June 8, 1998
The Northwestern baseball team closed the 1998 season with a 9-6 victory over Minnesota, giving the Wildcats a final record of 27-26 and eighth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 10-18 mark. Mike Stritch led the team in all three triple crown categories in 1998 with a .374 batting average and 49 RBIs, while tying Joe Hietpas for the team lead with seven home runs. John Seaman paced the pitching staff with a 9-6 record and a 3.07 ERA. Two Wildcats were taken in this years major league baseball amateur draft. Seaman was picked in the 16th round by the Florida Marlins while Phil Rosengren was a 36th-round selection of the Atlanta Braves.
Kurella Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American
Freshman shortstop Jeremy Kurella was named 1998 Big Ten Baseball Freshman of the Year, the first Wildcat ever to earn that distinction. He also earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors, as named by the Collegiate Baseball newspaper. This marks the second-straight season a Wildcat has been named to the Freshman All-America squad, following Brian Baron's selection in 1997.
Four 'Cats Garner All-Conference Honors
Four Wildcats were named to the All-Big Ten team this season. Junior pitcher John Seaman earned first-team honors, the first Wildcat to do so since Jim Reeder in 1996. Brian Baron was named the second team designated hitter while Ollie Dunn (second base) and Mike Stritch (outfield) were named to the third team. This is the first time that Seaman, Dunn and Stritch earned a place on the all-conference teams while Baron makes the cut for the second time in as many seasons.
In addition, six players earned 1998 Academic All-Big Ten honors: Mike Adams, Jason Anderson, Ben Dodd, Chris Pedersen, John Seaman and Charlie Williamson.
Way Back, That Ball is Gone
The 'Cats hit 50 homers in 1998, a big change from last year when NU managed just 23 homers. In fact, 14 players knocked at least one homer this year, led by Mike Stritch and Joe Hietpas with seven apiece. The 50 home runs hit by NU this season ranks as the third-most in school history.
First Inning Prowess
The Wildcats scored 37 first-inning runs this season, and at least one first-inning tally in 20 games. NU went 16-4 when scoring in the first inning during the 1998 season.
No Homers Allowed, Just Double Plays
The Wildcats turned 61 double plays this season, second in the Big Ten behind Illinois (63). However, the Fighting Illini played 10 more games than Northwestern. Also, Wildcat pitchers allowed just 40 homers, the second-fewest in the conference behind Minnesota, which allowed 39 homers this year.
Wildcats Earn Three Big Ten Player/Pitcher of the Week Awards in 1998
There were three times in the 1998 season that a Wildcat player earned the conference player or pitcher of the week award.
John Seaman was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 30, going 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA. Seaman picked up victories in all three of his appearances that week, defeating Central Florida, Stetson and Ohio State, all of which had qualified for the previous seasons NCAA Regionals.
Mike Stritch was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on April 13. Three days earlier at Penn State, he tied a 41-year-old Big Ten record with six hits in a game. Only two other players in conference history had recorded six hits in a Big Ten game. Purdues Bill Gorman did it against Iowa in 1957 and NUs Don Burson did it against Wisconsin in 1948. Stritch ended the Penn State series batting 13-for-18 (.722) with nine runs scored and 10 RBIs.
Stritch was again named Big Ten Player of the Week on May 4. He hit 19-for-30 (.633) with 10 runs and 13 RBIs in seven games, including NUs four-game sweep at Iowa. In six of those games, he tallied multiple hits, multiple RBIs and scored at least one run.
Seaman Shut Them Down
Junior righty John Seaman had an excellent season on the mound, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He finished the year tied for second in the Big Ten in wins (nine) and was third in ERA (3.07). He also averaged 16.79 ground balls per nine innings and ranked among the conference leaders in nearly every major category. With his 20 appearances on the mound this year, John Seaman now has 72 career appearances as a Wildcat, third on the all-time NU chart. The list: (1) Brian Cummins, 83 from 1992-95; (2) Josh Levey, 75 from 1994-97; (3) John Seaman, 72 from 1996-present.
Stritch, Kurella Hit for the Cycle
Mike Stritch hit for the cycle in NU's 11-6 victory over Grand Canyon on Feb. 21. He knocked a triple in the eighth inning to complete the cycle, and concluded the afternoon
5-for-5 with three runs and five RBIs.
Not to be outdone, Jeremy Kurella also hit for the cycle in the first game of the Boston College twinbill on March 7. He became the second Wildcat in six games to accomplish the feat. Kurella singled in the first, homered in the third, tripled in the fourth and doubled in the fifth inning. He ended the game 4-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and two RBIs.
Kurella Notches Solid Freshman Campaign
Shortstop Jeremy Kurella had an excellent first season in a Wildcat uniform, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors. He opened the year by hitting for the cycle in just his eighth collegiate contest and finished the season as the only Wildcat to start all 53 contests.
Kurella batted .332 with three homers and 39 RBIs while hitting primarily in the two slot. His 66 hits ranked just behind Stritch and Thompson (67) for the team lead. The switch hitter led the team in runs scored (42) and the Big Ten in triples (six). His six triples also tied for the second-most in NU history. Mike Huff had eight triples in 1984.
Defensively, he formed the leagues best double-play tandem with second baseman Ollie Dunn. Kurella led the Big Ten Conference in assists (183) and finished third in double plays turned (45).
Complete Record Book Update
Career records following 1998 season
Mike Stritch's 31 homers is second in NU history
Mike Stritch's 346 total bases is third in NU history
John Seaman's 72 pitching appearances is third in NU history
Mike Stritch's 145 RBIs is tied for third in NU history
Mike Stritch's 36 doubles is seventh in NU history
1998 single-season records
The team's 105 doubles is second in NU history
Jeremy Kurella's six triples is tied for second in NU history
The team's .318 batting average is third in NU history
The team's 546 hits is third in NU history
The team's 50 homers is third in NU history
The team's 325 RBIs is third in NU history
The team's 843 total bases is third in NU history
The team's 21 triples is tied for fourth in NU history
The team's 1,719 at-bats is fifth in NU history
Mike Stritch's 17 doubles is tied for fifth in NU history
John Seaman's nine wins is tied for fifth in NU history
Patrick Thompson's eight HBPs is ninth in NU history
The team's 344 runs scored is tied for fourth in NU history
NU Retires Joe Girardi's Number 12
On Feb. 10, former Wildcat catcher and current New York Yankee Joe Girardi became the first Wildcat baseball player to have his number retired. The ceremony was done in conjunction with his induction into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame.
Girardi ranks among the top-10 all-time at NU in batting average (.351), homers (24), games played (208), at-bats (646), hits (227), RBIs (156), doubles (45), walks (100) and total bases (364).
Head Coach Paul Stevens
Paul Stevens (Lewis, 1976) concluded his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, all of which have been at the helm of the Wildcat program. He currently owns a 293-314-4 career mark. His 293 wins rank second on the all-time NU list, behind only George McKinnons 304 wins from 1962-81. Stevens was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1995.
Where They Ranked
Here's where the Wildcats finished among the Big Ten leaders during the 1998 season:
Hitting - All Games
Triples: Jeremy Kurella - 1st (6); Ken Kilian - t2nd (5); Brian Baron - t4th (4)
Triples/Game: Jeremy Kurella - 1st (0.113); Ken Kilian - 2nd (0.106); Brian Baron - 3rd (0.09)
Doubles: Mike Stritch - t3rd (17)
Doubles/Game: Mike Stritch - 3rd (0.33)
On-base pct.: J.P. Williamson - 6th (.480)
Steals/Game: Ken Kilian - 6th (0.28)
Walks/Game: J.P. Williamson - 8th (0.65)
Steals: Ken Kilian - 10th (13)
Pitching - All Games
Triples/9 inn.: Chris Hargan - t1st (0 for the season)
Wins: John Seaman - t2nd (9)
Homers/9 inn.: John Seaman - 2nd (0.33); Nick Franzese - 6th (0.69)
ERA: John Seaman - 3rd (3.07)
Opponent BA: John Seaman - 3rd (.240)
Doubles/9 inn.: Phil Rosengren - 3rd (1.18); John Seaman - 7th (1.32)
Games Started: Chris Hargan - t3rd (13)
Hits/9 inn.: John Seaman - 5th (8.3)
Appearances: John Seaman - t6th (20)
Walks/9 inn.: John Seaman - 7th (2.3)
Runs/9 inn.: John Seaman - 7th (4.50)
Games Finished: John Seaman - t8th (9)
Ks/9 inn.: Phil Rosengren - 9th (7.93)
Relief App.: Ben Dodd - t9th (17)
Innings Pitched:John Seaman - t9th (82.0)
Saves: Charlie Williamson and Ben Dodd - t10th (2)
Fielding - All Games
Assists: Jeremy Kurella - 1st (183); Ollie Dunn - 5th (156)
Double Plays: Ollie Dunn - 2nd (46); Jeremy Kurella - 3rd (45)
Caught Stealing:Joe Hietpas - t6th (14 runners thrown out); Kevin Ciarrachi - 10th (7)
Team Rankings - All Games
Batting: 4th (.318 avg.)
Pitching: 5th (5.80 ERA)
Fielding: 8th (.961 pct.)
Batting - Big Ten Games Only
Triples: Ken Kilian - t1st (3); Brian Baron and Jeremy Kurella - t3rd (2)
Triples/Game: Ken Kilian - 2nd (0.11); Brian Baron - 8th (0.08); Jeremy Kurella - 10th (0.07)
Walks/Game: J.P. Williamson - t3rd (0.67)
Hits: Mike Stritch - t4th (39)
Doubles: Mike Stritch - 6th (9); Ollie Dunn, Jeremy Kurella and Joe Hietpas - t9th (7)
Steals: Ollie Dunn - t6th (5)
Sac Flies: Ollie Dunn, Joe Hietpas and Kris Musselman - t6th (2)
Hits/Game: Mike Stritch - 7th (1.39)
Batting Avg.: Mike Stritch - 7th (.402)
Doubles/Game: Mike Stritch - 7th (0.32)
Walks: J.P. Williamson - t7th (16)
Total Bases: Mike Stritch - t8th (60)
RBI: Mike Stritch - t9th (26)
Pitching - Big Ten Games Only
Triples/9 inn.: Chris Hargan - t1st (0 for the season)
Games Started: Chris Hargan and Phil Rosengren - t1st (7)
Wins: John Seaman - t3rd (4)
ERA: John Seaman - 5th (3.33)
Walks/9 inn.: John Seaman - 5th (2.59)
Innings pitched:John Seaman - 5th (48.2)
Appearances: John Seaman - t5th (9); Charlie Williamson - t7th (8)
Homers/9 inn.: John Seaman - 6th (0.37)
Strikeouts: Phil Rosengren - 7th (36)
Doubles/9 inn.: Phil Rosengren - 8th (1.26)
Saves: Charlie Williamson - 8th (2); Ben Dodd - t10th (1)
Ks Looking: Chris Hargan - t8th (12)
Ks/9 inn.: Phil Rosengren - 9th (7.53)
Relief App.: Charlie Williamson and Ben Dodd - t10th (7)
Fielding - Big Ten Games Only
Assists: Jeremy Kurella - 1st (97); Ollie Dunn - 5th (77)
Caught Stealing:Joe Hietpas - t2nd (11)
Double Plays: Jeremy Kurella - 3rd (25); Ollie Dunn and Patrick Thompson - t4th (24)
Chances: Patrick Thompson - 4th (236); Jeremy Kurella - 10th (150)
Putouts: Patrick Thompson - 4th (219)
Team Rankings - Big Ten Games Only
Batting: 5th (.300 avg.)
Pitching: 5th (6.75 ERA)
Fielding: 9th (.956 pct.)