May 21, 2007

That's a Wrap: Saint Louis (16-37, 12-14 A-10) closed out its 2007 campaign last weekend, falling just shy of qualifying for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Billikens honored their 13 seniors prior to Saturday's final contest. The group included two of the program's top pitchers in Ryan Bird and Eric Rohr and catcher Bill Musselman, who finished his career ranked among the program's all-time top 20 in several offensive categories.

Last Week: The Billikens won two of three games against Dayton last weekend with all three decisions coming via the comeback. SLU rallied in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday night as Ryan Crespi's single delivered a 3-2 victory. The comeback came earlier in Friday night's outing as Ziggy Moore drove in the go-ahead runs in the sixth inning, and SLU held on for a 4-3 win. Saturday's finale also featured a ninth-inning rally, but this one was by the Flyers who collected a 4-3 victory with a pair of runs in the top of the final inning.

For the Record: With seven strikeouts and six innings pitched at Fordham on April 20, senior right-hander Ryan Bird became the SLU career record holder in both categories. Over his four-year career, Bird amassed 286 strikeouts, surpassing John Marcum's record of 269, and pitched 374-2/3 innings, eclipsing Ben Hutton's record of 354. Bird's final start on May 19 against Dayton was the 56th of his career and broke Dan Wentzel's school record of 55.

Mound Masters: Seniors Ryan Bird and Eric Rohr wrapped up their SLU careers last weekend but left an indelible mark on Billiken baseball history. The career numbers for both pitchers are among the program's top 20 in every category and largely fall inside the top 10. In career wins, Bird and Rohr rank fourth (16 wins) and seventh (15 wins), respectively. In addition to Bird's strikeouts record, Rohr is in sixth place with 173 career Ks. In ERA, three of Bird's four single-season numbers rank among the program's top 20, so it's no surprise that his career 3.48 ERA is the second-best in SLU history. Rohr has two single-season ERAs among the top 20, and he snuck into the career top 10 with a 4.19 mark. Rohr's 286 career innings pitched is fourth behind Bird's school record 374-2/3, and Rohr's 38 career starts are sixth behind Bird's record 56. The duo is among the program's top 20 in career appearances and complete games as well.

Moving On Up: While the elder statesmen of the starting rotation have set lofty expectations for him, sophomore Dave Sever is already a man on the move in the SLU record books. His 73 strikeouts, 3.18 ERA, 13 starts and 90-2/3 innings pitched this year are among the single-season top 15. Those numbers have already put Sever into SLU's career top 20. His 11 wins are 15th, while his 119 strikeouts are 19th.

Boots Made for Walking: Junior designated hitter Greg Rodgers drew a team-high 39 walks this season to rank second in the A-10. It is the sixth-most free passes in SLU single-season history. The school record for walks in a season is 51 by Brad Brown in 1991.

A Little Help for His Friends: Sophomore second baseman Tom Pinnell handed out 156 assists this season, the sixth-most in SLU history and in the A-10 this season. In just his second season, Pinnell already ranks 11th on SLU career assists list with 246. Paul Miles holds the school record for single-season assists with 173 in 2000, while Nick Steiner is the career record-holder with 562 from 1998 to 2001.

Top Guns: With a 4.78 team ERA, Saint Louis ranks third in the A-10. All three of the Billikens' weekend starters are among the A-10's individual top 10 and rank in SLU's all-time top 18. Sophomore Ryan Bird moved into the A-10's top 10 in the final weekend with a 3.33 ERA to sit in 18th place in school history.

What About Bob? After his 19th season at Saint Louis, Billiken head coach Bob Hughes has a 361-635-1 record after guiding the 2006 team to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1966. The 2006 squad posted a school-record 32 wins and claimed the Atlantic 10 Tournament title in SLU's first year in the league after entering the event as the fifth seed. During his tenure at SLU, 14 Billikens have gone on to play professionally. In 2003, Hughes was inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

R&B: Junior infielder Ryan Bennett (Kansas City, Mo./Miami [Ohio]) hit .260 in 34 games, including 16 starts ... scored as a pinch runner in the first game against Dayton.

Bird's Eye View: Senior right-hander Ryan Bird (Potomac, Ill./Armstrong Township) had a 3.33 ERA, 10th-best in the A-10, in 12 starts and one relief appearance ... ranks seventh in the A-10 with 26 batters struck out looking ... holds school career records with 286 strikeouts, 374-2/3 innings pitched and 56 starts ... also finished career ranked second in school history in ERA (3.48), fourth in wins (16), 10th in complete games (9) and 14th in appearances (58) ... tied his season high with nine strikeouts and allowed just two runs in seven innings of the Dayton finale but did not get the decision.

Back in Black: Freshman outfielder David Blackwell (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) played in 17 games, including five starts.

B.B. King: Junior outfielder Blake Bratcher (Goodlettsville, Tenn./Volunteer State CC) hit .266 with 24 RBI, including a team-high 12 with two outs ... added a pair of singles and scored twice in the Dayton finale ... drove in a run on two hits, including a double, in the second game against the Flyers.

Local Brew: Junior left-hander Eric Brewer (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) was 0-5 in two starts and seven relief appearances.

Dapper Dan: Senior right-hander Dan Cowsert (St. Louis, Mo./SWIC) made two starts and 18 appearances out of the bullpen ... allowed just six of 18 inherited runners to score ... forced the Flyers to leave two men on in the top of the eighth to preserve the Billikens' in the Dayton finale.

Extra Crespi: Senior outfielder Ryan Crespi's (Sparta, N.J./Sussex County CC) led the team with a career-best .301 average and 12 stolen bases ... led the team with a .348 average in A-10 play ... finished the season on a career-best 16-game hitting streak ... added a pair of singles in the Dayton finale after picking up a single in the second game of the series ... drove in the winning run with a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth in the first game against the Flyers.

Well Dunn: Freshman outfielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) had a .246 average and nine RBI in 39 games, including 33 starts ... added a single in the first game against Dayton before leaving with an injury that forced him to miss the rest of the series.

Making His Mark: Senior outfielder Mark Hankes (Granite City, Ill./Granite City) played in 12 games, including five starts ... drove in two runs on a pair of two-out singles in the Dayton series finale.

Brock Steady: Senior right-hander Brock Hewitt (Boerne, Texas/Trinity) recorded two saves and a 2-9 record ... posted a 5.42 ERA in 10 starts and nine relief appearances ... pitched three innings in the Dayton series and produced every possible outcome with a 1-1 record and a save ... took the loss in the finale against the Flyers after yielding two unearned runs in the ninth inning ... picked up the save in the second Dayton game with two strikeouts in a hitless ninth inning ... benefited from the ninth-inning rally in collecting his second win in as many outings with a one-hit ninth inning in the first game against the Flyers.

Ryno: Sophomore infielder Ryan Johnson (Creve Coeur, Mo./Rockhurst) hit .226 in 21 games, including five starts ... recorded a pair of singles in the second Dayton game.

M-M Good: Sophomore infielder Matt Mach (St. Louis, Mo./MICDS) played in 11 games, including six starts.

The G.M.: Senior infielder Gilbert Marlowe (Glendale, Mo./SWIC) played in 41 games, including 33 starts ... drew a walk in the Dayton series finale.

Moore Power: Senior catcher/infielder Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) hit .252 with a team-high 26 RBI, including 18 in A-10 play ... led the team with a career-high 14 doubles ... ranks 16th in SLU history with 29 career doubles ... singled and helped guide the pitching staff to 12 strikeouts in the Dayton series finale ... doubled and scored twice in the second game against the Flyers after driving in a run on a sacrifice fly in the series opener.

A Little Moore Power: Sophomore infielder Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) finished the season with 10 RBI in 42 games, including 40 starts ... made seven appearances on the mound with a bullpen-best 3.38 ERA ... drove in the go-ahead runs with a sixth-inning single in the second Dayton game ... walked and scored a run in the first game against the Flyers.

Deuces Wild: Senior right-hander Eric Mueller (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) was 0-1 in 14 appearances out of the bullpen ... recorded a strikeout among the three hitters he faced in 2/3-inning of relief in the Dayton series finale.

Mussel Beach: Senior catcher Bill Musselman (Homer Glen, Ill./Providence Catholic) hit .284 with 20 RBI and was second on the team with 13 doubles ... leads the A-10 with 28 runners caught stealing, including a league-high 15 in conference play ... moved into ninth place on SLU's career doubles list with 37 ... ranks 12th in school history with 160 career starts and is among the program's top 20 with 164 career hits and 228 career total bases.

A Parson's Tale: Freshman infielder Brandon Parsons (Stow, Ohio/Stow Munroe Falls) played in 15 games with four starts.

Peter, Paulson and Mary: Sophomore right-hander Chris Paulson (Falcon Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) made eight relief appearances with an 0-1 record.

Pinpoint: Sophomore infielder Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) recorded a .284 average ... hit a team-best .350 with runners in scoring position ... has moved into 11th place in school history with 246 career assists ... singled in a run in the Dayton finale ... recorded the Billikens' lone extra-base hit with a double in the first game against the Flyers.

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Junior designated hitter/infielder Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) was second on the team with a .291 average to go with 23 RBI ... drew a team-high 39 walks to rank second in the A-10 ... went 2-for-3 with a walk in the Dayton series finale ... singled and scored a run in the second game against the Flyers after drawing three walks in four plate appearances in the series opener.

On the Bayou: Junior pitcher/third baseman B.J. Rodrigue (Destrehan, La./Brother Martin) hit .287 in 37 games, including 35 starts ... made 15 appearances on the mound for a 2-1 record, two saves and a 5.48 ERA ... went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the second Dayton game ... picked up three hits and scored the winning run in the ninth inning of the first game against the Flyers.

Rip Rohr-ing: Senior right-hander Eric Rohr (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) led the team and is tied for seventh in the A-10 with a career-high six wins, including five in A-10 play ... was second on the club and ninth in the A-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 13 starts and one relief appearance ... ranks second in the A-10 with a 2.42 ERA in league play ... ranks seventh in school history with 15 career wins and is sixth with 273 career strikeouts ... also among the program's all-time top 20 with seven career complete games ... struck out a season-high seven hitters and allowed just two earned runs in eight innings to collect the win in the second Dayton game.

Pennant Sever: Sophomore right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill./Benet Academy) led the team and ranked seventh in the A-10 with a 3.18 ERA, 12th-best in school history and the best by a SLU sophomore, to go with a 4-7 record ... ranks sixth in the A-10 and 11th in school history with 73 strikeouts, including 49 in A-10 play, in 13 starts and two relief appearances ... is tied for fourth in the league with 29 batters struck out looking ... struck out six and allowed just five hits in eight innings of the Dayton series opener but did not figure into the decision.

Elementary, My Dear: Freshman L.J. Watson (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) played in 28 games, including 12 starts ... got the start in right field in the second Dayton game.

Catching Some Zs: Sophomore left-hander Mark Zielinski (Maryland Heights, Mo./DeSmet) was 1-2 with a 4.62 ERA in a team-high 21 relief appearances, ninth-most in school history.