Baseball News?

[Valposter]

The baseball season kicks off February 14th which is just a little more than 2 weeks away and the baseball website has not had any updates.  Will the individual player bio's and profiles be updated?  Will there be a pre-season preview?  Just seems like it has been really quiet on this forum and the Valpo website regarding the baseball team.  How did the Dominican trip go?  I thought there would be something on the website about the DR trip as that is a pretty big deal.  Just wondering.......

[valpotx]

It looks like someone was reading the forum, or it was just good timing for your question :

http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/news/2013-14/13322/baseballs-trip-to-dominican-republic-a-success/

[Brandon]

The highlight of the games in the DR was an 8-2 win over a professional Dominican team (Licey of the Dominican Winter League).  Emilio Bonifacio of the
Kansas City Royals and Julio Borbon of the Baltimore Orioles were in the lineup for Licey.  Cole Webb pitched well against both big league players and broke Bonifacio's bat with a fastball. 

I put together a story on the trip for this week's Torch.  The forum will not allow me to post a link for whatever reason, but those interested can find the story by going to the valpotorch.com, clicking on the e-edition of this week's paper on the right and going to page 11.

[valpotx]

It's sad to see the direction Borbon's career has gone in.  He was a promising CF starter for our Rangers, then got hurt, and lost his job to Hamilton, then several other folks. 

[LaPorteAveApostle]

The forum will not allow me to post a link for whatever reason

You need five posts to prove you're a human and not a


If bbtds were around again it'd be in his tagline.  I miss him.

[valpotx]

I absolutely love these creative marketing videos Valpo has been doing.  This latest one is very true to reality, in that A LOT of ping pong is played (especially among pitchers), assuming it has stayed the same in 10 years.  That was one thing I was actually able to do well, beat just about all players in ping pong in the clubhouse...I'm looking at you Tom Starck and Elliot Gibbs .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PYShFc0jEuU

[valpopal]

[tweet]458289345397407744[/tweet]

[valpotx]

Wow....just wow....how in the world did we just lose 2-1 to a D-3 team (Ohio Northern)  I cannot remember a time since I have followed the program (back to 1999), that we have lost to a D-3 program.  I know that we have lost to scholarship D-2 and NAIA programs in the past, but never a D-3...

[Valpo2008]

It is bad when you lose PERIOD.  I have a feeling this will help "wake up" and strengthen the focus of a group of players that have been underachieving a bit. We shall see this weekend...

[valpopal]

Unfortunately, after scoring just 1 run against Ohio Northern, the team continued its slump and only scored a combined 5 runs in the three weekend games against UIC. Let's hope the weather and the hitting heat up a bit for the busy week of games ahead.

Still, I did manage to get some action photos of play against UIC, including the two below that show Mark Johnson hitting and Jake Hanson about to tag out a runner trying to score.

[valpopal]

Congratulations to Karch Kowalczyk for being selected to the Capital One Academic All-District Baseball Team! The Academic All-America program honors male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom.




"Kowalczyk owns a 3.49 grade point average and is majoring in biology and chemistry. On the field, he has amassed team highs in doubles (8), home runs (4), and runs batted in (27) this season. In addition to his intimidating presence at the plate, the senior has saved eight games and tallied a 2.45 earned run average on the hill for the Crusaders. His 21 career saves rank second in Valparaiso University history. He owns a 2.00 lifetime ERA in 54 innings with the Brown and Gold and opponents have batted just .194 against the right-hander."

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/valpos-kowalczyk-and-wsus-timm-named-to-baseballs-capital-one-academic-all-district-team

[bbtds]

the Capital One Academic All-District Baseball Team!

I'm sure Karch won't leave home without it. The award that is or whatever he received for this honor. 

Congrats!

[valpopal]

An 11th-inning walk-off hit by Spencer Mahoney gave Valpo a thrilling comeback 5-4 win over Oakland today!

[valpotx]

Hopefully we take the next two as well, as Oakland is ripe for being swept!!

[valpotx]

Our anemic offense doesn't help out another gem by Lundeen, losing 1-0...

[jetz]

We are stranding runners left and right.  Can't put up a crooked number.  Nobody is blaming anyone in the locker room--that's a good thing.  A player's meeting is imminent and much needed.  I still have hope.  The guys care deeply and are positive.  I see the bats coming alive in the last couple of weeks of the regular season.  We got you, tx.

[valpotx]

Having been a pitcher, nothing drives me crazier than your starting pitcher throwing a CG while giving up 1 run, and losing lol

[valpotx]

Guys respond by winning the rubber game with 14 hits.  Good job!!  Let's hope that we go at least 4-2 over the last 6 conference games, in order to finish 12-12 in conference.  We don't have an opportunity of really passing UIC for a 2 seed, so let's shoot for that 3 seed.

[valpopal]

There were a number of Major League scouts at the game on Sunday. They stood in a row behind home plate with their clipboards and speed guns to check out the starting pitcher for Oakland, Jake Paulson, who is supposed to be a prospect. However, Valpo roughed up Paulson with 6 runs on 11 hits in only 5.1 innings of work. In fact, Valpo's red-shirt freshman, Ellis Foreman, out-pitched Paulson and went 7 innings for the victory. In addition, Michael Morman reached base all five at bats with 3 hits and 2 walks, plus he had 3 runs, 1 RBI, and 2 stolen bases.

Final score of the season's final home game: Valpo 8, Oakland 4. Below are my game photos of Foreman and Morman:

[valpotx]

Looks like we pounded out some hits in an 8-4 win over WMU!  Hopefully that helps us heading into the final games.

[valpopal]

Ellis Foreman has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week, and it was well deserved: http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/news/2013-14/13732/foreman-named-horizon-league-pitcher-of-the-week/

[valpotx]

We are currently in position for the 4 seed (tied for third, but lose tiebreaker to UWM), so hopefully we sweep YSU at their place this week, so that we are given the best chance at getting third by ourselves!  We are the only team that has beaten WSU this season (in conference), going 3-3 vs. them.  We can win the tournament just as much as any other team, outside of YSU/Oakland.

[valpotx]

We finish the regular season in third at 23-26 (12-12).  We get to play YSU in the first round, so hopefully we can bring home 1 championship for Valpo in 2013-2014!!

[valpopal]

The Horizon League announced its end-of-year honors: Dalton Lundeen (Pitcher of the Year, First Team), Michael Morman (First Team), Chris Manning (Second Team), Ellis Foreman (All-Freshman Team), and Mario Losi (All-Freshman Team). Congratulations to all!

[valpotx]

Yes, congrats to all, and hopefully we have a good run in the tourney starting today!  If we win the tournament, we will have a 0.500+ record (either 27-26 or 27-27 if we go 4-0 or 4-1), so it wouldn't look too terrible for us to be in the NCAA tournament lol.