NCAA Division III Baseball Championships Web Site

Illinois Wesleyan 2010 Baseball Postseason Media Guide

Illinois Wesleyan 4, Linfield 3 - Box Score

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY, MAY 31
GAME 12 - 12 p.m. - Heidelberg (42-7) vs. Linfield (36-12)
GAME 13 - 3:30 p.m. – Illinois Wesleyan (30-20) vs. SUNY Cortland (38-9-1)

TUESDAY, JUNE 1 (If Two Teams Remain)
GAME 14 - 11 a.m. Winner of Game #12 vs. Winner of Game #13
GAME 15 - 2:30 p.m. If Necessary, Same Teams As Game #14

TUESDAY, JUNE 1 (If Three Teams Remain)
GAME 14 - 11 a.m. - Winner of Game #12 vs. Winner of Game #13
GAME 15 -  2:30 p.m.- Illinois Wesleyan vs. Winner of Game #14

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – The Illinois Wesleyan Titans will play for the national NCAA Division III baseball championship after a 4-3 win over Linfield on Sunday, May 30, in Grand Chute, Wis. Senior Joe Froelich pitched seven strong innings of relief to earn the victory.

Illinois Wesleyan will next face SUNY-Cortland, a 23-8 winner over Johns Hopkins at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The Red Dragons improved to 38-9-1 in eliminating Johns Hopkins, the No. 1 ranked team in Division III coming into the tournament.

With a win over Cortland, the Titans would play at 11 a.m. Tuesday against the winner of the game between Heidelberg (42-7) vs. Linfield (36-12). A loss to Cortland would mean the Titans would play the 2:30 p.m. game Tuesday.

Froelich, who improved to 2-4, came in to relieve Titan starter Paul Kabbes, who pitched two innings and allowed two runs on four hits with one strikeout.
Froelich allowed seven hits in seven innings, striking out six. It is the second time during the Titans' 10-game winning streak that Froelich has pitched seven innings in relief and marks the tenth straight game that an IWU hurler has pitched at least seven innings.

The Titans took a 4-3 lead in the sixth on three unearned runs. Senior Mike Morrissey led off and reached on an error by the first baseman and senior Casey McIntosh singled to center. Rightfielder Kevin Sullivan flied out to center and Morrissey advanced to third, scoring when Ryan Hopp singled to left. McIntosh scored on a base hit to center by junior third baseman Jeff Grodecki. Freshman shortstop Zach Scott then singled to left to bring in Hopp

The Titans tied the game at 1-1 on an unearned run in the second. Hopp reached on an error by the shortstop and went to second on a pitcher's error on a pickoff attempt. He went to third when Scott flied out to center for the second out in the inning and scored on a base hit by Mark McDermott.

IWU head coach Dennis Martel said, “These guys don't understand how hard it is – over 20 years of chasing something like this. It is really something special.”

NOTES: Linfield is coached by former New York Yankees and Oakland A's third baseman Scott Brosius,..The Wildcats eliminated the Titans from NCAA Regional play in 2008 in Moline, Ill...Not since 1976 (first D-III championships) has a team with 20 losses won the national title. Cal St.-Stanislaus was 33-20-2 when they won in 1976..In 20 of the 34 previous championship seasons, title teams have had fewer than 10 losses...During the current 10-game winning streak, the Titans are batting .369 compared to opponents' .258 and the IWU team ERA is 3.20 compared to opponents' 6.96...IWU players hitting over .400 during streak: McDermott - .500 with 11 RBI; Hopp .462 with 15 runs scored; McIntosh .450 with 10 RBI; and Grodecki .410 with team-high 12 RBI...Junior pitcher Jason Pankau was chosen as a third team All-American on the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association team...Pankau now has 10 wins, second most in an IWU season and only one from tying the record holder Nathan Knuffman (11-1 in 1998) ...Martel was chosen as the Central Region "Coach of the Year" for the second time in his career... He also earned the honor in 2001 (the team's last D-III World Series appearance).