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April 1, 2000

2009 Season - 2000 BASEBALL REVIEW

2000 BASEBALL REVIEW

JOHN BENEDETTI, DAN PEDRETTTI & SCOTT SCHMID PICK UP TEAM AWARDS AS VIKINGS REWRITE RECORD BOOKS IN BEST BASEBALL SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY

The baseball record books at Augustana College need an almost total rewrite this summer thanks to the success of Greg Wallace's Vikings. Wallace, in his third season at the helm of the Blue & Gold, guided his team to a 38-8 mark, a new school record for victories in a single season. That snapped the old record set last year by his 32-13 club. While this year's team was denied a second straight trip into the NCAA Division III national tournament, it was nevertheless, a tremendous year.

The Vikings did an almost complete reworking of the school record book, setting nine single season individual records, seven team single season marks and 10 new career individual records. Also, a total of 74 spots on the team's individual and career top 10 lists belong to players who toiled this year.

Seniors Scott Schmid (York HS, Elmhurst, IL), John Benedetti (Fremd HS, Palatine, IL) and Jason Fosdick (Pontiac HS, Pontiac, IL) did most of the damage on the school record books. Schmid leaves Augustana as the most prolific hitter in school history. He owns career records for most at bats (542), runs scored (138) and hits (222). He set a new school record this spring with 171 at-bats. Benedetti is now the career record holder for innings pitched (266 1/3) and strikeouts (290) and the single season record holder for innings pitched (81), victories (11) and strikeouts (104). Fosdick has no equal in the power hitting department as he holds the career school record for home runs (25), runs-batted-in (139) and base on balls (94). He is the single season record holder for home runs (nine set in 1998), runs-batted-in (49), and base on balls (32).

Also getting into the school record act were: Mike Cohn (Johnsburg HS, Johnsburg, IL) for career batting average (.412); Marcus Carlson (Rockford Lutheran HS, Rockford, IL) for career victories (27) and Dan Pedretti (Morton East HS, Cicero, IL) for single season hits (69), single season doubles (16) and single season runs scored (58).

Benedetti won the team's award as the Most Outstanding Pitcher and with good reason. On the verge of becoming the first Viking baseball player to be selected in the upcoming major league draft, Benedetti was nearly unbeatable. He went 11-1 on the season with a 2.33 earned run average in 81 innings of work. He started 12 games and completed five with 104 strikeouts while walking just 25. His only loss was an extra inning 1-0 defeat at the hands of Carthage at a time when the Redmen were ranked number one in the nation.

Pedretti, the team's second baseman, was voted the Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He had a fielding percentage of .953 while committing just eight errors in 172 total chances.

Schmid was tabbed as the Vikings Most Outstanding Offensive Player after he hit .404 with 69 hits in 171 at-bats. He scored 46 runs with seven doubles and a triple. He drove in 43 runs with 31 base on balls and had 10 stolen bases.

The Vikings started the season with a loss to Hanover by a score of 10-3 in Florida back on February 27 but then they ripped off 13 straight victories before falling to St. Ambrose. After winning five more games, the Blue & Gold went to Kenosha, Wisconsin for a crucial three game set with Carthage. After losing all three games by a total of seven runs, the Vikings bounced back with 11 straight wins to move to 29-5 before falling to Elmhurst 3-1. That was followed by six straight wins to close out the regular season with a record of 35-6.

In the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin tournament, Augustana beat Illinois Wesleyan 9-4 before falling again to Carthage, this time by a score of 12-3. The Vikings then beat Illinois Wesleyan 6-4, the fifth straight win over the Titans this year, and then they defeated Carthage 6-5 to force a championship game in the tournament. In the final game of the year, the Redmen triumphed 11-3 and Wallace's bunch waited in vain for a phone call from the NCAA that never came.

Wallace ended his third season at the Augustana helm with a record of 38-8 and he is now 92-37 (.713) since he took over for Barry Bilkey prior to the 1998 season.

Senior John Benedetti (Fremd HS, Palatine, IL) was selected as the co-Player of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin as the league conducted its annual baseball meeting. Benedetti, who led the Augustana College baseball team to a school record 38-8 mark and a second place finish in the CCIW, shared the Player of the Year honor with Kevin Sullivan, a catcher from Carthage.

Benedetti posted an 11-1 record this past spring with 104 strikeouts in 81 innings of work. He had an earned run average of 2.33 and had five complete games among his 12 starts. He set new Augustana school records in single season victories, strikeouts and innings pitched. He earned all-conference honors for the fourth consecutive year.

A total of eight Vikings were selected to the all-conference team after Greg Wallace's charges broke the school record of 32 wins set last year in a 32-13 campaign.

Joining Benedetti on the first team were infielder Dan Pedretti (Morton East HS, Cicero, IL), outfielder Jason Fosdick (Pontiac HS, Pontiac, IL) and designated hitter/pitcher Scott Schmid (York HS, Elmhurst, IL) who actually made the team as a utility player. On the second team were shortstop Kevin Iaquinto (Waubonsie Valley HS, Naperville, IL), outfielder Jason Pettit (J.D. Darnall HS, Geneseo, IL), pitcher Marcus Carlson (Rockford Lutheran HS, Rockford, IL) and catcher Mike Cohn (Johnsburg HS, Johnsburg, IL).

Pedretti led the Vikings in hitting from his leadoff position with a .418 average as he collected a school record tying 69 hits in 165 at-bats. He scored 58 runs with 16 doubles, two triples and three home runs while driving in 35 and stealing 12 bases.

Fosdick batted .361 with 52 hits in 144 at-bats with 35 runs scored. He had 11 doubles, one triple and six home runs with a team leading 49 RBI and nine stolen bases.

Schmid was picked to the all-conference team for the fourth consecutive season. He did it all for the Vikings as he batted .404 with a school record tying 69 hits in 171 at-bats. He scored 46 runs with seven doubles and one triple. He had 43 RBI and 10 stolen bases while walking 31 times. He also posted a 6-1 record as a pitcher with a 2.50 ERA in 15 appearances and 54 innings of work.

Iaquinto batted .370 with 61 hits in 165 at-bats while scoring 54 runs. He provided a lot of power for the Vikings with eighth doubles, five triples and five home runs. He also led the team in stolen bases with 18 and had 39 RBI.

Pettit played centerfield and right field and batted .346 with 45 hits in 130 at-bats with 35 runs scored and 34 RBI. He hit five doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Carlson leaves Augustana as the school record holder in career victories with 27. He was 7-3 this year with a 3.12 earned run average in 66 1/3 innings of work. He struck out 53 and had four complete games.

Cohn caught nearly every inning for the Vikings and batted .409 with 65 hits in 159 at-bats. He scored 34 runs with 10 doubles, one triple and five home runs. He had 44 RBI and drew 234 base-on-balls.

Ranked in the top 20 of the NCAA Division III national poll most of the year, the Vikings in a tie for 26^th in the final ranking.

NCAA DIVISION III FINAL NATIONAL POLL

RANK     TEAM                                       RECORD      POINTS       PREVIOUS

1.          Ohio Wesleyan                          40-7           229            16.

2.          St. Olaf                                     34-5           220            4.

3.          Carthage                                   36-8           219            1.

4.          College of New Jersey                30-6-1        215            25.

5.          Bridgewater State                      27-7           200            3.

6.          Virginia Wesleyan                      32-8           197            6.

7.          Cortland State                           31-7           193            7.

8.          Montclair State                          34-6-1        189            2.

9.          Marietta                                    43-5           177            5.

10.         George Fox                               31-8           158            -----

11.         Southwestern Texas                  36-10          156            8.

12.         Wartburg                                  37-7           144            26.

13.         Suffolk                                      36-7           133            -----

14.         St. Thomas                               28-12          131            17.

15.         Allegheny                                  32-7           126            9.

16.         Salisbury State                          28-9-1        125            21.

17.         Southern Maine                         31-12          114            12.

18.         Rowan                                      30-10          101            13.

19.         Aurora                                      35-8           83              20.

20.         Rensselaer                                25-10          80              -----

21.         Chapman                                  20-10-1       77              -----

22.         North Carolina Wesleyan            25-15-1       73              15.

23.         Wisconsin-Whitewater                26-14          69              -----

24.         California Lutheran                     26-12-2       52              10.

25.         Ithaca                                       23-12          32              29.

26.         AUGUSTANA                              38-8           29              13.

             Anderson                                  35-12          29              13.

             Emory                                       30-14          29              -----

29.         Wisconsin-Oshkosh                    27-8           24              11.

30.         Ursinus                                     29-8           23              23.

AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 2000 BASEBALL LETTERWINNERS

PLAYER                        POS        B/T      HT         WT      YR      HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL)

John Benedetti ****     P            R/R      6-0        180      Sr.     Palatine, IL (Fremd)

Walter Brownley*         3B/P        R/R      6-0        175      So.     Schaumburg, IL (Schaumburg)

Marcus Carlson ****   P            R/R      6-3        200      Sr.     Rockford, IL (Rockford Lutheran

Mike Cohn ***             C            R/R      5-10      195      Sr.     McHenry, IL (Johnsburg)

Rion Dooley **             C            R/R      6-1        215      Sr.     Bloomfield, IA (Ottumwa)

Jeff Dunn*                   P            R/R      5-10      190      Fr.      Mapleton, IL (Illini Bluffs)

Anson Ellis*                 C            R/R      5-11      190      Jr.      Cary, IL (Cary Grove)

Jason Fosdick ****      OF          R/R      6-3        200      Sr.     Pontiac, IL (Pontiac)

Jeromy Franks ****     P            L/R      6-3        190      Sr.     Riverside, IL (Riverside-Brookfield)

Joe Goolsby **             1B           L/L       6-0        175      So.     Morris, IL (Morris)

Will Gray*                    C            R/R      5-9        195      Jr.      Highland Park, IL (Highland Park)

Ted Grothe*                P            R/R      6-0        175      Fr.      Galesburg, IL (Galesburg)

Eric Griffin ***             1B           R/R      6-0        190      Sr.     Moline, IL ( Moline)

Matthew Hawkins*       P            R/R      6-0        175      Fr.      Farmer City, IL (Blue Ridge)

Jason Heires **           P            R/R      6-1        155      Sr.     Moline, IL (Moline)

Kevin Iaquinto **         SS          R/R      5-11      175      So.     Naperville, IL ( Waubonsie Valley)

Ben Kleinhaus*             OF          R/R      6-1        190      Fr.      Naperville, IL ( Waubonsie Valley)

Tim Kozlowski**          OF          R/R      6-1        190      So.     Orland Park, IL (Andrew)

Todd Kozlowski **       SS/3B     R/R      6-1        195      So.     Orland Park, IL (Andrew)

Nicholas Math*             P            R/R      6-2        175      So.     Davenport, IA (Davenport Central)

Todd Mueller ****       OF          R/R      5-11      185      Sr.     Chicago, IL (Weber)

Dan Pedretti **            SS/2B     R/R      5-8        165      Sr.     Cicero, IL (Morton East)

Jason Pettit ***           OF/P       R/R      6-1        190      Jr.      Geneseo,IL J.D. Darnall)

Scott Schmid ****       2B/P        R/R      5-8        150      Sr.     Elmhurst, IL.(York)

Mike Ugel*                   P            R/R      6-0        195      Jr.      Niles, IL (Notre Dame)

Zach Vroman **          2B/OF     R/R      5-7        140      So.     Rock Island, IL (Rock Island)

Brad Wendell*             2B           R/R      5-10      175      Fr.      Buffalo Grove, IL (Buffalo Grove)

HEAD COACH: Greg Wallace

ASSISTANT COACH: Harry Pells

ASSISTANT COACH: John Furlong