Titans Head Into 2007 With Young Baseball Squad

March 2, 2007
CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Replacing 12 graduated players, including four starting position players and two key starting pitchers who went a combined 16-4, will be the goal of a young Illinois Wesleyan baseball team as it opens its 2007 season this weekend.

The Titans, who were 28-14 overall and 14-7 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin last season for head coach Dennis Martel, open their 2007 season with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Greenville on Monday, March 5.

Juniors Ricky Angel (Glen Ellyn, Glenbard West HS) and Nate Rittenberry (Gurnee, Carmel HS) return at second base and third base, respectively, and senior Mike Berry (Crystal Lake, Prairie Ridge HS) moves to leftfield from centerfield.
Angel batted .370 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 35 runs batted in and has a two-season average of .359, 10th best for IWU players who have played two or more seasons.Rittenberry, the Titans’ 2006 “Most Improved Player”, hit .317 while Berry was hitting .311 with eight doubles and eight stolen bases before a season-ending injury 30 games into the season.

Freshmen Casey McIntosh (Columbia, Mo., Hickman HS) and Mike Cunningham (Oak Park, Ill., Oak Park-River Forest HS) are the likely starters at first base and shortstop while sophomore John Kratzmeyer (Chicago, Niles Notre Dame) and junior Tim McInerney (River Forest, Oak Park-River Forest HS) will play center- and rightfield, respectively.
Others who are challenging for infield playing time are senior third baseman Pat McWilliams (Naperville, North HS), sophomore shortstop Tim Marzec (Evergreen Park, St. Rita HS) and freshman second baseman Sean McCreary (Waukegan, Carmel HS), who is also a relief pitching option.
Additional outfield candidates include sophomore Bob Huppert (Gibson City, GCMS HS) and freshmen Pat Kirchhofer (Wheaton, North HS) and Geoff Page (Bourbonnais, Bradley-Bourbonnais HS), who are both also starting pitcher prospects.

Senior catcher Josh Bidzinski (Belvidere, Rockford Boylan HS) returns  after batting .250 but earning a .353 on-base percentage. Freshman Mike Lankford (Des Plaines, Maine West HS) is another Titan backstop.

Martel faces a pitching staff that must mature rapidly to replace Dave Dobosz (9-1) and Brandon DuBois (7-3) along with top reliever John Wantiez (eight saves).
Senior Robert Inzinga (Glen Ellyn, Glenbard West HS) along with sophomores Jesse Foster (Homewood, Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and Matt Aronson  (LaGrange, St. Ignatius HS) are the only returning starting pitchers with experience.
Inzinga was 3-3 with a 5.26 earned run average while Foster was 2-2 with a 1.91 ERA and Aronson went 3-0 with a 5.02 ERA and struck out 23 in 28 innings.
Freshman Alex Tosi (Peoria, Dunlap HS) joins Page, McIntosh and Kirchhofer as potential starting hurlers.
Martel’s bullpen will be staffed by senior Travis Myers (Lake Forest HS), who was 1-0 last spring, along with junior Zack Krulac (Canton HS), sophomore Kevin Goshorn (New Lenox, Lincoln Way Central HS) and freshmen McCreary, Paul Kabbes (Normal, Bloomington Central Catholic HS) and Mike Kotz (Elmwood Park, St. Patrick HS).

The Titans, who were tabbed to finish third in the preseason CCIW coaches poll, have 12 home dates, opening with a March 28 date at 4:30 p.m. with Wabash. The fourth annual Bass-Horenberger Classic game will be at Illinois State at 6 p.m. on May 3.