Sunday, March 29, 2015

Series Re-cap - Pitt State

Series Re-cap - Pitt State University

Northwest split the weekend series at Pittsburgh State University at 2-2.  Northwest had terrific pitching in 3 of the 4 games and had a chance to win the series heading into Sunday's game.  In Sunday's game, Northwest's pitching had a tough day and the Bearcats offense took too long to heat-up and the Gorillas managed to salvage a split.  As of March 29, 2015, Northwest holds the final play-off spot for the MIAA post-season tournament.  Northwest is only 1 game back from 5th place (presently held by Missouri Western), and 1.5 games back from 4th place (Emporia State).  There is an absolutely HUGE conference series coming up for your Bearcats against Lindenwood University in Maryville this week.  Lindenwood is presently on the outside looking in for the MIAA post-season tournament.  They most certainly want to take over Northwest's spot in the standings.  Stay tuned Bearcat baseball fans, the final leg of the 2015 regular season is in play so expect a photo finish and mad dash for seeding all the way to last day of the regular season.

Game 1 - Northwest won game 1 of the Pitt State series 7-2 after a dominant pitching performance by Anthony Caenepeel.  Anthony worked 9.0 innings, allowed 9 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 0 walks, 8 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  Pitt State did not score their first run until the 8th inning.  Pitt State scored their second run in the 9th inning.

Northwest did not commit an error and turned 1 double play.

Offensively, Paul Johnson and Steven Garber were the most valuable players in the game.  Paul Johnson went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored.  Steven Garber went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.  Luke Wilkinson went 1 for 1 with a home run with 2 RBIs and a run scored.  Nick Gotta went 1 for 5 with a run scored.  Derek Meyer went 1 for 4 in the game.  Garrett Fort went 1 for 4 in the game.  In total, Northwest scored 7 runs, 10 hits, 6 RBIs, 0 walks, 5 strike-outs, and left 4 runners on base.

Game 2 - Northwest lost game 2 of the Pitt State series 5-3.  Northwest's starting pitcher was Joseph Hietpas who cruised through 4 innings before running into trouble in the 5th.  Big Joe worked the first 4 innings and only allowed 1 run with 5 strike-outs.  That is really good for the first year Bearcat.  In total, Joe worked 4.2 innings, allowed 8 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 5 strike-outs, 1 wild pitch, 0 balks, and he hit a batter.  In the bottom of the 5th, Austin Battaglia came into the game in relief of Joe.  Austin worked 1.1 innings, allowed 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.

Defensively, Northwest was charged with 1 error and did not turn a double play.

Offensively, Garrett Fort was the 'Cats most valuable player in the game.  In total, Garrett went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored.  In addition, Paul Johnson hit his first home run of 2015 in the game.  Derek Meyer went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs.  Steven Garber went 1 for 2 with a walk.  Nick Howard had a walk in the game.  Luke Wilkinson went 1 for 3 also in the game.  Austin Wulff went 0 for 1 but had two successful sacrifice bunts to advance the runner in the game.  In total, Northwest scored 3 runs off of 7 hits, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 4 strike-outs, and left 6 runners on base.

Game 3 - Northwest won game 3 of the Pitt State Series, 9-3.  Brad Roberts was the Bearcats starter and picked-up the win in the game.  With the win, Brad evened his 2015 record at 4-4.  In total, Brad worked 5.1 innings, allowed 4 hits, 3 runs (only 1 earned), 1 walk, 2 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit 2 batters.  Carson Smith came into the game in the 6th inning for a non-save situation.  Carson worked the final 1.2 innings, allowed 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.

Defensively, Northwest committed 3 errors and did not turn a double play.

Offensively, Derek Meyer, Steven Garber, and Austin Wulff were your most valuable players in the game.  Dererk Meyer went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, a stolen base, and a run scored.  Steven Garber went 2 for 3 (including a double) with 2 RBIs and a walk.  Austin Wulff went 2 for 3 with a RBI, 2 runs scored, and a walk.  Luke Wilkinson hit his 2nd home run of 2015 (and the series) and went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored in the game.  Garrett Fort went 1 for 3 with 2 runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base.  Kolby Greenslade went 1 for 4 (a double) with 2 runs scored and a stolen base.  Blake Hardegree went 1 for 1 with 2 RBIs in a pinch hitting opportunity in the game.  Paul Johnson had a hit in the game.  Nick Gotta went 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.  In total, Northwest scored 9 runs off of 12 hits, 9 RBIs, 5 walks, 10 strike-outs, and 9 runners left on base.

Game 4 - Northwest lost game 4 of the Pitt State series, 8-6.  Nikko Pablo was the Bearcats starting pitcher.  Nikko worked 4.1 innings, allowed 9 hits, 7 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 1 strike-out, 1 wild pitch, 0 balks, and did not hit a batter.  In the 5th inning, Austin Battaglia came into the game and only faced two batters.  Then, Patrick Brady came into the game and worked 1.1 inning, allowed 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and did not hit a batter.  In the 6th inning, Jimmy McElwain came into the game and worked 1.1 inning, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  In the 8th inning, Rob Henrichs came into the game and worked the final 1.0 inning, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.

Defensively, Northwest did not commit an error and did not turn a double play.

Offensively, Paul Johnson was the most valuable player for Northwest in the game.  Paul went 3 for 5 (including a triple) with a RBI in the game.  Nick Gotta went 2 for 5 (including a double) with a run scored and a RBI in the game.  Austin Wulff went 2 for 3 with a run scored, a RBI and a sacrifice fly.  Kolby Greenslade had 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored in the game.  Garrett Fort also had 2 walks and a run scored in the game.  Derek Meyer went 1 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI in the game.  In total, Northwest scored 6 runs off of 8 hits, 4 RBIs, 4 walks, 4 strike-outs, and left 7 runners on base.

Next up for Northwest - Northwest has a mid-week non-conference game versus Peru State on Tuesday, March 31, 2015.  Following that game, Northwest will play a 4-game series against Lindenwood in Maryville starting Thursday, April 2, 2015.

Go Cats!!
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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Mid-week re-cap - Culver-Stockton & Quincy U


Culver-Stockton - Northwest lost to Culver-Stockton by the score 6-3 in Canton, Missouri.  In the game, a lot of the younger Cats got a chance for playing time.  Culver scored all six runs in one inning.  John Osborne earned the start in the game.  It was John's first start as a Bearcat.  John worked 2.1 innings, allowed 8 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit 2 batters.  Alex Cross came into the game in the 3rd inning and made his first appearance in 2015.  Alex worked 0.2 of an inning, allowed 1 hit, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit one batter.  Patrick Brady came into the game in the 4th inning.  Patrick had a fantastic outing and kept Northwest in the game.  Patrick worked 3.0 innings, allowed 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk, 5 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit 1 batter.  In the 7th inning, Jimmy McElwain came into the game.  It was Jimmy's 2015 debut.  I also believe it was his Bearcat debut.  Jimmy did an outstanding job.  In total, he worked 1.0 inning, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  In the 8th, Taylor Bruch came into the game.  Taylor worked 1.0 inning, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 balks, 0 wild pitches, and he hit 2 batters.

Defensively, Northwest was charged with 1 error and did not turn a double-play.

Offensively, three Bearcats carried the team's weight in the game.  Steven Garber, Kevin Handzlik, and James Holler were the 'Cats most valuable players against Culver.  Steven went 2 for 3 with a walk.  Kevin Handzlik went 2 for 4 with a run scored.  James Holler went 2 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI.  In total, Northwest scored 3 runs off of 7 hits, 2 RBIs, 3 walks, 5 strike-outs, and 8 players left on base.

Quincy - After the Culver-Stockton game, Northwest boarded the team bus, crossed the state line into Illinois and played Quincy University for the 2nd game of a day-night double header.  Oh baby, what a way to end the night.  Northwest defeated Quincy University in a 13-inning marathon.  The game took 3 hours and 33 minutes.  The final score was 4-3.  Both teams had their chances but Northwest executed when it had to and the pitching was a sight to see.  Brad Roberts earned the start in the game and worked 2.0 innings, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  Austin Battaglia came into the game in the 3rd inning and worked 3.0 innings, allowed 2 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  In the 6th inning, Luke Wilkinson came into the game and worked 2.0 innings, allowed 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 5 strike-outs, 1 wild pitch, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  In the 8th inning, Jacob Wagner came into the game but did not record an out.  Jacob allowed 2 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 1 walk, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  Carson Smith came into the game in the 8th and worked 4.0 innings, allowed 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 1 wild pitch, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  In the 12th inning, Rob Henrichs came into the game and picked-up the win.  In total, Rob worked 2.0 innings, allowed 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strike-outs, 1 wild pitch, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.

Defensively, Northwest committed 3 errors and did not turn a double play.

Offensively, Austin Wulff had 2 RBIs and Steven Garber had the go-ahead RBI as the two most valuable players for the Bearcats in the game.  Derek Meyer went 2 for 3 with a walk.  Aaron Barratt had 2 walks and a run scored in the game.  Paul Johnson went 2 for 5 with a stolen base and a walk.  Blake Hardegree went 1 for 5 with a run scored in the game.  In total, Northwest scored 4 runs off of 7 hits, 3 RBIs, 8 walks, 7 strike-outs, and left 8 runners on base.

Coming up - Northwest is 13-13, 9-7 MIAA so far in 2015.  On March 27, 28, and 29, the Bearcats will travel to Pitt State to play a 4-game weekend series.  This weekend's games are absolutely critical for the Cats as they fight, scratch, and claw for a play-off spot in the post-season tournament.  Pitt State is 7-16, 3-9 MIAA so far in 2015.  Pitt State and Northwest match-up pretty close in offensive, defense, and pitching so expect 4 thrilling games this weekend.

Go Cats!!
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Thursday, March 26, 2015

Happy 41st Birthday Matt Mason


Happy 41st Birthday Matt Mason

The B2R wants to take a moment to celebrate Matt Mason.  He would have turned 41 years old today.  Matt died serving our country in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011.  Matt was a Chief Special Warfare Operator.

An American hero.  A Navy S.E.A.L.  An alumnus of Northwest Missouri State.  A Bearcat baseball player.  A husband.  A father.


In April 2012, the Bearcats baseball team became the first varsity sport Northwest Missouri State to commemorate the United States Armed Services by wearing special camouflage jerseys.  In 2014, the baseball team became the first varsity sport at Northwest Missouri State to make a camouflage jersey a regular and continuing part of their uniform to recognize and celebrate the sacrifices of the Matt Mason and the service members of the United States Armed Forces, past, present, and future.



Never Forget.

Go USA!!
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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Series Re-cap - Ft Hays State


Series Re-cap - Ft Hays State

Northwest played very well this past weekend in Maryville.  The Cats won three of four games from Fort Hays State.  All four games of the series were exciting ball games.  Approaching this series, statistics would suggest a lot of runs scored and home runs leaving the ball park.  What actually happened was exemplary pitching by both squads with Northwest executing better down the stretch.  Northwest's pitching held a potent offense to three runs or less in three of the four games - nearly half of the season average for the Tigers heading into the series.  Defensively, Northwest played fantastic in two of the four games.  Offensively, Northwest averaged over five runs per game.  I think the story of the series was Northwest's exemplary pitching and solid defense.

I was very impressed with the Bearcats' middle defense with Derek Meyer at Catcher, Nick Gotta at short stop, Paul Johnson at second, and Garrett Fort at center field.  Kolby Greenslade has done a solid job defensively in left field with flashes of brilliance.  I can't wait to see Kolby get a little more seasoning under his belt to pick-up the ball as he gains more experience.  Austin Wullf has been terrific in right field.  Steven Garber is a wall at first base.  Nick Howard is learning on the fly in his first year in the program dealing with "Bearcat field's hops."  Nick definitely shows flashes of range, strong arm, and baseball IQ at the hot corner.  All the guys are working hard and played very well this past weekend.

Game 1 - Northwest won game one of the series with a final score of 4-2.  Anthony Caenepeel earned his 3rd conference win after working an exemplary performance.  The 9-inning game last a mere 1:50.  There were 249 people in attendance.  Anthony worked 8.0 innings pitched, allowed a mere 3 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 4 walks, 12 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, did not hit a batter, and did not intentionally walk anybody.  In addition, Carson came into the game in the 9th inning to earn his 6th save of 2015.  In total, Carson worked 1.0 inning, allowed 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, did not hit a batter, and did not intentionally walk a batter.

Defensively, Northwest did not commit an error and turned one double play.

Offensively, Austin Wulff was the most valuable player for the Bearcats.  Austin went two for three (a double & a home run) with a run scored and four RBIs.  In addition, Derek Meyer went one for three with two runs scored and a walk.  Derek also played a great game behind the dish and did not allow a pass ball or commit an error.  Nick Gotta went one for two with a stolen base, two walks, and played a perfect game as Northwest's starting short stop.  Garrett Fort went one for three with a run scored and a walk.  James Holler and Nick Howard both went one for four in the game.  In total, Northwest scored four runs, earned seven hits, four RBIs, six walks, six strike-outs, and left seven runners on base.

Game 2 - Northwest won game two of the series with a final score of 8-3.  Joseph Hietpas earned his first conference win after working over five innings in the game.  The seven-inning game took 1:59 to complete.  It was the first game of a double header.  In total, Joseph worked 5.1 innings, allowed seven hits, three runs (all earned), four walks, four strike-outs, one wild pitch, 0 balks, did not hit a batter, and did not intentionally walk a batter.  Austin Battaglia came into the game in the 6th inning to close out the final 1.2 innings.  In total, Austin worked 1.2 innings, allowed zero hits, zero runs, two walks, one strike-out, one wild pitch, zero balks, and did not hit a batter in a non-save situation.

Defensively, Northwest did not commit an error and did not turn a double play.

Offensively, Paul Johnson was the most valuable player of the game.  Paul went three for four (two triples) with three runs scored and one RBI while playing the game as the starting second baseman.  In addition, Nick Gotta went two for three with a run scored and a walk while playing the game as the starting short stop.  Garrett Fort went one for two with two RBIs, one walk, and a stolen base.  Steven Garber went one for two with a run scored, one RBI, and one walk.  Kolby Greenslade went one for four (a double) with two runs scored, and one RBI.  In total, Northwest scored eight runs, earned eight hits, six RBIs, six walks, five strike-outs, and left seven runners on base.

Game 3 - Northwest lost game three of the series with a final score 10-5.  Brad Roberts earned the start but had a tough day and picked up a loss to see his 2015 record move to 1-4.  In total, Brad worked 2.2 innings, allowed six hits, four runs (three earned), two walks, 0 strike-outs, two wild pitches, 0 balks, and he did not hit a batter.  Luke Wilkinson came in to pitch for Brad and worked 0.2 inning, allowed two hits, one run (earned), one walk, 0 strike-outs, one wild pitch, one balk, and hit two batters.  Jacob Wagner came in to pitch for Luke and worked 2.0 innings, allowed, three hits, three runs (all earned), three walks, one strike-out, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and did not hit a batter.  In the sixth inning, Austin Battaglia came into the game.  In total, Austin worked 0.2 inning, allowed two hits, two runs (one earned), 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, one wild pitch, 0 balks, and hit one batter.  In the seventh, John Osborne came into the game and worked 1.0 inning, allowed one hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and did not hit a batter.

Defensively, Northwest committed two errors and turned one double-play.

Offensively, Nick Gotta was the most valuable player in the game.  Nick went two for four (including a double) with a run scored and two RBIs.  Paul Johnson also went two for four (two doubles) with a run scored and a RBI.  Derek Meyer went two for three with a run scored.  Austin Wulff went one for three with a run scored.  Kolby Greenslade went one for four with a RBI.  Zach Douglas went one for one with a run scored.  In total, Northwest scored five runs, nine hits, five RBIs, 0 walks, five strike-outs, and left four runners on base.

Game 4 - Northwest won game four of the series with a final score 4-3.  Nikko Pablo earned the start and worked 6.2 innings, earned six hits, one run (unearned), one walk, eight strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, hit three players.  Carson Smith came into the game in the 7th inning and worked the final 2.1 innings, allowed three hits, two runs (both earned), 0 walks, three strike-outs, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and he hit one batter to pick-up his second win of the year.

Defensively, Northwest committed three errors and did not turn a double play.

Offensively, Nick Gotta was the most valuable offensive player in the game.  Nick went two for five with a run scored.  Paul Johnson, Luke Wilkinson, Derek Meyer, and Austin Wulff each earned a hit in the game.  In total, Northwest four runs off of six hits, four RBIs, six walks, six strike-outs, and left 11 runners on base.

2015 Overall Statistics -

Player  avg gp-gs ab 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hbp so gdp ob% sf sh sb-att po fld% 
Gotta,Nick  .413 24-23 80 19 33 13 45 .563 20 12 .539 5-8 36 53 10 .899 
Johnson,Paul  .351 23-22 74 13 26 14 34 .459 .430 3-5 35 46 .942 
Garber,Steven  .301 24-24 83 16 25 19 32 .386 14 20 .402 1-1 161 15 .989 
Meyer,Derek  .286 20-17 49 14 17 .347 .379 1-1 85 17 1.000 
Greenslade,Kolby  .282 19-19 78 14 22 12 31 .397 10 .318 5-7 24 .933 
Holler,James  .267 17-12 45 12 12 .267 .340 2-2 1.000 
Howard,Nick  .263 24-22 80 14 21 21 35 .438 20 .348 0-0 17 26 .843 
Wulff,Austin  .239 24-23 67 17 16 14 33 .493 16 11 17 .457 2-3 42 .957 
Fort,Garrett  .232 23-21 56 18 13 14 .250 18 18 .421 4-7 46 .980 
Barratt,Aaron  .231 16-3 13 .231 .286 2-2 .833 
Handzlik,Kevin  .200 9-7 25 .320 .231 0-0 .867 
Douglas,Zachary  .200 5-1 .200 .333 0-0 11 1.000 
Wilkinson,Luke  .179 15-12 39 .231 11 .313 0-0 .800 
Hardegree,Blake  .167 15-7 30 .200 .212 0-0 55 1.000 
Pablo,Nikko  .000 3-3 .000 .125 0-0 .933 
Pennington,Adam  .000 2-0 .000 .500 0-0 .000 
Totals  .277 24-24 732 147 203 37 10 121 280 .383 109 30 144 11 .388 11 13 25-36 552 229 36 .956

Player  era w-l app-gs cg sho sv ip er bb so 2b 3b hr ab b/avg wp hbp bk sfa sha 
Osborne,John  0.00 0-0 1-0 0/0 1.0 .250 
Smith,Tanner  0.00 0-0 1-0 0/0 0.1 .667 
Smith,Carson  1.15 2-0 10-0 0/1 15.2 16 52 .115 
Wilkinson,Luke  2.08 0-0 4-0 0/1 4.1 14 .214 
Caenepeel,Anthony  4.30 3-0 6-6 0/0 37.2 34 21 18 20 33 134 .254 
Pablo,Nikko  4.34 2-2 7-4 0/1 29.0 31 18 14 17 117 .265 
Hietpas,Joseph  4.39 1-3 7-5 0/0 26.2 30 19 13 16 28 10 107 .280 
Wagner,Jacob  5.40 2-0 9-0 0/0 8.1 29 .310 
Battaglia,Austin  6.75 0-2 9-1 0/0 13.1 16 11 10 13 52 .308 
Roberts,Brad  7.82 1-4 6-6 0/0 25.1 31 25 22 15 17 97 .320 
Brady,Patrick  10.50 0-0 8-0 0/0 6.0 13 22 .227 
Bruch,Taylor  13.50 0-0 2-0 0/0 2.0 .286 
Pearcy,Hondo  14.29 0-0 5-0 0/0 5.2 15 13 30 .500 
Henrichs,Rob  18.56 1-1 6-0 0/0 5.1 15 11 11 28 .536 
Klocko,Kole  32.40 0-0 5-2 0/0 3.1 13 14 12 21 .619 
Totals  6.21 12-12 24-24 1/1 184.0 213 150 127 107 145 37 20 717 .297 17 31 20


Next up - 

Northwest travels to Canton, Missouri, to play Culver-Stockton College on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, with first pitch at 2pm.  After the game, the 'Cats will then board the team bus and travel to Quincy, Illinois, to play Quincy University that same day at 6:30pm.  The guys should sleep well on the way back home after Wednesday's day/night double header.

Go Cats!!
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