Baseball season review: The Wayne State baseball team’s season ended in the second round of the NCAA Midwest Regional on May 19, at the hands of the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds.
The Warriors took a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning, but couldn’t hold it, as the Hounds took the game, 8-4.
“We just ran into two tough innings in the middle of the ballgame from a defensive pitching standpoint,” Warriors head coach Ryan Kelley said. “We gave up too many runs back-to-back.”
WSU advanced to its third consecutive NCAA regional after appearing in the GLIAC tournament championship round, a loss to the Grand Valley Lakers.
“In the GLIAC tournament, we showed some good resiliency, good leadership [and] some good competitiveness,” Kelley said. “We just ran out of enough pitching and depth. We just couldn’t capitalize in the very final game.”
Despite the disappointing finish, the 2012 campaign was still a successful one.
“We’ve built a program that we want to have success every season,” Kelley said. “We’ve had three straight 30-plus win seasons, which is the first in the 72 year history of our program. “
WSU finished 34-21 overall, placed second in the GLIAC with a 21-12 conference record and advanced to its fifth NCAA regional.
While the Warriors had success on the field, they had success off of it as well.
“We had nearly 850 community service hours [and] our team grade point average is a 3.1,” Kelley said. “We’ve had a lot of guys do some successful things on and off the field.”
On the field, the team hit .305 for the season – .323 in conference play – and finished with a respectable 4.50 team ERA.
But the Warriors will lose some key players to graduation, as seven players received their diplomas this May.
“We had a good senior class,” Kelley said. “Our seniors this year founded some leadership trends and we look forward to carry over into next year and the year after that,” he said, noting the influence the seniors had.
Seven Warriors received All-GLIAC honors: Brad Guenther, Andrew Ciennik, Alex Trojan, Kyle Vessey and Billy Hurley were voted to the second team, while Alex Pierse and Ethan Vasiliauskas received honorable mention accolades.
Kasey Koster, Ciennik, Trojan and Pierse were named to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team.
Ciennik and Phil Swanson were selected to the Academic All-District Team, which recognizes student-athletes for their athletic and academic accomplishments.
“[Those guys] had quality seasons on and off the field. They performed well between the lines and they took care of business in the classroom,” Kelley said. “They all earned it, they worked hard and they represented the university very well.”
Despite losing some key players, Kelley doesn’t see his team taking a step back next season – on or off the field.
“Graduate and win,” he said. “We’re here to graduate, get good grades and we’re also here to win. We’ve got great work ethic and we’ve got great resources at Wayne State. We’re going to continue to use everything we have to push forward and win.”
Monday, May 23, 2016
Warriors lose to Greyhounds 8-5; eliminated from postseason
Warriors lose to Greyhounds 8-5; eliminated from postseason: The Wayne State baseball team’s season came to an end in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional, as the Warriors dropped an 8-5 decision to the Indianapolis Hounds on May 18.
The Warriors needed a victory to keep their season alive, but instead were eliminated, ending the season with a 34-21 record overall.
The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when the Warriors got on the board, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the inning as Kyle Vesey and Kasey Koster each drove-in a run.
Justin DeFrancis made it a 3-0 game in the fifth inning when he scored Chris Gebara – who singled to lead off the inning with a bunt single.
WSU starter Alex Pierse kept the top-seeded Hounds scoreless for the first four innings, but unraveled in the fifth. Pierse gave up four hits – a double and three consecutive singles – and two walks in the inning, which led to four runs for the Hounds and his exit from the game.
Pierse’s day ended after 4 2/3 innings pitched, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks. Justin Sylvester replaced Pierse to finish the inning for the Warriors.
With Sylvester on the mound to start the sixth inning, the Hounds added four more runs – one off of Sylvester’s replacement, Billy Hurley, which was unearned thanks to a WSU error – to take an 8-3 lead.
Singles from Brad Guenther, DeFrancis and Kyle Zimmerman in the seventh inning led to one run for the Warriors, with the RBI going to Zimmerman. Andrew Ciennnik – who reached on a fielder’s choice – scored on Vesey’s RBI single – his second RBI of the game – to make it 8-5.
WSU’s rally attempt in the late innings fell short, as it left seven runners on base over the final three innings.
The Warriors finished one win shy of matching the school record set last season of 35 wins. WSU is also 6-10 all time in five NCAA Regionals.
The Warriors needed a victory to keep their season alive, but instead were eliminated, ending the season with a 34-21 record overall.
The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when the Warriors got on the board, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the inning as Kyle Vesey and Kasey Koster each drove-in a run.
Justin DeFrancis made it a 3-0 game in the fifth inning when he scored Chris Gebara – who singled to lead off the inning with a bunt single.
WSU starter Alex Pierse kept the top-seeded Hounds scoreless for the first four innings, but unraveled in the fifth. Pierse gave up four hits – a double and three consecutive singles – and two walks in the inning, which led to four runs for the Hounds and his exit from the game.
Pierse’s day ended after 4 2/3 innings pitched, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks. Justin Sylvester replaced Pierse to finish the inning for the Warriors.
With Sylvester on the mound to start the sixth inning, the Hounds added four more runs – one off of Sylvester’s replacement, Billy Hurley, which was unearned thanks to a WSU error – to take an 8-3 lead.
Singles from Brad Guenther, DeFrancis and Kyle Zimmerman in the seventh inning led to one run for the Warriors, with the RBI going to Zimmerman. Andrew Ciennnik – who reached on a fielder’s choice – scored on Vesey’s RBI single – his second RBI of the game – to make it 8-5.
WSU’s rally attempt in the late innings fell short, as it left seven runners on base over the final three innings.
The Warriors finished one win shy of matching the school record set last season of 35 wins. WSU is also 6-10 all time in five NCAA Regionals.
Warriors fall behind early, drop Regional opener
Warriors fall behind early, drop Regional opener: The Wayne State baseball team tried to put the disappointing end to its GLIAC tournament run behind on the opening day of the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional, but the third-seeded Warriors (34-20 overall) dropped its opening round game to the Northern Kentucky University Norse (36-20 overall) 6-4, May 17 at Oestrike Stadium.
NKU got on the board first, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning off of WSU starter Josh Wedesky. The Norse extended its lead by adding three more runs in the third inning – capitalizing on two Warrior errors, making it a 5-0 game. The deficit ultimately proved to be too much to overcome for WSU.
After 2 2/3 innings pitched, Wedesky – who gave up five runs on eight hits and walked three – was replaced by Ethan Vasiliauskas.
The Warriors got on the board in the fourth inning with a four-run rally, cutting the deficit to one. Alex Trojan led off the inning with a single and later scored on Chris Gebara’s RBI single. Brad Guenther drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Kasey Koster – who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Eric Cunningham – who also drew a base on ball – scored as NKU turned a double play, and Andrew Ciennik’s RBI single plated Gebara to make it a 5-4 game.
Vasiliauskas shut the Norse down for three consecutive innings, but became erratic in the seventh, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. Those two mistakes led to a run for the Norse – which scored without tallying a hit in the inning.
That run gave NKU an insurance run, as the Warriors’ comeback came up short.
Needing a victory to stay alive in the tournament, WSU will play the top-seeded University of Indianapolis Hounds on May 18 at 2:30 p.m.
NKU got on the board first, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning off of WSU starter Josh Wedesky. The Norse extended its lead by adding three more runs in the third inning – capitalizing on two Warrior errors, making it a 5-0 game. The deficit ultimately proved to be too much to overcome for WSU.
After 2 2/3 innings pitched, Wedesky – who gave up five runs on eight hits and walked three – was replaced by Ethan Vasiliauskas.
The Warriors got on the board in the fourth inning with a four-run rally, cutting the deficit to one. Alex Trojan led off the inning with a single and later scored on Chris Gebara’s RBI single. Brad Guenther drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Kasey Koster – who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Eric Cunningham – who also drew a base on ball – scored as NKU turned a double play, and Andrew Ciennik’s RBI single plated Gebara to make it a 5-4 game.
Vasiliauskas shut the Norse down for three consecutive innings, but became erratic in the seventh, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. Those two mistakes led to a run for the Norse – which scored without tallying a hit in the inning.
That run gave NKU an insurance run, as the Warriors’ comeback came up short.
Needing a victory to stay alive in the tournament, WSU will play the top-seeded University of Indianapolis Hounds on May 18 at 2:30 p.m.
Women's basketball win fifth straight game
Women's basketball win fifth straight game: The Wayne State women's basketball team looked to continue its hot streak into the new year against the Hillsdale Chargers (4-6 overall, 1-6 GLIAC), Jan. 3. Winners of four in a row and six out of their last seven, the Warriors extended its winning streak to five games with a hard-fought 70-66 victory.
The win did come with bad news, though, as WSU (7-3 overall, 5-1 GLIAC) learned that leading scorer Paige Sickmiller will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a knee injury suffered during practice earlier in the week.
"That has certainly been a drastic and dramatic loss for us," head coach Carrie Lohr said. "We missed her tonight and we're going to miss her the rest of the season.
"It's just really a tough loss for all of us, especially her."
With Sickmiller on the bench, the rest of the WSU team took on a struggling Hillsdale team, losers of four consecutive games.
The Warriors started the game off on an 8-0 run, as Lena Thomas drained two 3-pointers to help give WSU the early advantage. But the Chargers followed with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game. They continued their run, scoring another six points to the Warriors' two, to take a four-point lead, 14-10.
WSU regained the lead with a 14-4 run that gave the Warriors a six-point lead, 24-18, with 5:24 remaining in the first half.
Hillsdale continued to answer the Warriors, and trailed by one, 29-28, going into halftime. Although they held the lead, Lohr was none too pleased with the team's performance in the opening half.
"I was actually really surprised we were up at halftime considering how poorly we had played," Lohr said. "My main concern was us not sharing the basketball. There was not good chemistry on the floor."
The Chargers scored the first four points of the second half until a Brittany Streetman 3-pointer tied the game at 32. Hillsdale followed with a three, taking a 35-32 lead.
The Warriors trailed by that score until the 17:23 mark when Talisha Bridges scored a layup. That is also when Bridges and teammate Phaebre Colbert began to take over for WSU.
"I was really dissapointed with Talisha in the first half," Lohr said. "I think she has the opportunity to be a leader for us, and she really was a leader for us most of this early season, and she wasn't playing like a leader in the first half. I think she did that [in] the second half by being more physical, rebounding more [and] attacking the basket from the inside-out.
"Phaebre really just came out and kept things simple. We were able to get her the ball in the low block areas [and] there were times where she was double and triple-teamed, and easlily I guess she could have kicked it back out, but I'm glad with the decisions that she made to go up and finish strong."
Bridges and Colbert combined for 18 of the Warriors' next 24 points. Grabbing offensive rebounds, scoring second-chance points and drawing fouls, they helped give WSU a seven-point lead, 58-51, with six minutes to play. It extended its lead to 12 points at 65-53 with 3:09 to go in the game.
But, as they did all night, the Chargers responded. They got to within four points on three occasions (66-62, 68-64 and 70-66), but their comeback bid ultimately come up short.
"We kind of just had to grind [the win] out," Lohr said. "Hillsdale just wouldn't go away. The game could have gone either way, but we did what we were supposed to and we did solidify the win.
"I'm happy about that."
As conference play continues for the remainder of the season, Lohr was adamant about the team's need to play at a high level every night.
"We certainly need to play better than [tonight's performance] if we're going to contend for anything in the division."
The Warriors were led by Colbert, as she finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Bridges recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Thomas contributed with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
WSU is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 5, as Findlay pays a visit to the Matthaei for a 3 p.m. start.
The win did come with bad news, though, as WSU (7-3 overall, 5-1 GLIAC) learned that leading scorer Paige Sickmiller will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a knee injury suffered during practice earlier in the week.
"That has certainly been a drastic and dramatic loss for us," head coach Carrie Lohr said. "We missed her tonight and we're going to miss her the rest of the season.
"It's just really a tough loss for all of us, especially her."
With Sickmiller on the bench, the rest of the WSU team took on a struggling Hillsdale team, losers of four consecutive games.
The Warriors started the game off on an 8-0 run, as Lena Thomas drained two 3-pointers to help give WSU the early advantage. But the Chargers followed with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game. They continued their run, scoring another six points to the Warriors' two, to take a four-point lead, 14-10.
WSU regained the lead with a 14-4 run that gave the Warriors a six-point lead, 24-18, with 5:24 remaining in the first half.
Hillsdale continued to answer the Warriors, and trailed by one, 29-28, going into halftime. Although they held the lead, Lohr was none too pleased with the team's performance in the opening half.
"I was actually really surprised we were up at halftime considering how poorly we had played," Lohr said. "My main concern was us not sharing the basketball. There was not good chemistry on the floor."
The Chargers scored the first four points of the second half until a Brittany Streetman 3-pointer tied the game at 32. Hillsdale followed with a three, taking a 35-32 lead.
The Warriors trailed by that score until the 17:23 mark when Talisha Bridges scored a layup. That is also when Bridges and teammate Phaebre Colbert began to take over for WSU.
"I was really dissapointed with Talisha in the first half," Lohr said. "I think she has the opportunity to be a leader for us, and she really was a leader for us most of this early season, and she wasn't playing like a leader in the first half. I think she did that [in] the second half by being more physical, rebounding more [and] attacking the basket from the inside-out.
"Phaebre really just came out and kept things simple. We were able to get her the ball in the low block areas [and] there were times where she was double and triple-teamed, and easlily I guess she could have kicked it back out, but I'm glad with the decisions that she made to go up and finish strong."
Bridges and Colbert combined for 18 of the Warriors' next 24 points. Grabbing offensive rebounds, scoring second-chance points and drawing fouls, they helped give WSU a seven-point lead, 58-51, with six minutes to play. It extended its lead to 12 points at 65-53 with 3:09 to go in the game.
But, as they did all night, the Chargers responded. They got to within four points on three occasions (66-62, 68-64 and 70-66), but their comeback bid ultimately come up short.
"We kind of just had to grind [the win] out," Lohr said. "Hillsdale just wouldn't go away. The game could have gone either way, but we did what we were supposed to and we did solidify the win.
"I'm happy about that."
As conference play continues for the remainder of the season, Lohr was adamant about the team's need to play at a high level every night.
"We certainly need to play better than [tonight's performance] if we're going to contend for anything in the division."
The Warriors were led by Colbert, as she finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Bridges recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Thomas contributed with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
WSU is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 5, as Findlay pays a visit to the Matthaei for a 3 p.m. start.
Baseball splits doubleheader at GVSU
Baseball splits doubleheader at GVSU: The Wayne State baseball team (25-14, 16-10 GLIAC) split its doubleheader with the 8th-ranked Grand Valley State Lakers (31-11, 21-7 GLIAC) April 28 in Allendale. The Warriors topped the Lakers in game one, 7-6, but could not get the sweep, dropping game two 7-2.
*Game One*
WSU got on the scoreboard first when an Alex Trojan ground out scored Brad Guenther in the opening inning. The Lakers tied the game with a run in the bottom of the inning.
The Warriors took the lead again in the second, scoring on a Kasey Koster sacrifice fly, plating Eric Cunninham – who singled to lead off the inning. Kyle Vesey’s three-run homerun in the third made it a 5-1 game.
The Lakers cut WSU’s lead to two runs in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs thanks to a WSU error.
The Warriors scored again in the fourth on Kenny Davis’ RBI single.
GVSU got a run back in the fifth to make it a 6-4 game.
J.J. Ciennik’s RBI single added an insurance run for the Warriors in the sixth. That run would turn out to be an important one, as the Lakers scored two runs in the seventh. But Billy Hurley got the final two outs to earn his eighth save of the season.
*Game Two*
As in game one, the Warriors opened up the scoring in the second. Trojan – who doubled to lead off the inning – scored on an RBI triple by Vesey. Cunningham plated Vesey on a RBI ground out.
The Lakers tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. Their four-run fourth inning busted the game wide open, and a run in the sixth more than secured the game for GVSU.
The teams wrap up their series April 29, with game one slated for a noon start.
*Game One*
WSU got on the scoreboard first when an Alex Trojan ground out scored Brad Guenther in the opening inning. The Lakers tied the game with a run in the bottom of the inning.
The Warriors took the lead again in the second, scoring on a Kasey Koster sacrifice fly, plating Eric Cunninham – who singled to lead off the inning. Kyle Vesey’s three-run homerun in the third made it a 5-1 game.
The Lakers cut WSU’s lead to two runs in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs thanks to a WSU error.
The Warriors scored again in the fourth on Kenny Davis’ RBI single.
GVSU got a run back in the fifth to make it a 6-4 game.
J.J. Ciennik’s RBI single added an insurance run for the Warriors in the sixth. That run would turn out to be an important one, as the Lakers scored two runs in the seventh. But Billy Hurley got the final two outs to earn his eighth save of the season.
*Game Two*
As in game one, the Warriors opened up the scoring in the second. Trojan – who doubled to lead off the inning – scored on an RBI triple by Vesey. Cunningham plated Vesey on a RBI ground out.
The Lakers tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. Their four-run fourth inning busted the game wide open, and a run in the sixth more than secured the game for GVSU.
The teams wrap up their series April 29, with game one slated for a noon start.
Baseball splits doubleheader at GVSU
Baseball splits doubleheader at GVSU: The Wayne State baseball team (26-15, 17-11 GLIAC) split its doubleheader with the 8th-ranked Grand Valley State Lakers (32-12, 22-8 GLIAC) April 29, earning a split in the series. The Warriors dropped the opener, 4-2, but recovered for an 11-8 victory in the series finale. It was the second straight day the Warriors split with GVSU.
*Game One*
The Lakers took the lead early, scoring a run in the first. They followed that with another run in the second, and added two more runs in the third for a 4-0 advantage.
GVSU did all of its scoring on WSU starter Chris Waha, who gave up seven hits and struck out five in his four innings pitched.
Kenny Davis led off the sixth with a base hit, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Kyle Vesey double. An RBI single by Phil Swanson drove-in Vesey.
WSU threatened the Lakers in the seventh by putting two men on base, but the rally was cut short.
*Game Two*
The Warriors got on the board first, plating two runs in the first. Davis drove-in Brad Guenther – who reached on an error – with a single. Davis later scored on a Kyle Zimmerman RBI groundout.
The Lakers tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
WSU regained the lead in the second when a RBI single by Davis scored Swanson. But the Lakers scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.
The Warriors scored three runs in the third to take a 6-4 lead. Vesey’s RBI single and Zimmerman’s two-run homer made it a 9-4 game in the fourth.
WSU followed a two-run fifth from GVSU with runs in the sixth and seventh. GVSU scored two runs in the seventh.
The Warriors are on the road again May 2 for a doubleheader with Saginaw Valley State.
*Game One*
The Lakers took the lead early, scoring a run in the first. They followed that with another run in the second, and added two more runs in the third for a 4-0 advantage.
GVSU did all of its scoring on WSU starter Chris Waha, who gave up seven hits and struck out five in his four innings pitched.
Kenny Davis led off the sixth with a base hit, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Kyle Vesey double. An RBI single by Phil Swanson drove-in Vesey.
WSU threatened the Lakers in the seventh by putting two men on base, but the rally was cut short.
*Game Two*
The Warriors got on the board first, plating two runs in the first. Davis drove-in Brad Guenther – who reached on an error – with a single. Davis later scored on a Kyle Zimmerman RBI groundout.
The Lakers tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
WSU regained the lead in the second when a RBI single by Davis scored Swanson. But the Lakers scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.
The Warriors scored three runs in the third to take a 6-4 lead. Vesey’s RBI single and Zimmerman’s two-run homer made it a 9-4 game in the fourth.
WSU followed a two-run fifth from GVSU with runs in the sixth and seventh. GVSU scored two runs in the seventh.
The Warriors are on the road again May 2 for a doubleheader with Saginaw Valley State.
Baseball wins GLIAC tournament opener
Baseball wins GLIAC tournament opener: The Wayne State baseball team (31-7 overall) defeated the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (24-25 overall), 4-2, in its opening game of the 2012 GLIAC tournament at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio. It was the Warriors’ fourth-straight postseason victory over SVSU.
“Saginaw Valley and our team have had some battles the last few years,” Warriors head coach Ryan Kelley said prior to the game on wsuathletics.com. “We’ve got to play a full nine innings.”
And that they did. The pitching duel between both starting pitchers stole the show.
WSU starter Josh Wedesky (6-3 record) and SVSU’s Carson Beauchaine (3-5 record) were locked in, with Wedesky going 7 2/3 innings and both only gave up a combined 10 hits.
Wedesky, however, got off to a shaky start in the top of the first. He alternated strike outs and walks to the first four batters, and gave up a single and a run. But then he settled in.
Beauchaine, on the other hand, kept the Warriors off the board through four innings. But the Warriors broke through in the fifth when Chris Gebara drove-in Kyle Vesey. Kenny Davis then scored Alex Trojan with a sacrifice fly to give WSU a 2-1 lead.
Trojan led off the seventh with a single and scored on Gebara’s two-run homer, which made it a 4-1 game.
After giving up a run and surrendering two walks in the eighth, Wedesky was replaced by Ethan Vasiliauskas. He hit the first batter he faced, but recovered by striking out Andy Orr to end the inning.
Billy Hurley came on in the ninth, retiring the Cardinals in order to pick up his 11th save of the season and 19th of his career, which both broke Jon Venuto’s school records for saves in a single season and career.
The Warriors continue postseason play May 10 against Lake Erie College at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Kelley said.
“Saginaw Valley and our team have had some battles the last few years,” Warriors head coach Ryan Kelley said prior to the game on wsuathletics.com. “We’ve got to play a full nine innings.”
And that they did. The pitching duel between both starting pitchers stole the show.
WSU starter Josh Wedesky (6-3 record) and SVSU’s Carson Beauchaine (3-5 record) were locked in, with Wedesky going 7 2/3 innings and both only gave up a combined 10 hits.
Wedesky, however, got off to a shaky start in the top of the first. He alternated strike outs and walks to the first four batters, and gave up a single and a run. But then he settled in.
Beauchaine, on the other hand, kept the Warriors off the board through four innings. But the Warriors broke through in the fifth when Chris Gebara drove-in Kyle Vesey. Kenny Davis then scored Alex Trojan with a sacrifice fly to give WSU a 2-1 lead.
Trojan led off the seventh with a single and scored on Gebara’s two-run homer, which made it a 4-1 game.
After giving up a run and surrendering two walks in the eighth, Wedesky was replaced by Ethan Vasiliauskas. He hit the first batter he faced, but recovered by striking out Andy Orr to end the inning.
Billy Hurley came on in the ninth, retiring the Cardinals in order to pick up his 11th save of the season and 19th of his career, which both broke Jon Venuto’s school records for saves in a single season and career.
The Warriors continue postseason play May 10 against Lake Erie College at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Kelley said.
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