April 8, 2008

On Deck: After taking two of three games over the weekend against La Salle, the Saint Louis baseball squad steps outside of league play for a pair of midweek games. On Tuesday, the Billikens travel to Missouri State to face the Bears in a 7 p.m. game at Hammons Field. Bradley comes to The Billiken Sports Center on Wednesday for a 3 p.m. first pitch to make up a previously snowed-out game.

Following the Action: All home games may be followed through GameTracker on SLU's official athletics Web site, www.slubillikens.com. All home games are played at The Billiken Sports Center, located on the eastern edge of campus adjacent to Chaifetz Arena. Admission is free to all Billiken baseball games.

About the Billikens: Saint Louis (13-14, 4-5 Atlantic 10) won its second straight A-10 series last weekend after taking two of three against La Salle. The Billikens used strong starting pitching to take the first two games of the series, as Scott Turmail hurled eight innings on Friday in a 6-3 victory and Dave Sever went all nine innings Saturday in a 4-1 victory. Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers provided the offensive firepower on Friday with a two-run home run, while sophomore second baseman Andrew Guerra posted a career-high three hits and two RBIs on Saturday. The Billikens went for the series sweep on Sunday but fell 8-1. Senior infielder Ryan Bennett leads the team with a .394 batting average, and senior catcher Casey Moore hits at a team-leading .433 clip in conference games. Sophomore designated hitter Mike Beal hits .342, while junior third baseman Tom Pinnell posts a .316 batting average. Rodgers leads the team with 22 RBIs.Turmail has a 5-1 record to go along with a 3.46 ERA. He has struck out 35 while walking just five. As a team, the Billikens are hitting .260 and score 5.2 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 5.70 ERA and has allowed opponents a .292 batting average.

Scouting Missouri State: The Bears enter the week 18-10 overall and 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Last week, MSU snapped the No. 8 Wichita State Shockers' 18-game winning streak with a 7-4 victory. Ben Woodbury leads the team in hitting with a .425 average. Ben Carlson hits .394 with a team-leading eight home runs. Brayden Drake, a .383 hitter, has four home runs to go along with a team-leading 31 RBIs. Tim Clubb leads the Missouri State rotation with a 4-0 record and 2.81 ERA. Aaron Meade also has four wins on the year and leads the team with 43 strikeouts. As a team, the Bears are hitting .317 and score 7.6 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 6.20 ERA and has allowed opponents a .291 batting average.Keith Guttin is 882-546 in 26 years at the helm of the baseball program. Missouri State leads the all-time series 40-9.

Scouting Bradley: The Braves enter the week 13-14 overall and 4-5 in the Valley. They are coming off a 4-3 victory at home against Creighton to salvage one game of a three-game series with the Bluejays. Colby Luttrell leads the everyday players in hitting with a .333 average and 17 RBIs, while Dan Brewer follows with 15 RBIs and a team-best three home runs. On the mound, Rob Scahill has posted a 3-2 record and a 4.50 ERA in seven starts. Kori Jensen has made a team-high 11 appearances out of the bullpen and has four saves. As a team, the Braves are hitting .258 and score 4.5 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 6.34 ERA and has allowed opponents a .312 batting average. Head coach Dewey Kalmer is 829-757 in 29 years at BU, 1019-900-5 in 40 years overall. Bradley leads the all-time series 40-27-1.

New Leader: Head coach Darin Hendrickson is in his first season as the Billikens' skipper. Hired in the summer of 2007, Hendrickson has found success at each of his three previous head-coaching stops during his 12-year tenure. Most recently, he led Central Missouri to three regular-season and tournament championships over the last four years and twice had his team in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Previously, he led St. Louis Community College Forest Park to four NJCAA Super Regional championship games and Fontbonne University (St. Louis) to a conference title in that program's third year of existence in 1998. Hendrickson has a 13-year career record of 501-187. He is assisted by Kevin Moulder, Will Bradley and volunteer assistant Danny Jackson.

The Atlantic 10 Conference: Saint Louis is in its third season in the A-10. In their debut in 2006, the Billikens made a memorable run through the conference tournament and emerged as league champions, marking their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 40 years. The Billikens were picked to finish 10th out of 14 squads in the league race this season. The top six teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the A-10 Tournament, which for the first time will be played at a neutral site at Campbell Stadium in Camden, N.J., beginning May 21.

Early Season Accolades: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail has twice picked up A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors. In his first appearance in a Billiken uniform on Feb. 23, he allowed just four hits and struck out three in a complete-game shutout at Belmont. For his effort, he was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and was dubbed the Northeast Region Player of the Week by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. He was named A-10 co-Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Feb. 16 after picking up a save against Fontbonne and tossing eight shutout innings against Dartmouth.

500 Wins: The Billikens' 10-8 victory against Fordham on March 29 marked the 500th win in the 12-year head-coaching career of Darin Hendrickson. He achieved 209 wins during his four-year tenure at Central Missouri, 126 in four years at Fontbonne, 155 in four years at Forest Park CC and 13 so far in his first season with the Billikens.

Running of the Bills: As a team, Saint Louis has already stolen 42 bases on the year, which is the most since the 2004 team swiped 56 bases. The school record for stolen bases in a season is 108, a feat accomplished by the 1991 team. Sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn leads the team with 18 steals in 19 tries, ranking him 14th in the nation in stolen bases.

Freebies: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers leads the league and is ranked eighth in the country with 1.04 walks per game. He has 28 total walks this season, moving his career total to 99, sixth all-time at SLU.

No Freebies: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail has walked just five batters in 54.2 innings while striking out 35. He ranks eighth nationally and first in the Atlantic 10 in fewest walks allowed per nine innings.

Beal Street: Sophomore designated hitter Mike Beal (St. Louis, Mo./Glendale CC) is second on the team with a .342 average ... has 10 hits, which includes three doubles, in A-10 games ...singled in the final game of the La Salle series ... doubled in a run in the second game of the twinbill with the Explorers ... went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the first game of the La Salle series.

R&B: Senior infielder Ryan Bennett (Kansas City, Mo./Miami [Ohio]) leads the team in hitting with a .394 average ... leads the team with a .485 on-base percentage ...singled in the first and last game of the La Salle series ...also registered his team-leading fifth sacrifice bunt in the series.

Back in Black: Sophomore left fielder David Blackwell (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) has 17 hits on the season ...singled in the second game of the La Salle series.

Well Dunn: Sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) has started all 27 games in center, making him one of just two Billikens who have started every game ...hitting .293, has scored a team-high 22 runs and is second on the team with 15 RBIs ... is 18-of-19 to lead the team in the stolen-bases department ... has reached base safely in nine straight games ...walked and scored in the second La Salle tilt ... tied his career high with three hits in the first La Salle game.

Don't Mess with Texas: Sophomore infielder Andrew Guerra (Dallas, Texas/Rice University) is hitting .284 and is second on the team with 19 runs scored ...has a team-high nine doubles ...went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBIs in the second La Salle tilt ... smacked two hits and walked in addition to scoring a run in the first game against the Explorers.

Curious George: Freshman pitcher/outfielder George Hebert (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) made his seventh appearance of the season out of the bullpen in the La Salle finale and hurled two innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits.

Ryno: Junior utility player Ryan Johnson (Creve Coeur, Mo./SLUH) has three hits and two runs scored this season ... was hit by a pitch in the final game of the La Salle series.

Moore Power: Senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) is fourth on the club with a .315 average and third with 17 runs scored ... has started all but one game behind the plate this season ... leads the team with a .433 average in A-10 games ...went 5-for-8 to lead the team in the La Salle series ... had two hits and was hit by a pitch in the La Salle finale ... singled in the second game of the series ... had two hits, walked twice and drove in a run in the first La Salle tilt.

A Little Moore Power: Junior shortstop/pitcher Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) has a 1-1 record and a 3.45 ERA in eight appearances, all in relief ...picked up his second save of the year after striking out two batters in the ninth in the first La Salle game.

Lights Out: Sophomore right-hander Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo./Forest Park CC) has a 5.18 ERA and a 2-4 record in a team-high nine appearances on the mound ...started in left field in the La Salle opener ...pitched the finale and allowed five runs in five innings of work.

Hittin' BP: Sophomore right fielder Brandon Parsons (Stow, Ohio/Stow Munroe Falls) has 17 hits on the year to go along with eight RBIs, five of which have come with two outs ... singled in the final game of the La Salle series.

Extra Perks: Junior pitcher Brad Perkins (Collinsville, Ill./SWIC) pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the La Salle finale.

Pinpoint: Junior third baseman Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) is third on the team with a .316 average ... has a team-best 10 multi-hit games ... is second on the team with seven steals ... ranks 15th nationally with four sacrifice flies ...singled in the La Salle finale ... went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored in the second La Salle tilt ... walked and scored twice in the first La Salle game.

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) leads the team with 22 RBIs ...belted his team-leading third home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the first La Salle game ... also walked and scored an additional run in that game ... ranks eighth in the nation and first in the A-10 with 28 walks.

On the Bayou: Senior pitcher/third baseman B.J. Rodrigue (Destrehan, La./Brother Martin) is 2-2 with a 2.75 ERA on the mound ...drove in the Billikens' lone run of the La Salle finale with an RBI groundout in the ninth.

All That Chaz: Junior right-hander Chaz Salembier (Brentwood, Mo./Ithaca College) made his seventh appearance of the season Sunday against La Salle and hurled a scoreless inning.

Leave It To Sever: Junior right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill./Benet Academy) has a 4.71 ERA and a 2-4 record ... has gone seven or more innings in his last four starts ... hurled the second complete game of his career on Saturday against La Salle, yielding one run while scattering 10 hits and striking out a season-best eight.

The Mailbag: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail (Florissant, Mo./Forest Park CC) leads the pitching staff with five wins and boasts a 3.46 ERA ... has walked just five batters in 54.2 innings while striking out 35, ranking eighth in the country in fewest walks allowed per game ... went eight innings and picked up the victory in the first La Salle game after allowing three runs on eight hits.

Help Me, Help You: Freshman infielder Ramee Yacoub (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) hit from the leadoff spot in all three games of the La Salle series ...walked twice and scored on Saturday against La Salle ... singled and scored in the first game against the Explorers.

Catching Some Zs: Junior right-hander Mark Zielinski (Maryland Heights, Mo./DeSmet) pinch-ran for Casey Moore in the La Salle finale and scored the first run of his career.