2009 Season Review
Sometimes, athletic success doesn't come from teams where so much is expected, but from teams where expectations are low. While the 2009 Carthage College baseball team (38-9, 18-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) was picked to win the CCIW title, head coach Augie Schmidt IV was less sure. “This year could mark one of the biggest turnovers of position players we've ever had,” he said going into the season. “You really have to go back to 2001 when Adam Husing, Justin Hallock and Dave Nelson were freshmen. It's one of those years when it's really hard to predict what's going to happen.” Carthage returned just four-of-nine starters from a 2008 team that went 36-10 and reached the second round of the NCAA regionals.
The Red Men's spring trip to North Port, Fla., didn't bode well, although half of Carthage's 10 games were against either NCAA Division II teams or top-ranked NCAA III competition. The Red Men went 6-4 on the trip and committed 24 errors in 10 games. The defense got squared away in early-April, as the team won their first nine Northern games and jumped out to an 8-0 start in CCIW play. Carthage took two-of-three games in the always-pivotal Illinois Wesleyan University series on April 10-11, winning a pair of 3-2 games and losing the series-finale, 1-0. Following the series with the Titans, the Red Men ripped off 12-straight wins and won the CCIW title with a glittery, 18-1 mark. The league championship was the 14th overall for Carthage and its first since 2006.
The Red Men played host to the CCIW Baseball Tournament and won that title with a 12-3 decision over Wheaton College (Ill.). Armed with the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, Carthage was sent to the NCAA Central Regional Championship in Moline, Ill. as the top-seeded team.
In a week-long regional championship, with two full days lost to rain, Carthage prevailed by winning the regional title with an 8-3 decision over Wisconsin-Whitewater. En route, the Red Men won games over Fontbonne University, Washington University (Mo.) and Millsaps College. Wisconsin-Whitewater forced a final game in the championship round by defeating Carthage, 4-2.
Carthage advanced to the national championship for the seventh time since 1993, but the Red Men lost their first-round game to the College of Wooster, 8-1. “We didn't put our best foot forward,” said coach Schmidt, “and we didn't play the way we did to get to that game. We earned the trip, but I wasn't at all happy with the way we played. You get to that point, with eight teams left, and you want to show people why you're there.”
The Red Men proved their point by winning their next two contests, eliminating defending-national-champion and No. 1 Trinity College (Conn.), 10-1, and knocking out Shenandoah College, 9-8 in 11 innings. “The Trinity (Conn.) contest was a typical 2009 Carthage game,” said Schmidt afterward. “We kicked things around, we did some goofy things, but we had one big inning and came out on top. Shenandoah wasn't a pretty game either, but it was us. We played like that a lot, with a lot of chaos, insanity and mistakes, but we always seemed to persevere. We had a saying—if you shoot for perfection, you're going to be disappointed. We'd rather have a one-run lead than five runs. It was almost uncomfortable for us to have a big lead.”
The win over Shenandoah elevated the Red Men into the national semifinals for the fifth time, but the first time since 1997. Carthage lost to eventual-national-champion the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 3-1, to end its NCAA run in a tie for third place with Chapman University. The Tommies went on to win two games in the championship round to win the national title over second-place Wooster. Carthage wound up the season ranked third in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III poll. “It's weird how baseball works,” said Schmidt, “but I thought we played our best game of the tournament against St. Thomas. We were in the game until the end, and we were just hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.”
Winning a national championship depends so much on your pitching,” said Schmidt afterward. “If you can line up your pitching, just right, and if your pitchers are hot and your defense is good, you can win the whole thing without scoring a lot of runs. Maybe one of these years, we'll be the last one standing, but if not, this tournament is a great experience for our kids. Whether we're the last ones standing or the first ones out, you have to enjoy playing in the national championship. It's something our kids remember for the rest of their lives, and that's what really matters.”
“It's always hard when it ends,” continued Schmidt, “but the 2009 season felt really good all the way through, because it was so unexpected. Sometimes when you expect things, you take things for granted. No way did I ever expect to playing at the national championship. We had such a turnover in players, that to get to the final four was totally unexpected. Everything was lined up against this team, including their coach. I didn't believe in them in March, but I believed in them in May. It hurt to see it end, but it also felt really good.'
Transfer-pitcher Jordan Jaehne-Llanas (not returning, Kenosha, Wis./Bradford/Wabash Valley College, 9-2, 1.78 earned run average, 8.88 strikeouts per nine innings, .216 opponent batting average) was named American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball second-team All-America, first-team All-Central Region, Central Regional tournament MVP and first-team All-CCIW. He was the winning pitcher in the Red Men's regional-championship victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater and in Carthage's win over defending-national-champion Trinity (Conn.) at the nationals.
Pitcher Trace Ruffie (Sr., Mount Prospect, Ill., Arlington Heights-Hersey, 5-1, 3.07 earned run average, 8.26 strikeouts per nine innings, 2.60 walks per nine innings) was named “D3baseball.com” third-team All-America, ABCA second-team all-regional, CCIW “Pitcher of the Year” and first-team all-conference. Unfortunately, Ruffie came up with a sore elbow in the final week of the season and did not pitch at the nationals. The injury was subsequently diagnosed as a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow, and Ruffie underwent “Tommy John surgery” in June 2009 to correct the problem.
Catcher Mike Hughes (graduated-senior, Round Lake, Ill., ,344, 14 doubles, 10 home runs, 56 RBI) was named first-team all-regional, CCIW “Co-Hitter of the Year” and first-team all-conference. First baseman John Lequia (graduated-senior, Racine, Wis./Washington Park/Bradley University, .356, 16 doubles, five home runs, 44 RBI), named second-team all-regional and second-team all-conference, was named to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship all-tournament team by going nine-for-18 with two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.
Third baseman/outfielder Drew Roberts (Sr., Kenosha, Wis./Tremper/Viterbo University, .397, 12 doubles, three home runs, 35 RBI, nine-of-nine stolen bases) was named third-team all-regional. Pitcher Mario Perez (Jr., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township, 6-1, 4.09 ERA, 7.04 strikeouts per nine innings) was named third-team all-regional and second-team All-CCIW, while centerfielder Will Hodges (Jr., Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North, .346, seven doubles, three triple, five home runs, 32 RBI, 15-of-17 stolen bases) earned second-team all-conference honors.
Head coach Augie Schmidt IV (699-274-5, 22 years) was named ABCA/Diamond Sports NCAA Division III Central Regional "Coach Of The Year" for the ninth time and CCIW “Baseball Coach of the Year” for the 10th time. With his first victory in the 2010 season, Schmidt will become only the 17th coach in NCAA Division III history to reach the 700-victory plateau.
The 2009 had two notable record-book accomplishments. The team stole a school-record 91 bases, breaking a mark of 70 set in the 1994 season. Second baseman Tyler Eickmeyer (So., Kenosha, Wis./Somers-Shoreland Lutheran) had a 24-game hitting streak snapped in the season-finale loss to St. Thomas (Minn.) at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. Eickmeyer's streak was the third-longest in Red Men history, trailing Glen Braun (26 games in 1999) and Justin Hallock (25 games in 2001).
Sam Schissel, 1990-2009
Carthage College baseball pitcher Sam Schissel (Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) died on June 27, 2009 at his home in Somers, Wis., following a 10-day illness with flu or pneumonia-like symptoms. The left-handed pitcher, who would have celebrated his 19h birthday on June 28, sat out the 2009 season after transferring from the University of Minnesota in January 2009.
Schissel was named 2008 Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association first-team all-state and first-team All-Southeast Conference on a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 state-championship team. He compiled an 8-0 record with a 1.88 earned run average in 15 appearances and eight starts. Schissel attended Park High School in Racine, Wis., his junior year and was named first-team all-conference with a 3-2 mark and a 1.33 ERA.
“Sam was a very talented pitcher, a great competitor, and we considered him a part of us,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV. “For a kid who never played in the program, he touched a lot of people. He was a kid you couldn't help but like. We are shocked and real saddened. He had so much left to do.”
“The Carthage athletic department and the baseball program are deeply saddened by this tragic news,” said Carthage Director of Athletics Robert Bonn in a statement at the time. “I first met Sam when he was working on his transfer from the University of Minnesota. He was so happy to be back in Kenosha and to be a part of the Carthage baseball team. He had a special relationship with Augie Schmidt and pitching coach Cory Everts and was really looking forward to pitching for the Red Men. Sam had amazing athletic talent, but I was struck by his outgoing and fun-loving personality. He made more friends in a month than most students do in their four years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sam's family.”
2010 Season Preview
Carthage returns 22-of-29 letterwinners and six-of-nine position players from its 2009 team that went 38-9 and tied for third place at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
Catcher and CCIW “Co-Hitter of the Year” Mike Hughes and second-team all-regional first baseman John Lequia both graduated, and shortstop Joe Ferro (Sr. Romeoville, Ill., .315, nine stolen bases) is not returning. Third-team all-regional third baseman/outfielder Drew Roberts and second-team All-CCIW outfielder Will Hodges lead the position-player returnees. Also returning are second baseman Tyler Eickmeyer, leftfielder Chris D'Angelo (So., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove, .289, eight stolen bases) and rightfielder Trevor Whately (Sr., Fairbury, Ill./Prairie Central, .295, 10 stolen bases). Transfer catcher Matt Soderlund (Jr., Racine, Wis./Washington Park/Valparaiso University) is expected to take on bulk of the catching duties.
The Red Men took a hit to their starting pitching rotation since last spring. ABCA second-team All-American Jordan Jaehne-Llanas (9-2, 1.78 earned run average, 8.88 strikeouts per nine innings, .216 opponent batting average) did not return to school. “D3baseball.com” third-team All-American Trace Ruffie (5-1, 3.07 earned run average, 8.26 strikeouts per nine innings, 2.60 walks per nine innings) underwent “Tommy John” surgery on his elbow at the end of the 2009 season, and his status for 2010 is uncertain. Chris Krepline (Brillion, Wis./Reedsville, ABCA second-team all-region in 2007 with a 7-2 record) hoped to return in 2009, was unable to pitch but will return in 2010.
Third-team all-region pick Mario Perez (Jr., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township, 6-1, 4.09 ERA, 7.04 strikeouts per nine innings) will lead the staff in 2010, along with Scott Danly (Sr., Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South, 4-0, 2.97 ERA), Bryan Kieffer (Sr., Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead, 1-0, 6.64 ERA) and Eric Rohe (So., Mundelein, Ill., 5-1, 3.18 ERA) and Andy Pucher (So., Naperville, Ill./Central, 2-3, 4.33 ERA). Rohe broke his pitching hand in mid-February and will not return until late-March or early-April.
Carthage opens the season with a nine-game trip to the “Snowbird Baseball Classic” in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Red Men take on Heidelberg University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Medaille College, the College of Wooster, Muskingum College and Kean University. Following the spring trip, the Red Men play both defending-national-champion the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) and St. John's College (Minn.) in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. Other non-conference opponents include Aurora University, Rockford College, Concordia University (Wis.) and Lakeland College.
