WARM UPS...
GRIFFON BASEBALL, 2013 MIAA CHAMPIONS!!!
Congratulations to the Griffon Baseball team as they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history! The Griffons (40-10 overall) are the fourth seed in the Central Region and take on third seeded Southern Arkansas in Mankato, Minnesota this Thursday, May 16th with first pitch set for 12 PM. The full bracket of the double elimination tournament is up on our website at gogriffons.com. All games from Minnesota will be broadcast live via the Griffon Sports Network on either ESPN 1550 AM or KFEQ 680 AM and on-line at gogriffons.com.
Having a great season brings many accolades as Griffon Baseball was well represented on the MIAA Postseason Awards list. Shortstop
Michael Schulze was named the MIAA Player of the Year,
Brandon Simmons was named the MIAA Pitcher of the Year and Buzz Verduzco was named the MIAA Coach of the Year. Five Griffons were named 1st Team All-MIAA including Simmons, Schulze, infielders
Grant Fink &
Jimmy Smelcer and
Bubba Dotson. Outfielder
Kyle Simpson was named to the Second Team while pitcher
Logan Hollingsworth, catcher
Jake Schrader, infielder
Spencer Shockley and utility player
Nate Ramler were named Honorable Mention. Fink was also named to the Capitol One Academic All-District 7 team and to the Tino Martinez Player of the Year semi finalist list.
KNOW THE OPPONENT...
Record vs. Southern Arkansas: Overall: First Meeting
• This marks the first meeting between the Griffons and the Muleriders. The Muleriders come into the contest with a 40-15 overall record and are currently on a three game winning streak winning the Great American Conference Regular season and Tournament Title. They are 16-2 in their last 18 games with their two losses coming by scores of 11-3 against Arkansas-Monticello and 5-4 against Arkansas Tech.
• The Griffons and the Muleriders have played one common opponent this season in Arkansas Tech. The Griffons went 1-3 against the Wonder Boys while the Muleriders went 2-2. Southern Arkansas is making their 6th straight NCAA Regional appearance.
• As a team Southern Arkansas is hitting .319 with six players hitting over .300. Jason Dahl leads the way with a .370 average. he has 81 hits in 219 at bats with 17 doubles and 43 RBI. David Harris leads the team with 60 RBI, 21 doubles, 6 triples and 10 home runs. Harris is hitting .358 on the season. Harris was the GAC Player of the Year and First Team All-GAC.
• As a team the Muleriders have stole 86 bases in 113 attempts. Ryan Bell leads the with 19 while William Townsend had 15.
• The Muleriders hold a 3.65 ERA with Jon Mark Abbey leading the way with a 2.95 ERA. James Baune has a 3.20 ERA and is 12-1 in 14 starts. Baune has thrown five complete games and has thrown 104 innings. He has giving up 107 hits and just 49 runs with 81 strikeouts. Philip Menou has seven complete games with a 4.19 ERA and an 8-4 record while Timothy Buchanan is 9-1 with a 3.59 ERA in 10 games.
KNOW THE OPPONENT...Continued
Record vs. the Mavericks: Overall: First Meeting
• For the second straight season Minnesota State will host a regional after winning the NSIC Conference Tournament.
• The Mavericks come into the contest with a 35-8 overall record and have currently won six straight games including 18-of-19.
• The Mavericks are batting .297 as a team and are led by Nolan Johnson's .353 average. Conner McCallum is hitting .345 while Lucas Skjefte is hitting .342. Johnson and MCallum lead the team with 49 hits while Johnson had 19 of the Mavericks 88 doubles. The Mavericks have hit 38 home runs with Stetson Olsen leading the way with eight.
• The MSU pitching staff has an ERA of 2.98 and opponents are hitting .230 against them. Jason Hoppe and Harvey Martin lead the charge with a combined 14-1 record. Hoppe holds a 1.32 ERA with a 7-1 record in 68 innings of work. He has struck out 80 on the season. Martin is 7-0 with a 1.62 ERA with 78 strikeouts. Mahlon Zimmerman has made 16 appearances with nine saves. He holds a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings of work.
• Defensively the Mavericks have been outstanding all season with a .981 fielding percentage.
Record vs. the Mules since 2001: Overall: 41-10 UCM - Home: 16-4 UCM - Away: 21-5 UCM - Neutral: 4-1 UCM
MIAA Tournament: 4-0 UCM - NCAA Regional: 1-0 MWSU
• Central Missouri enters Regional Tournament with a 35-11 overall record after not making it to the MIAA Final Four Tournament in Kansas City last weekend.
• The Mules are batting .335 as a team and are led by Kevin Gratza's .392 average. Samuel Domingue is hitting .380 and leads the team with 71 hits. Kyle Grieshaber is hitting .366 and leads the team with nine home runs and also has 55 runs driven in. Brad Wilson is batting .345 with three long balls and 53 runs batted in.
• The UCM pitching staff has an ERA of 3.98 and opponents are hitting .262 against them. Travis Higgs is 5-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 11 starts and leads the team with 48 strikeouts in 59.0 innings. Jake Heissler is also 5-0 with a 2.29 ERA and 38 K's in 19 relief appearances. Kurtis Schuyler has recorded 46 K's in 50.0 innings pitched. Andrew Urban is 5-3 with a 2.49 ERA and five saves in 25 relief appearances.
• The Mules have a .973 fielding percentage and have turned 29 double plays on the year.
Record vs. the St. Cloud State since 2001: Overall: 1-0 MWSU - Home: 1-0 MWSU
• The St. Cloud State Huskies earn their fourth straight NCAA Regional Bid. The Griffons beat the Huskies earlier this season by a score of 5-3 back on April 15, 2013 when the Huskies were ranked 4th in the nation.
• The Huskies come into the contest with a 34-9 overall record and are currently 3-2 in their last five games. .
• The Huskies are batting .310 as a team and are led by Garrett Fischer's .412 average. Five other Huskies are hitting over .300 with Zach Hoffmann hitting .355 and Steve Rindelaub hitting .349. The Huskies have hit 82 doubles on the season with Sean Borman getting 18. They have hit just 15 home runs with Zach Hoffmann, Sean Borman and Eric Loxtercamp each getting three.
• The SCSU pitching staff has an ERA of 2.34 and opponents are hitting .213 against them. Chris Kobitz is 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 42 innings. He has 52 strikeouts. Kyle Fischer is 10-2 with a 2.02 ERA while Corey Fitzgerald is 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA. Scott Lieser is 9-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 14 appearances.
• Defensively the Mavericks have been outstanding all season with a .971 fielding percentage.
Record vs. Missouri Southern since 2001: Overall: 27-20 MWSU - Home: 14-8 MWSU - Away: 12-9 MWSU - Neutral: 2-2 - MSSU
• The Griffons and the Lions have met 47 times since the 2001 season with the Griffons leading 27-20.
• The Griffons won all four meetings last season and nine of the last 12. The two teams split a pair of regular season games this season. MSSU won 8-7 and MWSU won 8-4. In the MIAA Tournament the Lions beat the Griffons 4-3 and 6-3 with the Griffons winning 12-2 in seven innings.
• This season the Lions are just 34-20 overall but enter the NCAA Regional as the 6th seed after defeating MWSU 6-3 in the MIAA Championship game.
• They are hitting .301 as a team with four players hitting over .300. Dallas Burke leads the way with a .350 batting average in 52 games...He has 64 hits with 27 RBI...Michael McCoy and Sam Ryan are hitting .341 and .332 respectively with McCoy leading the Lions with 75 hits and Ryan leading the charge with 16 doubles and six home runs.
• The Lions have 90 doubles and 29 home runs on the season.
• On the bump the Lions have a 4.46 ERA.
• Payton Walker leads the team with a 3.50 ERA in 16 appearances while Ryan Bates leads the way with eight victories. Brett Abell leads MSSU with 105 strikeouts on the season.
GRIFFONS IN THE TOURNAMENT SINCE 2001:
The Griffons have not had very good luck in the MIAA tournament since 2001 holding just a 7-14 record. Their first victory in the tournament was May 12, 2011 against Fort Hays State when they won 5-4 in an elimination game off Isaac Rome's late inning home run. Last season they opened up the tournament with a 12-8 victory over Washburn before falling to Central Missouri and Fort Hays State. This season they beat Fort Hays State 9-1 and 12-10. They went 3-2 in the final four down in Kansas City this past weekend.
GRIFFONS UNDER VERDUZCO:
In the 12-plus seasons that Verduzco has been the head coach he has compiled a 402-305 overall record and a
273-201 MIAA record.
GRIFF NOTES...
• Griffon pitcher
Brandon Simmons won his 35th career game last weekend in a 9-3 victory over Central Oklahoma. Simmons the MWSU all-time leader taking over for Nick Finn who had 27. He set that record in 1972-75. Simmons broke the MIAA record for wins was held by Josh Reynolds, UCM, 1998-2000.
• Simmons has 226 career strikeouts and now sits in third all-time at MWSU and is 12 away from being in a tie for 2nd.
• Senior first baseman
Spencer Shockley leads the Griffons with 18 doubles and currently holds the MWSU Record for most doubles in a career with 47. Shockley broke that record with a double against Pittsburg State. Javier Martinez was the old record holder with 42 which he set from 1994-97.
• The Griffon bottom of the order has been as productive as the top. Senior center fielder
Shawn Egge is hitting .354. He has scored 45 runs with 12 doubles, 4 home runs and 28 RBI.
•
Michael Schulze has hit safely in all but three games this season...He had a 21 and eight game hitting streak earlier this season and is currently on an 13 game hitting streak...he had a 24 game hitting streak in MIAA games before he went 0-for-3 against UCM in game two earlier this season.
Grant Fink had a 20 game hitting streak earlier this season and has currently got a hit in 9 of his last 10 games. He has hit safely in all but eight games. Fink was named to the Capitol One Academic All-District Team and as a Semifinalist for the Tino Martinez Player of the Year Award.
• The Griffons have had seven players that went on a 10 or more game hitting streak.
• As a team the Griffons had a team best 17 game winning streak earlier this season. They also had a nine game winning streak. The Griffons have lost back-to-back games just twice this season.
• The Griffons have 40 victories on the season which broke the all time record of 37 games which was set in 1974. They have given head coach Buzz Verduzco the most wins in his coaching era with 37. His teams had 34 wins in 2012 and 2009. MWSU had 37 victories in 1974, 35 victories in 1977 and 36 victories in 1982. This marks just the 14th season in school history with 30 or more victories. This is the first time in school history that the Griffons have had a 40 win season.
GRIFFON HEAD COACH BUZZ VERDUZCO...
• Charles “Buzz” Verduzco begins his 14th season at the helm of the Missouri Western baseball team in 2013. The Griffons had another solid season finishing First in the MIAA for the first time in school history. They also made their third consecutive trip to the MIAA Tournament and second ever trip the NCAA Division II Tournament. Verduzco was named MIAA Coach of the Year for the first time in his career and also had Player of the Year (
Michael Schulze) and Pitcher of the Year (
Brandon Simmons) for the first time in history. Verduzco has guided the Griffons to winning season in 11 of his 14 seasons.
• A native of Stockton, California, Verduzco came to Missouri Western from Washington State University where he was an assistant for the Cougar program for over 10 seasons. He served as the Cougars' hitting and outfield coach as well as the primary recruiting coordinator. Verduzco also directed the Cougar baseball camps and was the coordinator of alumni relations for the NCAA Division I program. Verduzco earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Washington State in 1985. Verduzco played and coached under legendary coach “Bobo” Brayton at Washington State.
• Buzz is 402-305 overall and 274-201 in MIAA play at Missouri Western.
RECORDS THAT HAVE BEEN OR ARE CLOSE TO BEING BROKEN:
Team Records
Wins: 37 1974: we have 40
Fewest Losses: 8 in 1971 we have 10
Runs: 387 1982 - we have 420
Hits: 581 2006 - we have 617
Runs Batted In: 344 1982 - We have 397
Doubles: 108 1982 - we have 129
Home Runs: 55 2009 broke it with 62 so far
Average: .338 2002 - we are hitting .361
Fielding Pct.: .966 2012 - it is .367 right now
Individual records - single season
Runs Scored - Ron McMahill 64, 1982 - Schulze had 70
Hits - Ryan Zenn, 81 - 2006 - Schulze has 94
RBI - Mike Musser 1982 and Justin Coffman 2005, 59 - Simpson has 60, Dotson 59
Doubles, Ryan Zenn 22, 2005 - Shockley 18, Schulze has 17
Home Runs - Troy Landi 14 , 2009 - Fink has 14, Dotson has 13
Batting average - Brooks Barkley, .422 (65-154), Schulze is hitting .456 (94-206)
Individual Records Career
Wins:
Brandon Simmons 35 (MIAA and MWSU Record Holder)
Doubles:
Spencer Shockley 47 (MWSU record)
TID BITS ABOUT MISSOURI WESTERN...
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES UNDER VERDUZCO:
Under Verduzco the Griffons are 110-92 in non-conference games. The Griffons best non-conference record under Verduzco came in 2004 when they were 16-4 out of MIAA play.
MIAA GAMES UNDER VERDUZCO:
MWSU is 273-201 under Verduzco since 2000 in MIAA play. This season was Western's best season in school history as they won the MIAA Regular Season Title for the first time ever with a 28-5 overall record...Last season was the Griffons were 26-12 while in 2006 they went 21-9.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE:
The Griffons are 184-110 under Verduzco since 2001 at home. The Griffons finished this season with a 18-3 home record which is its best home record dating back to 2001. MWSU has had only two losing seasons at home since 2001. They were 11-18 in 2010 and 10-12 in 2011. Last season the Griffons were 18-5.
ON THE ROAD:
Western has done well on the road in the last few years being .500 or better in 10 of Verduzco's 14 seasons. This season they were 15-5 and last season MWSU finished 15-10. Overall since 2001 they are 164-130. MWSU's best season on the road came this season. Last season they were 15-10 and in 2004 when they were 12-8.
IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT:
The Griffons are 1-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with their only appearance coming in 2006 in Emporia, Kan. The Griffons fell in their first game 16-5 against host Emporia State on May 18, 2006. The then rebounded for a 16-8 victory over the Central Missouri Mules on May 19, 2006 and then fell on May 20, 2006 against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks by a score of 10-3. The Griffons ended that season with a 31-25 overall record.
