Team Merchandise On Sale For Limited Time!
The Parkland College Baseball Team has opened an online sale of team merchandise. The sale will be for a limited time only, so hurry and order your merchandise in preparation of the 2012 season! Click the link below to get to the online form.
The Cobras open the 2012 season on March 2 in Millington, TN, where they will play Iowa Central at 9:00 AM and Muscatine at 12:00 PM.
Three More Cobras Make Commitments
Three more Parkland College baseball players announced where they will be attending school in the fall of 2012 on Tuesday afternoon.
Jake Pewitt--King College (NCAA Division 2--Conference Carolinas)
Jake Pewitt (Cape Girardeau, MO) will be attending King College in Bristol, TN next season. Pewitt played in 47 games (40 starts) for the Cobras last season. Pewitt finished the season with a .331 average with 5 doubles, 3 triples, 35 runs scored, 27 RBI's and was 10-12 in stolen bases.
Mark Hode--King College (NCAA Division 2--Conference Carolinas)
Mark Hode (Crystal Lake, IL) will also be attending King College next season. Hode, a 6'4 190lb right-handed pitcher, saw limited action last spring, but had a very successful fall season for the Cobras. Hode is expected to be a big contributor during the 2012 season.
Joel Stucker--University of Indianapolis (NCAA Division 2--Great Lakes Valley Conference)
Joel Stucker (Brownsburg, IN) will be attending the University of Indianapolis next fall and will be playing for the Greyhounds. Stucker played in 19 games for the Cobras last season hitting at a .268 clip with a triple. Stucker is a top level defensive player that will compete for the starting job at second base this spring.
Parkland College Baseball Team food drive
The Parkland College Baseball Team will conduct their 2nd Annual Food Drive from now thru Tuesday November 22nd. Canned and non-perishable items will be collected in room P-204 (just off the gym lobby). Food items will be delivered to a local food bank on Wednesday to help families for Thanksgiving and to help restock the pantry during this busy holiday time.
Items may also be brought to Saturday night's men home basketball game at 7:00 vs Rend Lake. Individuals donating 2 or more items will be given free admission to the game.
Ten Parkland Baseball players make future college choices
Ten current Cobra baseball players made it official this week on where they will attend school next year. These ten add to the thirty-eight former players that Head Coach Matt Kennedy, now is his fourth season, has helped move on to either NCAA four year institutions or professional baseball.
Of the ten that have committed early, six are Cobra pitchers, while the other four are position players. Four plan on attending NCAA Division 1 institutions, while six will be attending NCAA Division 2 schools.
Zach Hall (Troy, IL) and Brian Krolikowski (Batavia, IL) have both decided to play at Austin Peay State University. Hall, a 6'1 left-handed pitcher, appeared in thirteen games for the Cobras last season (9 starts) where he recorded a 6-1 record. Hall pitched 50.1 innings where he recorded 44 strikeouts and held opponents to a .222 batting average.
Krolikowski, a 6'4 right-handed pitcher, made seven starts for the Cobras last spring. Krolikowski compiled a 2-1 record with a 4.37 E.R.A. in his 35 innings pitched.
APSU is an NCAA Division 1 institution located in Clarksville, TN that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 34-24 (17-6 in the OVC) and participated in the Atlanta, Georgia Regional, where their season was ended by Georgia Tech.
Clay Manering (LaPorte, IN) has chosen to attend Ball State University. Manering, a 6'1 left-handed pitcher, made 8 starts last season where he recorded a 4-1 record with a 5.27 E.R.A, while holding opponents to a .218 batting average.
Ball State is a NCAA Division 1 institution that competes in the Mid American Conference (MAC) and is located in Muncie, IN.
Jeff Limbaugh (Crown Point, IN) will be heading to Wright State University next fall. Limbaugh, a 6'4 first-baseman, started 52 of 54 games played in 2011. Offensively, Limbaugh finished with a .397 batting average with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home-runs and 49 RBI's. Limbaugh also swiped 11 bases and fielded at a .997 clip.
Wright State University is an NCAA Division 1 institution located in Dayton, OH that competes in the Horizon League. WSU finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 36-19 (16-7 in the Horizon) and participated in the College Station, Texas Regional, where they would fall to Arizona to end their season.
Josh Witt (Warsaw, IN) has decided on the University of Indianapolis. Witt, a 5'10 right-handed pitcher, appeared in thirteen games last season for the Cobras (2 starts). Witt recorded a 4-1 record with a 4.60 E.R.A. in his 31.1 innings pitched.
The University of Indianapolis is an NCAA Division 2 institution that competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Brad Reedy (Effingham, IL) will attend Saint Joseph's College next fall. Reedy, a 6'2 right-handed pitcher, was limited last year due to a foot injury. Reedy will be a key component to this year's staff after appearing in only 6 games last season.
Saint Joseph's College is an NCAA Division 2 school located in Rensselaer, IN that competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Wes Minton (Loveland, OH) and Bo Weir (Kokomo, IN) will be heading to the University of Central Missouri next fall. Minton, a 6'2 shortstop, was the Cobras most productive offensive player in 2011. Minton finished with a .420 batting average where he collected 25 doubles, 2 triples, 6 home-runs, 61 RBI's and stole 12 bases. Minton was also a "Gold Glove" winner. Minton was also named an NJCAA First Team All-American at the completion of the 2011 season.
Weir, a 6'3 left-handed pitcher, appeared in ten games for the Cobras last season (10 starts) where he posted a 3-2 record with a 4.33 E.R.A. Weir also recorded a team high 73 strikeouts in his 54 innings pitched.
The University of Central Missouri is an NCAA Division 2 institution that is located in Warrensburg, MO and is a national power in baseball. Last season the "Mules" finished with a 49-10 overall record and appeared in the NCAA Division 2 World Series held in Cary, NC. UCM competes in the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Tom Hooker (Crystal Lake, IL) and Landon Wietekamp (Farmersville, IL) will both be attending King College next season. Hooker, a 5'11 outfielder, finished the 2011 season with a .300 batting average with 3 doubles and 5 stolen bases and finished the season with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Wietekamp, a 6'3 third baseman, played in 28 games for the Cobras last spring (23 starts) where he hit for a .363 average with 8 doubles and 4 home-runs while driving in 19 runs.
King College is an NCAA Division 2 institution located in Bristol, TN and competes in the Conference Carolinas.
Koziol "Slams" Team Green to 4-1 Win, Series Title!
The Parkland Baseball Team saved its best performance for the last fall game of the year! In a series that was tied at two games apiece, Team Green and Team Gold both turned to their "aces" for a series title, but it was Kevin Koziol's bat that would steal the show!
In a game that saw both pitchers dominate from the first inning, it looked as if Team Green would come away with a hard fought win in the deciding game of the Green/Gold World Series. That was until Kevin Koziol would step to the plate in the 5th inning with the bases full. Weir would quickly work Koziol to a 0-2 count but could not put away the LSU transfer. After fouling off a couple tough pitches, Koziol would blast a fastball over the LF wall that gave Team Gold a 4-1 advantage and series victory!
Both pitchers showed their dominance in the deciding game. Weir, the tough luck loser, went 4.2 innings scattering five hits and striking out six. Manering proved to be a little tougher on Team Green hitters as he went a strong 5.2 innings scattering only four hits and striking out nine, while earning the victory.
The Green/Gold Series concludes the fall season for the Cobras Baseball Team. The Cobras open up the 2012 spring season on March 2nd in Millington, TN.
Team Gold Forces Game 5 with 6-2 Win
On a windy Friday afternoon, Team Gold knotted up the Green/Gold World Series with a 6-2 victory. Team Green starter Josh Witt couldnt catch a break as he was the victim of his defense making three errors and timely hitting from Team Gold.
Team Gold starter, Brian Krolikowski, would earn the victory by tossing five strong innings, allowing only three hits and striking out eight. Krolikowski did not allow a run. Team Gold was led offensively by its top four hitters in the lineup as they went a combined 8-15. Leadoff man, Kieston Green stayed hot with a 2-4 performance while Joey Migliaccio (2-4, two doubles, two RBI), Kevin Koziol (3-4 with 2 RBI) and Jeff Limbaugh (1-3 with RBI) would supply all the offense that Krolikowski would need.
Team Green was led once again by Bobby Burns (2-3 with a HR) and Adam Casson (2-3). The rest of the lineup was a combined 2 for 21.
A deciding Game 5 will begin at 12:00 PM on Saturday afternoon where Bo Weir (Team Green) and Clay Manering (Team Gold) will take the hill.
Team Gold Avoids Sweep, Wins 8-2
What started out as a pitcher's dual, quickly turned into a lopsided victory for Team Gold on Wednesday afternoon. Brett Haan (Gold) and Zach Hall (Green) stole the spotlight in the early stages of Game 3. Hall left with a 2-0 lead after his four innings of work where he would only allow one hit. The bullpen would quickly give that lead way as Team Gold took advantage of every mistake Team Green and its pitching staff would make. Team Greens bullpen was tagged for 8 runs (7 earned) as they allowed five hits and walked six. Freshman Dylan Reid was tagged for the loss as he failed to record an out as he allowed one hit and walked three.
Team Gold starter, Brett Haan would allow two runs in the first inning before settling in to earn the victory. Haan tossed 4.2 innings allowing six hits, four in the first inning, and striking out four. Freshman RHP, Logan Shaftner would pitch the final 2.1 innings allowing only one hit and striking out three. Team Gold had strong performances at the plate from Kieston Greene (2-4 with a double and SB), Kevin Koziol (1-3, 2 runs scored) and Jack Weitlispach (1-2 with a double).
Team Gold was led at the plate by Bobby Burns (3-3) and Joe Trennepohl (1-2 with an RBI).
Game 4 is scheduled for 3:30 on Friday afternoon.
Team Green Takes 2-0 Lead in Series with 5-1 Victory
Team Green took a commanding 2-0 lead in the Green/Gold World Series by taking advantage of miscues by Team Gold on Monday afternoon. The pitching matchup between two sophomore southpaws lived up to expectations as Bo Weir (Team Green) and Clay Manering (Team Gold) took the hill for their respected squads.
Manering (Team Gold) would be the tough luck loser as he pitched 3.1 innings allowing only 3 hits, 2 runs (1 ER) and striking out 5. Manering was not helped out by his defense which committed 2 errors which led to Team Green's five run 4th inning. In addition to rocky defense, Team Gold could only come up with 4 hits in Game 2, two of which came off the bat of freshman Jack Wietlispach.
Bo Weir picked up the win for Team Green by going 4 strong innings allowing only 1 hit and striking out 4. Sophomore Mark Hode pitched the final 3 innings of the game allowing 1 run on 3 hits and also recording 3 strike outs. Offensively, freshman Adam Casson stayed hot as he was 2-4 with 2 RBI. Sophomore SS Westley Minton also collected 2 RBI while sophomore 3B Landon Weitekamp also was 2-3 for Team Green.
Game 3 will be played on Wednesday October 12th. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM.
Team Green Scores Early and Often in Game 1 Route
Team Green took control of Game 1 of the Green/Gold World Series from the first pitch on their way to a 12-0 smashing of Team Gold. Team Green scored 3 runs in the first inning off Team Gold starter, Brian Krolikowski, and never looked back. Offensively, Team Green was led by a trio of freshman Joe Trennepohl (3-5 with 4 RBI), Adam Casson (2-5 with 2 RBI) and Ryan Oltorik (2-4 with 2 RBI). Sophomore, Jake Pewitt was also 3-5 with 2 runs scored.
Sophomore Josh Witt got the win in the series opener by going 4.1 innings, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 3. Freshman Josh Ulrey came in out of the bullpen and picked up were Witt left off by pitching 3.2 innings and allowing only 2 hits himself. Freshman Dan Leake pitched the final inning for Team Green by pitching 1 inning allowing one hit.
Team Gold will try to even up the series on Monday afternoon when sophomore Clay Manering takes the mound for Team Gold while sophomore Bo Weir will take the bal for Team Green. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM.
Baseball America cites Former Cobra
Former Parkland College pitcher Danny Winkler was ranked the No. 18 prospect in the Pioneer League by Baseball America, the publication announced on its website Thursday.
The 6'1" right-hander, who was drafted in the 20th round by the Colorado Rockies in June, went 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 12 games for the Casper (Wyo.) Ghosts. Winkler struck out 65 and walked 19 in 57 1/3 innings of work.
Winkler played for the Cobras 2009 National Championship team and was the ace of the 2010 team that finished 5th at the Series before transferring to Central Florida where he led the Knights last spring in strikeouts (92) and innings pitched (87.1). The Effingham native was 13-5 with a 3.38 ERA during his Parkland Career.