May 10, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -
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This Weekend
Seventh place. That is the position NU finds itself in with two weekends left in conference play. The Wildcats (10-12) find, however, Illinois, which is 11-11 in the league, is in third place, just two games ahead of the 10th-place team. That means, every game is critical for the Wildcats. A victory will move them closer to a postseason berth while a loss will hinder their chances of accomplishing one of their preseason goals. Michigan, NU's adversary this weekend, is 10-14 and nipping at the `Cats' tails.
Northwestern and Michigan have not met since April of 1997, when the Wolverines swept the Wildcats in Ann Arbor, on the way to winning their last regular-season crown. Michigan finished 17-9 while NU was 9-19.
This season, the two teams rank fifth (Michigan) and sixth (Northwestern) in the league batting stats, while the pitching for both teams has been well above average. U-of-M currently is on top of the Big Ten with a 3.81 ERA while NU ranks fourth, holding a 4.23 ERA.
The two teams struggle offensively, as both teams boast a .274 conference batting average. Overall, NU has hit eight more round-trippers (37-29), while Michigan has 120 extra-base hits compared to 119 for Northwestern.
Jake Fox leads U-of-M with seven dingers, compared to NU's Jason Krynski who has six.
PROBABLE PITCHING STARTERS:
Friday: vs. Michigan, 3:00 p.m.
NU: Zach Schara RHP (Sr., 4-2, 2.86 ERA)
Mich: Bobby Korecky RHP (Sr., 3-6, 4.66 ERA)
Saturday: vs. Michigan (DH), 1:00 p.m.
NU: Gabe Ribas RHP (Sr., 4-3, 5.37 ERA) &
Ryan Bos LHP (Sr., 2-5, 3.09 ERA)
Mich: Rich Hill LHP (Jr., 3-5, 3.57 ERA) &
Jim Brauer RHP (3-5, 5.40 ERA)
Sunday: vs. Michigan, 1:00 p.m.
NU: Dan Pohlman RHP (So., 2-3, 7.01 ERA)
Mich: Jeff Trzos LHP (1-5, 4.19 ERA)
Ryan Bos Named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week
Senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Bos (Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich) earned Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for his performance Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Starting his 10th game of the year, Bos dominated the Hawkeye hitters, giving up just two hits in a 1-0 win. Bos threw 100 pitches in his third complete game of the season (a team high), striking out six and walking two. He improved his overall ERA to 2.74 in 62.1 innings pitched. Bos' conference ERA falls to 2.57 in 35.0 innings pitched, and he is holding the opposition to a .206 batting average in conference play.
SCHARA and RIBAS
Four-year starters Zach Schara and Gabe Ribas continue to climb several NU career pitching record lists in their senior season. Below is a breakdown of the statistical categories the two right-handers will finish their career on.
Zach Schara
Category Rank Innings Pitched 309.2 1st Strikeouts 268 2nd Games Started 44 5th Wins 23 t-3rd
Gabe Ribas
Category Rank Innings Pitched 305.2 2nd Strikeouts 262 3rd Games Started 48 3rd Wins 19 t-9th
As a Pair in 2002:
* Combined to strike out 106 hitters, including 64 in conference play.
* Totaled 115.0 innings pitched.
* Ribas owns a 5.2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
* Schara is holding opposing batters to a .232 average.
* Schara has given up 42 hits, only eight for extra bases.
* Ribas has walked only 13 hitters in 64.2 innings of work.
* Schara and Ribas pitched 17 innings against Illinois, striking out 19 and
holding Illini hitters to a .196 batting average. NU won both games.
It's Been A While
Northwestern and Michigan have not played against one another since the 1997 season. The Wolverines swept the Wildcats that year, helping themselves win the regular season crown. It was the last time Michigan has won a Big Ten Baseball Championship. They finished 17-9 while NU ended 9-19.
Don't Call It a Comeback
Since returning from a hand injury, senior right-hander Zach Schara has dominated on the mound. Out for nearly a month with a fracture in his right hand, Schara has thrown 28.1 innings, starting three games and compiling a 3.20 ERA. Add in the 22 innings before the injury and Schara has thrown 50.1 innings with a 2.86 ERA.
King of the Hill
Right-handed pitcher Zach Schara started the season 43 strikeouts short of the NU career record. Through 50.1 innings, he is five K's shy of reaching the top. NU's career strikeout mark is 273, set by Grady Hall (1983-86).
Many "Happ"y Returns
Freshman left-hander J.A. Happ has pitched 32.2 innings of baseball this season and has an ERA of 1.93, which ties him for sixth with Brad Brasser (1996) on the single-season ERA list. Happ has also pitched in 12 of NU's 19 wins.
Home Sweet Home
NU has played 10 games at Rocky Miller Park so far this season. In those 10 games, the Wildcat offense is hitting .317 compared to a .264 mark on the road (25 games). The Wildcats' average in neutral-site games is .243 (eight games).
Double the Fun
Brandon Ackley, Jason Krynski and Jon Mikrut have all gone deep twice in the same game this season. Ackley did it in Game 4 at Purdue while Krynski hit his pair in Game 1 vs. Penn State. Mikrut has actually done it twice, hitting his first pair during a midweek contest at Chicago State and then two more in Game 4 vs. Iowa.
This ERA Gets the Vote
NU's pitching staff sports a 4.65 ERA for all games this season and a 4.23 mark in conference play. By contrast, opposing Big Ten teams have a 5.23 ERA against the 'Cats in league action. The overall ERA is second-best among conference teams, and the 4.23 against Big Ten teams is fourth in the conference. NU has served up 152 strikeouts to Big Ten foes, second only to Ohio State's 155.
Dynamic Duo
Senior right-hander Zach Schara and left-hander Ryan Bos both turned in excellent performances last week against Iowa. Together they struck out 10 hitters and held the Iowa to just seven hits in 15 innings.
Dynamic Duo, Part II
Senior right-handers Zach Schara and Gabe Ribas are climbing up the career records list. Schara holds a slight lead in innings pitched (309.2 to 305.2), and the two are second (268, Schara) and third (262, Ribas) on the career strikeout list.
Going, Going, Gone
NU has hit 37 homers this season, 10 more than all of last year. Of those 37 dingers, 21 have been hit in Big Ten action.
Left Turn Clyde
Catcher Ken Padgett is lighting up left-handed pitching this season, going 9-for-18, a .500 average. Overall, the team is hitting .284, hitting safely 48 times in 169 at-bats.
The Situation Presents Itself
Second baseman Eric Roeder is 3-for-6 with the bases loaded so far this season. Junior Travis Tharp is hitting .357 with runners in scoring position, while freshman Jon Mikrut is batting .319 with 23 RBI in the same situation.
Rally Hats
Northwestern used a three-run final inning to beat Penn State in Game 2, helping NU win 3-of-4. Jon Mikrut's single to center won the game after a triple and a double. In Game 2 vs. Illinois, Travis Tharp hit the game-winning home run (his fourth homer of the year) in the top of the ninth to help NU win 2-of-3 from the Illini. In Game 3 vs. Iowa, Eric Roeder hit a sixth inning solo homer to help NU win 1-0.
A Race 'To the End
Seniors Zach Schara and Gabe Ribas are neck-in-neck to see who finishes atop the innings pitched record list. Schara holds a four-inning advantage in innings pitched (309.2-305.2), but Ribas holds a lead in games started, 48-44.
Like a Rock
Head Coach Paul Stevens has not had to worry about his starting pitching much in the last four years. At least not when it comes to Zach Schara, Gabe Ribas and Ryan Bos. The three have combined to throw 808.2 innings. Schara and Ribas have thrown 615.1 innings as four-year starters for the Wildcats.
Movin' on Up
Sophomore Jason Krynski who didn't hit his first home run until 29 games into the season, now leads the squad with six home runs. Four of his six dingers have come during Big Ten games, a team high.
Extra Bases
NU has 377 hits so far this season, and 119 of those are for extra bases.
Takin' One for the Team
Junior catcher Ken Padgett has been hit by a pitch 11 times this season. Those 11 bruises make Padgett the Big Ten co-leader in hit by pitches. For his career, Padgett has been plunked 22 times in 110 games played (89 starts). The single-season record for hit-by-pitches is 13, set in 1996 by Neil Piacenti.
Sacrifice Fly Guy
True freshman Jon Mikrut is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in sacrifice flies. Through 43 games, the shortstop has five to his credit. He also has two sacrifice bunts.
Stepping In
Freshman Jon Mikrut has started 36 games at shortstop this season. The Illinois native is proving his defensive worth, turning 18 of NU's 27 double plays from his middle infield position. At the plate, Mikrut is coming into his own, swatting two home runs vs. Chicago State and boasting a .270 average. He is second on the team with 23 RBI, and 10 of his 33 hits have been for extra bases.
Young Guns
So far this season, six freshmen have toed the rubber in game situations. They have combined to throw 71.0 innings, with the bulk of those innings going to J.A. Happ (28.0) and Stanley Finch (18.0). Finch has seven appearances, including two starts. Happ has 14 appearances and four saves. Evan Blesoff has thrown 16.2 innings so far this year in 10 appearances and has one save.
Little Shop of Closers
Freshman J.A. Happ leads the team with four saves. He has thrown in 14 games and given up just seven runs in his college career. Sophomore Dan Pohlman has thrown 21.2 innings and tallied two saves. Freshman Jon Mikrut has recorded two saves, while Evan Blesoff has earned one.
Tough Luck
Senior left-hander Ryan Bos is getting the short end of the stick this year. With a 2-5 record, the Lake Zurich High School alum has already seen his share of tough losses. In 55.1 innings pitched, he has a 3.09 ERA and 39 strikeouts. In Bos' nine starts, NU has averaged 3.33 runs per game, while Bos has given up an average of 2.9 earned runs an outing.
No Free Passes
Senior pitcher Gabe Ribas started right where he left off last season, making people earn their way onto the basepaths. In 60.1 innings pitched (11 appearances), the Brunswick, Maine native has given up just 13 base-on-balls this season. On the flip side, he has struck out 63 for a 4.85-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Ribas ended 2001 with a 3.3-to-1 ratio.
One-Hit Wonder
Senior Zach Schara threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout vs. Saint Louis on March 8. NU won the game 4-0. He allowed just one single in the fourth inning, and struck out six while walking just one.
USA Baseball
This past summer, head coach Paul Stevens served as an assistant for USA Baseball. The team was made up of collegiate all-stars, which played 29 games in 40 days and compiled a 22-7 record, which included a 12-game winning streak. The Red, White and Blue Tour spanned two continents, two countries and 10 different U.S. states.
The Friendly Confines
Former major league pitcher and current Northwestern pitching coach Tim Stoddard showed off his singing abilities last summer on August 22, delighting a Wrigley Field crowd of 33,904 with his rendition of "Take Me Out to The Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch. The former Cub brought close to 50 friends to the game, and his three daughters joined him in the booth to help him dazzle the crowd.