TIU Baseball heads out for final two trips of the season
TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (10-23, 6-14 CCAC at PURDUE-NORTH CENTRAL PANTHERS (17-23-1, 8-12 CCAC)
Wednesday, April 23 | 1:00 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Hicks Field | Westville, Ind.
TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (10-23, 6-14 CCAC) vs. JUDSON EAGLES (33-14, 17-3 CCAC)
Friday, April 25 | 3:30 p.m.
TIU Baseball Field | Deerfield, Ill.
TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (10-23, 6-14 CCAC) vs. JUDSON EAGLES (33-14, 17-3 CCAC)
Saturday, April 26 | 1:00 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Hoffer Field | Elgin, Ill.
Game Notes | Twitter Updates: @TIUTrojans | @JUAthletics
Season Stats: Trinity International | Purdue-North Central | Judson
This Week
In the midst of an action-packed two weeks, the Trinity International Trojans have hit the home stretch, with just seven games remaining on the schedule. The Trojans are at the tail end of a 10-day span that included 14 games, including this week's matchups at Purdue-North Central, and this weekend's home-and-home with Judson. TIU will take on the Panthers on Wednesday in an afternoon twinbill in Westville, Ind., beginning at 1:00 p.m. On Friday, the Trojans host CCAC co-leaders and defending conference champs Judson, in a single game at the TIU Baseball Field at 3:30 p.m. Both teams will then head to Elgin and play out a doubleheader Saturday afternoon on the Eagles' home field, starting at 1:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
Since the makeup doubleheader at Cardinal Stritch on April 16, the Trojans have competed in nine games over six days, all in CCAC action. TIU has gone 3-6 over that time, including some thrilling come-from-behind victories. After a pair of heartbreaking losses to the Wolves in walk-off fashion, the Trojans responded the next day with a walk-off themselves. TIU rallied for three runs in the ninth against Olivet Nazarene to force extra innings, where freshman Jeff Lindberg's game-winning single in the 11th gave the Trojans a doubleheader split with the Tigers. Lindberg struck again four days later, delivering the game-winner in the bottom of hte 7th in the first of two games against Robert Morris, as A.J. Bruner pitched the complete game shutout.
With their 9-1 win over Roosevelt on April 19, Trinity International secured their ninth victory of the season, surpassing last season's win total with ten games still to play. Additionally, the win over Robert Morris on Monday gave the Trojans six conference wins on the year, one more than the 2013 season produced.
National Leaderboard
A pair of Trojans make appearances on the NAIA national leaderboard this week, for their work in the field and on the basepaths. Junior center fielder Cameron Stanley remains the last Trojan yet to commit an error, giving him a 1.000 fielding percentage. Stanley is one of 128 qualifying players in the NAIA to remain perfect in the field. Sophomore Scott Krawiec is also ranked among the nation's best, ranking 40th nationally in the NAIA with an average of 0.538 stolen bases per game. Krawiec has swiped a team-high 14 bases on 14 attempts so far this year.
Scouting the Opponents
Purdue-North Central
• The Panthers come into their meeting with the Trojans with a 16-23 record, and enter play this week on a three-game slide after being swept in a three-game series with St. Francis over the weekend.
• PNC ranks towards the bottom of the CCAC offensively, with a team average of .253, ranking 11th in the league, but is one of the best pitching programs, with a 3rd-best team ERA of 3.56.
• Junior infielder Joe Czarnecki is the team's leading hitter, with a .344 batting average that ranks 15th in the CCAC. Czarnecki also has a team-high 11 stolen bases on the year.
• Junior right-hander Dan Snyder is the ace of the Panthers' staff, boasting a 1.94 ERA over 51 innings pitched, both team highs.
• The Panthers leads the series over the Trojans, 16-2, dating back to 2006.
Judson
• The 2013 conference champs are in a good position to defend their title, with a 17-3 mark in league play so far this year, and a 33-14 record overall. Judson are on a four-game win streak, and have won 11 of their last 12.
• The Eagles have the top team average in the CCAC, hitting at a .310 clip. On the mound, Judson has a 3.35 team ERA, good for second among conference teams.
• Senior Josh Raymond has a team-high average of .407, and is 18th in the NAIA with 66 total base hits.
• Junior Andrew Bergmann leads the team with a 2.20 ERA, and has an 8-3 record this season, ranking 18th in the NAIA in wins.
• Judson leads the series over TIU 18-8, dating back to 2006. The Trojans' last win over the Eagles came in the 2011 CCAC Tournament.
Trojans vs. the CCAC
• The Trojans have posted a 6-14 record in league play so far this season, and currently sit in a tie for fourth in the CCAC North Division. TIU has surpassed last year's conference record, when they finished with a 5-20 record and placed 12th of 13 programs.
• The Trojans have split their last three doubleheaders in conference action, and are still looking for their first sweep of a twinbill in 2014.
• With the non-conference schedule wrapped up, TIU surpassed their non-conference record from a year ago, finishing 4-9 against teams outside the CCAC, compared to just 3-9 a year ago.
Last Season vs. the Panthers & Eagles
• The Trojans went 0-5 last season between both Purdue-North Central and Judson, as TIU were swept in a pair of home doubleheaders, as well as a single game at Judson.
• In the first of two games with the Panthers, Cameron Stanley and Jon Debowey each had two hits to lead the Trojans. Debowey and Brenden Curletta drove in two runs apiece in a 16-4 loss.
• A.J. Bruner pitched a gem in the first of three games against the Eagles, going all eight innings while allowing just one run on five hits, but finished with the loss as the Trojan offense was shut out.
• In the last day of the season, Rafael Mendez and Adam Vignola cranked three hits apiece in the first game of a doubleheader with Judson. Vignola also collected a pair of RBI in the 11-3 loss.
Trojan Pitching Staff
• Three Trojans currently are tied for the team lead, as Dakota Pisarek, Jeremiah Carter, and Adam Gomski have all recorded two wins this season.
• Pisarek (3.86) & Carter (3.94) currently hold the team's two sub-4 ERAs, and have thrown a combined 60 innings and four complete games.
• Ben Hylander has been a strong option out of the bullpen, making a team-high 14 appearances this year. The sophomore has a 4.42 ERA over 18.1 innings pitched this season.
• A.J. Bruner posted the team's first complete game shutout of the year against Robert Morris on Monday; the sophomore went the distance to record his first win of the year in a 1-0 pitcher's duel.
Heavy Hitters
• The Trojans currently have three players hitting at least .300, led by Ryan Helmeid's .354 average.
• Among those qualified for the NAIA leaderboard (75% of games played and 2.5 plate appearances/game), A.J. Bruner leads the Trojans with a .310 average (32nd in CCAC).
• Helmeid leads the team among CCAC qualifiers (50% of games played), ranking 9th in the conference. The junior also ranks second on the team with a .404 on-base percentage, runner-up to Adam Gomski's .452 on-base percentage.
• Sophomore A.J. Bruner and junior Cameron Stanley have the Trojans' only home runs on the year. Bruner's shot was the game-winner that earned a 4-3 win over Trinity Christian on Apr. 14. Stanley's 7th-inning homer kept the Trojans in the ballgame against Olivet Nazarene, as TIU went on to rally for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, in an eventual 11-inning, 6-5 victory.
Tale of the Tape
| Stat (CCAC Rank in parenthesis) | Trinity International | Purdue-North Central | Judson |
| Batting Average | .271 (6th) | .253 (11th) | .310 (1st) |
| On-Base Percentage | .346 (8th) | .338 (10th) | .403 (1st) |
| Slugging Percentage | .315 (10th) | .307 (11th) | .441 (1st) |
| Runs | 117 (12th) | 159 (9th) | 299 (1st) |
| Hits | 248 (11th) | 287 (7th) | 456 (1st) |
| Doubles | 28 (11th) | 40 (7th) | 95 (1st) |
| Home Runs | 2 (T-8th) | 4 (5th) | 25 (1st) |
| Strikeouts | 176 (4th) | 181 (5th) | 229 (T-10th) |
| Walks | 87 (12th) | 102 (9th) | 191 (1st) |
| Stolen Bases | 56 (4th) | 48 (7th) | 51 (5th) |
| | | |
| ERA | 5.89 (10th) | 3.56 (3rd) | 3.35 (2nd) |
| Opp. Batting Average | .307 (11th) | .269 (T-5th) | .269 (T-5th) |
| BB / 9 | 4.10 (10th) | 3.07 (2nd) | 3.18 (3rd) |
| K / 9 | 3.99 (12th) | 5.24 (9th) | 5.93 (5th) |
| Runs Allowed | 197 (9th) | 170 (5th) | 192 (7th) |
| Earned Runs | 155 (10th) | 118 (3rd) | 134 (8th) |
| Hits Allowed | 298 (9th) | 311 (5th) | 377 (12th) |
| Home Runs Allowed | 5 (T-1st) | 7 (T-6th) | 15 (12th) |
| Complete Games | 7 (11th) | 15 (4th) | 16 (3rd) |
