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Red Hawks Aim For Continued Success
The Ripon College baseball program has had unprecedented success over the last decade, earning a trip to the NCAA Division-III Regional playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons, including five consecutive berths. Despite losing five of their eight position starters from a year ago and their top two starting pitchers and top reliever, coach Bob Gillespie's team has their sights set on their sixth playoff trip in a row, because like most great teams, the Red Hawks don't rebuild, they just reload.
"I'm not pessimistic about the season at all. In our program, there isn't even a thought of rebuilding. Ripon College baseball does not have rebuilding years," said Gillespie.
Due to a lot of players graduating after last season, this year's team is one of the youngest the Red Hawks have had in a while. The squad consists of just two seniors and nine juniors, while having 10 sophomores and 16 freshmen. Many of the younger players may see plenty of action, as they'll have to learn on the field.
"The last two years, we have graduated all but one position player and 80 percent of the innings we've pitched. This year's team will be a lot younger, but we're still going to perform like our teams have in the past," Gillespie said. "We are very talented and (assistant coach) Eric Cruise has done an excellent job of recruiting in order to replace those players that have graduated."
In the past couple years, Ripon has been just about as close as a college baseball team can get to the ultimate goal, the College World Series. Two years ago, they were nine outs away from clinching the school's first berth to the world series, only to lose that Regional final game 6-4 to UW-Stevens Point. Last season, the Pointers again ruined Ripon's season at Regionals, scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 11-10 and eliminate the Red Hawks from postseason play, one game shy of the Regional Championship game. They will try to climb that mountain again this season, only this time, in hopes of planting their flag securely at the top.
"Two years ago we couldn't have been any closer than we were to going to the World Series and last year, our final game was the most disappointing loss I've ever had in any sport," Gillespie said. "All we can do is keep working and get back to Regionals. If we don't get to the Regional, we can't get to the World Series. We've got to just keep doing what we've been doing and play as hard as we can."
Catcher
John Dunlavy left his mark on the Ripon College baseball team last season, leading the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI. With him gone this year, the Red Hawks will turn to junior Alex Duros (Mosinee, Wis./D.C. Everest), who has been the backup catcher for the past two seasons. Noted for his defense, Duros will look to build on last season, which saw him hit one home run and drive in 14 runs.
"Duros has a very good throwing arm and is also a solid hitter. It's his time to take over and show what he can do," Gillespie said. "Nick Whitty (So., Eden, Wis./Campellsport) is also a possibility behind the plate and will also play some third base. He's a very good hitter and a great competitor."
Infield
The Red Hawk's infield will get almost a complete overhaul from a year ago. The only returning infielder is senior Mac Shumann (Menasha, Wis./Menasha), who is the team's leading returning hitter. Shumann batted .322 with three home runs and 34 RBI a year ago, while hitting in the number three spot of the order. He will continue to play some third base, but may also see plenty of time at first base.
Freshman Nick Beaman (Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh North) is one player the program is very excited about. In addition to playing third base, Beaman is also one of the better pitching prospects the Red Hawks have.
"Beaman is an outstanding prospect that can throw 90 mph. He's going to do some pitching, but could also play third base," Gillespie said. "Shumann and Will Gillis (Jr., Shawano, Wis./Shawano) will be in a rotation at the two corner infield spots. When Beaman pitches, we'll need Shumann to shift over to third, which will allow Gillis to get his fair share of starts at first."
Junior shortstop Brett Wegner (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) is another player that, after two years of learning from some veteran players, will finally get his chance to show his skills. He was the team's fourth infielder last year and will take over the spot vacated by Kyle McFarland, who was known for the spectacular play in the field.
"Wegner is not as flashy as McFarland was, but he may be a bit more steady," Gillespie said. "He had a great season in the summer league playing for the Eau Claire Cavaliers and I expect him to carry that over into this season. He's been waiting for his opportunity to be a regular starter for two years, so it's his time to shine."
The other middle infield spot will be manned by a combination of players. Sophomore Paul Ebben (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) and freshman Scott Gillespie (Ripon, Wis./Ripon) will combine to start at second base. Both players are versatile and will bring many different things to the table.
"Ebben can play all over the infield and Gillespie was a four year regular at Ripon High School playing second base, so we're expecting both of them to make a contribution," coach Gillespie said. "Our infield up the middle is going to be somewhat inexperienced, but I think the guys that we have are all good athletes and are very talented. The biggest thing we have improved on this season is that we have better team speed than last year."
Outfield
Two of Ripon's three outfielders return this season, with the exception of rightfielder Chevy Schultz. Returning will be junior Brandan Birschbach (Fond du Lac, Wis./St. Mary Springs) and sophomore Matt Dwyer (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton). Bryant Bullock (Milwaukee, Wis./Milwaukee Marquette) will also return as someone who saw plenty of action in the outfield last season, mainly in a reserve role.
"Birschbach is versatile and can play either of the corner outfield spots, while Dwyer and Bullock are capable outfielders that have the skill and speed to play centerfield," said Gillespie.
One player that is sure to make an impact on the Red Hawk baseball program will be sophomore Nate Paul (Beaver Dam, Wis./Luther Prep), who after a year at Wisconsin Lutheran, transferred to Ripon. Paul batted in the third spot of the order for Wisconsin Lutheran last season, while leading them in a couple different offensive categories as a freshman.
"Paul will play either rightfield or centerfield and will also be the leadoff man in the lineup. He runs extremely well and works very hard on his hitting. We haven't had a kid that's more dedicated to getting better than he is," said Gillespie.
Pitching
Any time a team loses its top three pitchers in one year, as the Red Hawks did, it may be tough to replace. That doesn't seem to be the case for this team however, as they've brought in several new pitchers, as well as some key returnees that are ready to take their games to the next level. No player is more ready than junior Mike Lloyd (Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh North), who got some big-game experience last season, which saw him win three of his four decisions, including two complete games. The Red Hawks are hoping that experience will translate into an even bigger year this season.
"Lloyd had some big starts last season, including the Midwest Conference Tournament Championship game at St. Norbert and an NCAA Regional elimination game. He's very capable of having the big year that we really need from him," said Gillespie.
Dwyer is another player that showed promise last year, starting seven games as a freshman, while ranking third on the team in strikeouts, with 37. He also threw two complete games, en route to a 3-2 record.
"Dwyer is a lefthander that has unlimited potential and throws very hard," Gillespie said. "He had a couple games last year where he recorded double-digit strikeouts and he's capable of winning games."
Beaman is another player that will be counted on for some quality innings. Although he's just a freshman, he already throws harder than anyone on the Ripon team.
"The best thing about Beaman is his ability to overpower hitters. He has a great arm and has by far the best velocity on his pitches of any of our pitchers," Gillespie said. "He needs to develop a second pitch, but coach Cruise is a great teacher and will work with him on becoming even better than he already is."
The rest of the pitching staff will be made up of several players that have the potential to contribute on the mound. Those players include freshmen Adam Linsmeyer (Seymour, Wis./Seymour), Jason Wierschke (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) and Brendan O'Brien (Ripon, Wis./Ripon).
"Linsmeyer is 6'6" and has great ability and could certainly do a good job for us, while Wierschke had some success in high school, helping Kimberly win the state championship last year, as the winning pitcher in the semi-final game. He reminds me a lot of (former Ripon pitcher) Nick Collins. He's very competitive and throws all three of his pitches for strikes, can field his position, and is capable of winning right away. O'Brien was the number one pitcher for Ripon High School the past two years and could break into the rotation at some point in the season," said Gillespie.
The Red Hawks will also use the services of returnees Whitty, Bullock, and Wes Kraemer (Neshkoro, Wis./Pioneer Westfield), which will assure the Red Hawks of quality innings, no matter who they throw out there.
"Kraemer is one returning player that could do some good things on the mound, while Whitty and Bullock could also be a couple of possibilities," Gillespie said. "The pitching is going to be young and somewhat untested, but all the kids are talented pitchers, so we should be alright."
Schedule
Ripon's schedule, as always, will prove to be a tough one. In addition to playing in arguably the tougher of the two divisions within the Midwest Conference, the Red Hawks will also play a tough non-conference schedule, beginning with their spring trip to Tampa, Fla., where they will face seven teams in seven days.
The highlight of the 2008 schedule will come March 29th when Ripon will travel to the University of
St. Francis (IL) for a doubleheader against the Fighting Saints and legendary head coach Gordie Gillespie, who was once the head coach at Ripon. Gordie, who is the all-time winningest coach in collegiate baseball history, is credited with getting the Ripon baseball program where it is today. He is also the father of Ripon head coach Bob Gillespie. In a rare occurrence, there will be three generations of one family participating in the same game, as Bob's son Scott is a freshman for the Red Hawks.
"It's going to be a great day because Gordie means so much to Ripon College baseball. Our players are really excited about facing his team and the fact that Scott is going to be involved in the game adds another dimension to that doubleheader," said Bob Gillespie.
That will be Ripon's final non-conference game, as they will jump into conference play the following week. The Red Hawk's biggest obstacle in the Midwest Conference will likely be St. Norbert, who won the MWC regular season title last year, finishing two games better than the Red Hawks. In the end though, Ripon got the best of the Green Knights, knocking them off in the MWC Tournament in DePere, Wis.
"It's a great rivalry and they have great coaches and players. Give them credit for winning three out of four against us in the regular season, but winning the North division is meaningless. In my mind, Ripon College was the conference champions last year, not St. Norbert, because when the trip to Regionals was on the line in the conference tournament, we were the ones that swept them," said Gillespie.
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