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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (14-13, 4-6 CCAC) at OLIVET NAZARENE TIGERS (22-8, 9-1 CCAC)
Saturday, April 2 | 1:30 p.m. (Doubleheader) | Bourbonnais, Ill.
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Quick Notes
 • Trinity International will hit the road this weekend, as Saturday's scheduled home doubleheader against the Olivet Nazarene Tigers has been moved to Bourbonnais due to the wet weather in Deerfield. First pitch against the Tigers has also been moved up, to a 1:00 p.m. start.
 • Live stats and streaming audio will be available for Saturday's games, at TIUTrojans.com.
 • The Trojans are coming off a split doubleheader with the Purdue-Calumet Peregrines on Tuesday, where they took a 2-1 victory in the opener before falling in game two, 9-5.
 • Senior right fielder Jon Debowey has led TIU at the plate so far this season, hitting a team-high .429. His slash line of .429/.484/.655 is the highest in all three categories for the Trojans.
 • Freshman pitcher Jiri Vavrusa has posted the team's lowest ERA to date this year, at 3.45. The Prague, Czech Republic native has a 3-0 record through four starts on the mound.
 • Senior A.J. Bruner is tied for the CCAC lead in wins, with a 6-3 record. Bruner has made a CCAC-high nine starts and pitched 61.0 innings this year to lead the league, while posting a 4.28 ERA.
• Shortstop Jeff Lindberg has reached base safely in the last 22 consecutive games, the longest streak for a TIU player this season. Freshman first baseman Michael Balistreri will enter play on Saturday with the team's longest current hitting streak, with a base hit in each of his last four games.
 • The Trojans have posted four saves out of the bullpen this season, with freshman Zachary Haning picking up three, in wins over Rochester (Mich.) on Mar. 10, St. Xavier on Mar. 19, and most recently at Purdue-Calumet on Tuesday. Haning has pitched 8.1 innings with a 3.24 ERA, the lowest in the TIU bullpen.
 • The Trojans' 14 victories so far this season has already surpassed last season's win total, and is the most wins in a single season in five years, when TIU went 20-25 during the 2011 campaign.
Series vs. ONUÂ Â Â
 • The Trojans and Tigers have met up 27 times since the 2006 season, with Olivet Nazarene holding a 24-3 lead in the series.
 • Trinity's last win over the Tigers came on Apr. 17, 2014, when TIU and ONU split a doubleheader in Deerfield. The Trojans took a 6-5 victory in 11 innings. Jeff Lindberg pitched the final two innings to earn the win, while also driving in the walk-off run.
Last Time vs. ONUÂ Â Â
 • Trinity International held a lead late in game one, and tied the game in the ninth inning of game two, but were unable to come away with a win, as the Olivet Nazarene Tigers took the doubleheader sweep over the Trojans, 6-4 in game one, and 4-3 in game two.
 • Junior A.J. Bruner made the start in game one, pitching four innings and allowing just three hits and one earned run.Â
 • In game two, Trinity would tie the game in the 3rd and 9th innings, but weren't able to grab the lead. Jon Grotelueschen put the Trojans on the board with a leadoff hit in the 3rd, before advancing to second on a sac bunt, third on an error by the ONU pitcher, then home on a passed ball. Olivet would score two runs in the 7th to take a 3-1 lead that they would hold until the final frame.
Player of the Week  Â
 • Shortstop Jeff Lindberg was recognized for the first career time, earning the CCAC Player of the Week award on Tuesday.
 • Over four games last week, Lindberg hit for a .643 average, as the Trojans went 2-2 in a pair of doubleheaders against Indiana-South Bend and Judson. The junior had two or more base hits in three games, including a career-high four hits in Trinity's 15-7 win over the Titans on Mar. 23.
 • Senior pitcher A.J. Bruner was selected as the CCAC Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 16, earning the league's first weekly award of the season. Bruner was also named the NCCAA National Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career.
 • The Evansville, Ind. native threw two seven-inning complete games, leading the Trojans to victories over Penn State-Beaver and Rochester (Mich.). In his two outings, Bruner allowed just one earned run for a 0.64 ERA, striking out 10 batters while walking two.
Conference Leaders  Â
 • Coming into this week, the Trojans boast the highest batting average in the CCAC this season, hitting at a .308 clip as a team. Trinity also ranks fourth in the league in slugging percentage, at .390, and fifth in on-base percentage, at .381.
 • On the mound, TIU ranks 8th in the CCAC with a 5.05 ERA, and has 121 strikeouts, good for 7th in the league.
 • Senior pitcher A.J. Bruner currently leads the CCAC with 61.0 innings pitched. Bruner is tied for the league lead with six wins, and is 2nd in the league with 41 strikeouts.
 • Outfielder Jon Debowey is 4th in the CCAC with a .429 batting average. The senior also has eight doubles at the plate this year, tied for 7th in the conference. His slugging percentage is 2nd-best in the CCAC, at .707.
Last Time Out     Â
 • Adam Gomski recorded his third win of the season, and his second of the spring, striking out five as Trinity International split a doubleheader with the Purdue-Calumet Peregrines Tuesday afternoon, taking game one 2-1 before losing game two, 9-5.
 • Freshman first baseman Michael Balistreri highlighted a two-run second inning for the Trojans, driving in Adam Vignola to put TIU ahead with the first run of the day. Balistreri then scored on Colt Foerch's fielder's choice for the second run.
 • Gomski allowed the two-run lead to hold up, allowing just four hits on the day with just one walk. The Peregrines broke through in the bottom of the 7th, hitting two doubles to get on the board before Zachary Haning came on to earn his third save of the season.
 • In the second game of the day, Balistreri went 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI, as the Trojans looked poised for the sweep with a four-run top of the 1st, but Purdue-Calumet rallied back with six runs in the 5th to claim a 8-4 lead they would hold the rest of the way.
Trojans in the Polls   Â
 • TIU Baseball dropped out of the NCCAA National Rankings last week, after moving into the No. 10 spot in the poll on Mar. 16.
 • The ranking was the Trojans' first appearance in the NCCAA poll since 2010. Trinity reached as high as No. 4 in the national rankings on Mar. 30, 2010, after starting the season 15-8.
 • The Trojans are have yet to earn a spot in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, dating back to the poll's debut in 1998.
TIU Baseball History  Â
 • Since 2006, Trinity Baseball has an all-time record of 185-279 (.399). The Trojans have two winning seasons during that span, in 2007 (28-20) and in 2010 (30-23).
 • Trinity's last appearance in the CCAC Tournament came in 2011, when the Trojans reached the CCAC Championship game, ultimately falling to St. Francis.
 • The Trojans made three straight appearances in the NCCAA Tournament from 2005-07, their last appearances in the national tourney.
Up Next  Â
 • The Trojans return to the TIU Baseball Field next Wednesday, April 6, when they host Trinity Christian for a mid-week doubleheader.
 • First pitch between the Trojans and Trolls is set for 1:30 p.m.