Hamler, OH/Owens C.C.) – This hard-throwing right-hander is in his first season at AU.  He’s the 2009 GLIAC pitcher of the year.  Meyer leads the GLIAC in strikeouts (74) and innings pitched (98.1). He is 9-1 with a 3.48 ERA and has completed seven of 13 starting assignments.

            Ben Minard (Delaware, OH/Olentangy) – Minard is hitting .364 with seven homers and 53 RBI.  On the mound, he’s 10-0 with a 3.44 ERA. In the GLIAC, Minard is tied for first in RBI (53, he shares the lead with Jacob Petkac). He is the GLIAC leader in two-out RBI (24).  Minard leads the GLIAC in victories and is fourth in innings pitched (98.1). A year ago, Minard was the GLIAC player of the year, the region player of the year and was named a second team All-America by two organizations and a third team All-America by another.  This year, Minard is on the GLIAC first team as a pitcher and on the second team as the designated hitter.

            Jacob Petkac (JR, 3B, Middleburg Heights, OH/Midpark) – Petkac is the 2009 GLIAC player of the year. This is the fourth consecutive year an AU player has received that award. Petkac is hitting .399 with five homers and 53 RBI. This is his third season as the starting third baseman.  He’s a first team All-GLIAC choice for the second consecutive season. A year ago, he was a first team all-region pick and an honorable mention All-America.  In the GLIAC Petkac is tied for first in RBI, second in runs (57), third in total bases (102), triples (3) and on-base percentage (.486), fifth in slugging percentage (.590) and sixth in batting average (.399).

            Tyson Rowland (Warren, OH/Warren G. Harding) – Rowland is in his fourth season as Ashland’s starting center fielder. He’s considered one of the best defensive players in school history.  Rowland also enters the regional tournament tied for first in career stolen bases at AU (82) and tied for first in career runs scored (213).  The senior has moved into a tie for fifth place in career hits (234) at Ashland.  He is tied for first in the GLIAC in stolen bases (26). Rowland is a second team All-GLIAC selection.

            Jeremy Sloan (Twinsburg, OH) – A junior, Sloan is 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA. The lefty has thrived working out of the bullpen. He has a team-high three saves and batters are hitting .196 against him. Sloan was named to the GLIAC first team for the first time in his career.

 

Short Hops

·        In this decade, the Eagles’ record is 381-153-2 (.713).

·        This year’s team set a school record for GLIAC victories.

·        AU hasn’t lost more than two consecutive games this season. The Eagles have had three two-game losing streaks in 2009. Their longest winning streak is 12 games.

·        The Eagles are 3-1-1 in extra innings.

·        This year’s GLIAC regular season title is the fifth in school history.

·        Minard has 26 career wins and needs three more victories to move into the school’s career top five.

·        Two players on the Eagles, Foltz (2009, Kent State) and Petkac (2008, Southwest Missouri), have had six hits in a game. Before Petkac did that last season, no one had accomplished the feat since Gaylord Meininger (vs. Wilmington) in 1962.

·        Ashland has had at least one player named an All-America for three consecutive seasons.

·        AU has turned 40 double plays. Last year’s team established the school single-season record with 56 twin killings.

 

Ashland in the NCAA Division II Postseason

            Listed below is a look at Ashland’s history in the NCAA Division II playoffs

Year    W-L    Pct.      Advancement

2008    5-3       .625     NCAA Championships (Sauget, IL)

2007    0-2       .000     Regional Tournament (Akron, OH)

2006    5-3       .625     NCAA Championships (Montgomery, AL)

2004    2-2       .500     Regional Tournament (Ashland, OH)

2003    1-2       .333     Regional Tournament (Allendale, MI)

2002    4-2       .667     NCAA Championships (Montgomery, AL)

2001    1-2       .333     Regional Tournament (Indianapolis, IN)

2000    1-2       .333     Regional Tournament (Erie, PA)

1999    3-2       .600     NCAA Championships (Montgomery, AL)

1995    2-3       .400     NCAA Championships (Montgomery, AL)

 

Ashland vs. the 2009 Regional Field

            AU has an 8-1 record against the regional field this season.  Here is a detailed breakdown on how Ashland has fared against the other teams in this year’s regional tournament.

            Grand Valley State – AU went 4-0 against the Lakers this season.  The teams last met Apr. 18-19 in Allendale, MI, where the Eagles swept a three-game series.  AU leads the all-time series, 29-27-1.  Ashland is 3-3 against Grand Valley State in the NCAA playoffs.

            Southern Indiana – The Eagles did not play USI during the 2009 season. The last time the teams played was in the 2007 regional tournament at Akron’s Canal Park and the Screaming Eagles won that game, 7-1.  That is the only postseason meeting between the schools.  Southern Indiana leads the all-time series, 11-8.

            Northern Kentucky – Years ago, the Eagles and Norse were conference brethren – that’s back when AU played in the GLVC.  Ashland holds a 14-13 edge in the all-time series.  In the NCAA playoffs, AU is 2-0 against NKU. The last postseason meeting came in 2004 in Ashland and the Eagles won, 5-1.  Ashland did not play NKU this season.

            Indianapolis – Back on Feb. 28-Mar. 1, Ashland played a three-game series at Indianapolis. In bitterly cold conditions, the Eagles swept a three-game series, winning, 2-1, 3-1 (11 innings) and 8-5.  Thanks to that three-game sweep, AU holds a 21-20 edge in the all-time series. In NCAA Division II postseason play, Indianapolis leads the Eagles, 3-1. The last time the teams played in a postseason game was in 2003 at Grand Valley State. The Greyhounds won that game, 1-0.

            Rockhurst – The all-time series is deadlocked, 3-3.  Ashland and Rockhurst played in Florida this season. On Mar. 6, the teams divided a doubleheader.  The Hawks won the first game, 8-2 and AU rebounded to win the second contest, 23-12.  The teams have played once in the NCAA playoffs.  That came in 2006 at Grand Valley State and Ashland won, 12-4.

 

The Scouting Report

            Information on the other five teams in this year’s Midwest Region field can be found below.

            Grand Valley State (#2 Seed/41-13-1) – The Lakers enter the tournament with a four-game winning streak and wins in eight of their last 10 games.  Last weekend, they won the GLIAC Tournament in Chillicothe.  This is GVSU’s eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA playoffs. The only other teams in the nation who can match that are Florida Southern and Central Missouri.

            As is always the case under head coach Steve Lyon, the Lakers have a deep pitching staff.  Lefty Andre Benjamin is 8-1 with a 3.03 ERA.  The senior is a first team All-GLIAC selection.  Ben Knuth, a senior righty, is 7-2. He is the GLIAC leader in ERA (2.26) and batting average against (.193).  There’s no dropoff with senior righty Matt Cade (7-0, 2.40 ERA) and sophomore right-hander Danny Richard (5-2/2.31 ERA).  GVSU owns a GLIAC-best 3.42 team ERA.

            The Lakers have eight players batting .330 or better.  Outfielder Cody Grice, the GLIAC freshman of the year, is hitting .438 with five homers and 31 RBI. He’s a first team All-GLIAC choice and so is Knuth (designated hitter), who’s hitting .349 with nine homers and 39 RBI.  Second baseman Kyle Gendron, a first team all-conference pick, is hitting .399 with 10 homers, 19 doubles and 51 RBI.  GVSU hit a GLIAC-high 47 homers.

            Southern Indiana (#3 Seed/37-17) –  Teams must be wary of outfielder Chad Werry, who’s hitting .393 with seven homers, 25 doubles and 45 RBI.  A first team All-GLVC member, Werry has 131 total bases, a .636 slugging percentage and a .442 on-base percentage mark.  Third baseman Alex Thieroff, another first team All-GLVC performer, is hitting .327 with eight homers and 47 RBI.   USI likes to run, the Screaming Eagles have five players with 14 or more stolen bases.  Outfielder Royle Beach is 23-for-28 in stolen base attempts.  Beach is the conference leader in stolen bases.

            Shaun Larsen is an outstanding relief pitcher – the senior righty is 6-5 with 16 saves and a 2.57 ERA. He was named first team All-GLVC.  Trevor Leach, a sophomore right-hander, is 10-0 with a 2.90 ERA and is also on the conference first team.  Tyler Choate, a junior righty, is 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA.  USI ended the regular season in first place in the GLVC West Division.

            This is Southern Indiana’s second NCAA bid in the last three years and the seventh trip in school history.  In 2007, USI won the regional championship. The Screaming Eagles have gone 3-3 in their last six games.

            Northern Kentucky (#4 Seed/40-20) –  NKU tied for first place in the GLVC East Division and then won the GLVC Tournament, beating Indianapolis in the tourney championship game.   NKU enters regional play with a five-game winning streak.  This is the fifth time NKU has won the league tournament under head coach Todd Asalon.  He’s the 2009 GLVC coach of the year.  During his nine-year NKU tenure he’s had six pitchers selected in the Major League player draft.

            This year’s team features the GLVC player of the year, first baseman Evan McDole. He’s hitting .361 with 15 homers and 54 RBI. McDole is on the league’s first team as is outfielder Jason Cisper, who is hitting .413 with five homers, 37 RBI and 15 stolen bases.  Cisper leads the GLVC in batting average.  Outfielder Kevin Dusold, another first team All-GLVC selection, owns a .337 batting average.  He has 14 homers and has driven in 66 runs.

            NKU doesn’t have much trouble closing out games thanks to the presence of Matt Winterhalter. A second team All-GLVC honoree, he is 7-2 with eight saves and a 0.84 ERA.  The rotation features Sean Munninghoff (6-3, 4.52 ERA), a senior righthander who is a second team all-conference choice and lefty Kevin Jordan (6-1, 2.41 ERA), a junior.

            Indianapolis (#5 Seed/40-19) – The Greyhounds are in the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2003.  Indy tied for first place in the GLVC East.  The ‘Hounds have won six of their last eight games.  Indianapolis leads the GLVC in batting average (.327), runs (489), on-base percentage (.418) and hits (605).  Catcher Chase Kittinger is hitting .394 with four homers and 41 RBI. He’s a member of the All-GLVC first team.  Catcher-designated hitter Ben Sondgeroth is also on the first team thanks to 15 homers, 17 doubles, 71 RBI and 130 total bases. He’s hitting .377 and leads the GLVC in RBI and slugging percentage (.743).  Outfielder Justin Russell, a second team all-conference performer, is hitting .335 and is 21-of-26 in stolen base attempts.  He has scored 59 runs.  Indy has four players with 40 or more RBI.

            Right-hander Cory Rupert, a sophomore, earned a spot on the GLVC first team thanks to an 8-1 record and 2.84 ERA. Junior Cory White, another righty, is 9-2 with a 3.73 ERA.  Head coach Gary Vaught is in his 15^th season at Indy where he’s won 508 games. In 20 years as a head coach he has 675 victories.

            Rockhurst (#6 Seed/35-21) – The Hawks feature the GLVC freshman of the year Ryan Porter.  The rookie first baseman is hitting .360 with eight homers and has driven in 47 runs.  The lone Rockhurst player to make the GLVC first team is designated hitter Mike Walczuk, who’s hitting .400 with six homers and 32 RBI.  Third baseman Tyler Knust, a second team All-GLVC selection, brings a .356 batting average to Chillicothe.  He’s knocked in 15 runs.  Second baseman Jordan Myers, another second team all-conference selection, is hitting .319 with three homers and 40 RBI.

             Shortstop Steve Braun is hitting .332 with eight roundtrippers and 47 RBI.  Outfielder Nick Troilo, a second team all-league choice, is hitting .335 with six homers and 45 RBI.

            Left-hander Kevin Pope anchors the pitching staff.  He is 7-3 with a 4.54 ERA.  Pope is a member of the All-GLVC second team.

            Head coach Gary Burns is in his 15^th season at Rockhurst. He has guided the Hawks to 10 postseason appearances.  In 1999, Rockhurst finished fourth at the NCAA Championships.  This year, Rockhurst finished in second place in the GLVC West Division. The Hawks were 0-2 at last week’s conference tournament.

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