Angel Named IWU’s Baseball “Most Valuable”

June 5, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Junior second baseman Ricky Angel, a first team All-American, has been chosen as the “Most Valuable Player” for the 2007 Illinois Wesleyan baseball team.

Angel (Glen Ellyn, Ill., Glenbard West HS) was the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Player of the Year” and was on the first team of the All-American squads chosen by the American Baseball Coaches Association and D3baseball.com.
This spring he hit .452, tied for 14th in the national Division III statistics through May 20 and the third best in an IWU season. He had a school-record 75 hits, 10 home runs and his 19 doubles and 54 runs batted in is second most in an IWU season. He had a .771 slugging percentage, ninth best in Division III, and scored 40 runs.With 200 career hits, Angel is within striking distance of the school career mark of 222, set by Mick Curran from 2002-05.

Sophomore lefthander Matt Aronson, a second team All-American and CCIW “Pitcher of the Year”, was chosen as the team’s “Most Valuable Pitcher.”
Aronson (LaGrange, Ill., St. Ignatius HS) was 8-0 with a school-record 0.85 earned run average, second best in Division III this season. He had 70 strikeouts, fourth best in a Titan season.

The Titans finished with a 32-13 overall mark, won the CCIW regular season phase with a record 20 wins against one loss, and played in the NCAA Division III regional.

In other team awards, sophomore outfielder Bob Huppert (Gibson City, Ill., GCMS HS) was chosen as the “Most Improved Player” and senior catcher Josh Bidzinski (Belvidere, Ill., Rockford Boylan HS) was tabbed as the “Best Defensive Player.”
Huppert started 30 games and batted .315 with four doubles and 18 runs batted in. The starting backstop in 43 games, Bidzinski committed only two errors in 296 chances for a .993 fielding percentage and threw out 11 of 39 runners trying to steal.

Freshman shortstop Mike Cunningham (River Forest, Ill. (Oak Park-River Forest HS) and freshman first baseman Casey McIntosh (Columbia, Mo., Hickman HS) shared the “Top Newcomer” award.
Cunningham batted .289 with a .368 on-base percentage. He had six doubles, 25 runs batted in and stole a team-high 13 bases.
A starter in all 45 games, McIntosh had seven doubles, seven home runs and was second on the team with 40 runs batted in. His .443 slugging percentage was third best on the team.

For the third straight season, senior infielder Pat McWilliams (Naperville, North HS) earned the “Titan Award,” which is given for hustle and competitive attitude.

In another individual milestone in 2007, senior right-handed reliever Travis Myers (Lake Forest, Ill. HS) set an IWU season record with 24 appearances and a career record with 55 appearances. Myers’s seven saves is second most in a season with seven saves.

Head coach Dennis Martel, whose 19-year record is 507-330-3, awarded letters to 28 players. They are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS - Mike Berry, Crystal Lake, Ill. (Prairie Ridge HS); Josh Bidzinski, Belvidere, Ill. (Rockford Boylan HS); Robert Inzinga, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard West HS); Patrick McWilliams, Naperville, Ill. (North HS); Travis Myers, Lake Forest, Ill. (HS)

JUNIORS - Ricky Angel, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard West HS); Zack Krulac, Canton, Ill. (HS); Tim McInerney, River Forest, Ill. (Oak Park-River Forest HS); Nate Rittenberry, Gurnee, Ill. (Mundelein Carmel HS)

SOPHOMORES - Matt Aronson, LaGrange, Ill. (St. Ignatius HS); Jesse Foster, Homewood, Ill. (Homewood-Flossmoor); Kevin Goshorn, New Lenox, Ill. (Lincoln Way Central); Bob Huppert, Gibson City, Ill. (GCMS HS); John Kratzmeyer, Chicago, Ill. (Niles Notre Dame); Tim Marzec, Evergreen Park, Ill. (St. Rita HS)

FRESHMEN – Mike Cunningham, River Forest, Ill. (Oak Park-River Forest HS); Paul Kabbes, Normal, Ill. (Bloomington Central Catholic); Pat Kirchhofer, Wheaton, Ill. (North HS); Mike Kotz, Elmwood Park, Ill. (St. Patrick HS); Kraig Ladd, Shelbyville, Ill. (HS); Mike Lankford, Des Plaines, Ill. (Maine West HS); Sean McCreary, Waukegan, Ill. (Mundelein Carmel HS); Casey McIntosh, Columbia, Mo. (Hickman HS); Mike Morrissey, Grayslake, Ill. (Mundelein Carmel HS); Ryan Nathe, Ballwin, Mo. (Chaminade HS); Geoff Page, Bourbonnais, Ill. (Bradley-Bourbonnais); Marty Roche, Alsip, Ill. (Brother Rice HS); Alex Tosi, Peoria, Ill. (Dunlap HS)

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206