Baseball News Releases
Cornell opens season with four-game trip in Florida
MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College's baseball team will catch some warm weather and its first slate of games this weekend during a four-game trip to Florida.
The Rams open the 2009 season Friday, Feb. 27 with a nine-inning contest against Grove City (Pa.) in Winter Haven, Fla. Cornell plays a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 28 against Clark (Mass.) in Auburndale, Fla. The Rams close the trip on Sunday, March 1 with a single game against 25th-ranked Augustana (Ill.) in Winter Haven, Fla.
"We will face two teams that made regionals last year in Augustana and Grove City," said Cornell head coach Frank Fishler, who carries a 130-128 record into his eighth season with the Rams. "We are battling a few injuries and have a couple guys still in basketball (Michael Tierney, Chris Handke, Matt Lewis), so we'll be a little short-handed this weekend. It's early. We know we will improve throughout the season."
Cornell's 35-man roster includes 12 letterwinners and four returning starters from a squad that finished 13-16 overall, 7-13 in the Iowa Conference a year ago. The young group features 21 underclassmen and only three active seniors.
"The guys are hard-working, have a great attitude and are detail-oriented," Fishler said. "I like the makeup of this team. We have good upper-class leadership."
The Rams are led by senior shortstop Casey Korn (High Ridge, Mo./Northwest), a two-time all-IIAC performer and honorable mention utility pick in 2008. Korn, a three-year letterwinner, batted .266 with a team-high 18 runs and 18 RBIs last season. He also logged a team-high 54 innings on the mound, carrying a 4.33 ERA with 30 strikeouts.
Cornell returns three juniors starters in catcher Andy Krekel (Des Moines/Roosevelt), second baseman Matthew Shimanovsky (Niles, Ill./Niles West) and center fielder Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson). Tierney earned second team all-IIAC honors last season after batting .282 with 16 runs scored. Shimanovsky is the team's top returning hitter, batting .344 with a .459 slugging percentage. Krekel started 19 games and hit .270.
Joining the list of returning letterwinners are senior pitcher Jeff Boyle (Richfield, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels), junior outfielder/pitcher David Bartine (Des Moines/Roosevelt), junior outfielder Ryan Fincham (Englewood, Colo./Englewood), junior pitchers Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue), and Adam Harrington (Hudson/Hudson) and sophomore pitchers Austin Landini (Coralville/Iowa City West), David de Besche (Greeley, Colo./Northridge) and Adam Butler (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West).
Sophomores Dan Kraus (Amana/Clear Creek Amana) and Ryan Clausen (Clinton/Clinton) will take over at first base for the graduated Tyler Downing, who led the Rams with a .352 batting average. Shimanovsky will be joined at second base by sophomore Jesse Searls (Coralville/Iowa City West) and freshman Charlie Muir (Glencoe, Ill./New Trier). Freshman Nick Weinmeister (Janesville/Janesville) is the top candidate at third base. Krekel and freshman Jason Douglas (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) are listed at catcher.
Battling for the outfield positions are Tierney, Fincham, Bartine, junior Caleb Wilson (Benton, Ill./Benton), junior J.T. Pells (Northridge, Calif./Granada Hills), sophomore Andrew Patzke (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) and sophomore Matt Pfister (Northfield, Ill./New Trier).
Cornell will have several pitchers vying for innings on the mound, including Korn, Butler, Weinmeister Harrington, Handke, Boyle, de Besche and senior Sean Ransick (Englewood, Colo./Englewood). Butler fired 33.1 innings last year with 20 strikeouts and a 4.59 ERA.
The Rams are scheduled to open the home portion of their schedule March 14-15 against Northland (Wis.). Conference play starts March 20 at Simpson.
Simpson received one vote in the D3baseball.com Top 25 Preseason Poll. Wartburg is the defending league champion.
"We look forward to the challenges in the Iowa Conference," Fishler said. "I think we will make a climb in the conference standings. I am confident we will."
