Billikens Exceed Last Season's Win Total
May 19, 2008
That's a Wrap: Saint Louis finished its 2008 baseball campaign with a 24-29 overall record and a 9-17 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Billikens, playing under first-year head coach Darin Hendrickson, registered 20-plus wins for just the fourth time in the last 10 years. It is also just the second time since 1996 that the Bills posted at least 24 victories. In addition, this season's win total is the highest in school history for a first-year head coach. Rank and File: Several Billikens ranked among the final regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference leaders in various statistical categories. Scott Turmail led the league and ranks fourth in the country in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (0.95). He is also first in complete games (six) and innings pitched (106.2). Dave Sever ended the regular season third in the conference with 80 strikeouts. Andrew Guerra ranked second in the A-10 with a SLU single-season record 21 doubles. Greg Rodgers and J.D. Dunn ranked first and third in the A-10 with 46 and 43 walks, respectively. Dunn is also sixth in the league with 26 stolen bases, and his .461 on-base percentage is the fifth best in the A-10. Catcher Casey Moore caught 24 runners trying to steal, which is the second-best total in the league. Running of the Bills: As a team, Saint Louis stole 80 bases on the year, which is the most since the 2000 team swiped 92 bags. This year's total is more than the previous two seasons combined.
Tough Defense: The Billikens were fifth in the league in team fielding with a .963 fielding percentage, which is the second-best mark in school history. SLU committed only 76 errors in 1,979 chances. Better than Average: Ryan Bennett led the team in hitting with a .357 batting average, the best mark by a Billiken since Jason Wood finished the 1999 campaign with a .362 mark. Bennett, who received an extra year of eligibility and will return next season, never saw his batting average dip below the .314 mark this season. He also hit a team-best .379 in A-10 games. Double Trouble: Andrew Guerra led the Billikens with a single-season record 21 doubles. As a team, SLU pounded out 103 doubles on the year, which is the second most all-time. Freebies: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers drew a league-leading 46 walks this season, while J.D. Dunn was not far behind with 43 free passes. Those totals rank second and fourth all-time in a single season. As a team, the Billikens accumulated 273 walks on the season, which is second all-time. No Freebies: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail walked just 11 batters in 106.2 innings while striking out 58. In the latest NCAA statistical report, he ranks fourth nationally and is first in the Atlantic 10 in fewest walks allowed per nine innings. Workhorses: J.D. Dunn and Tom Pinnell started all 53 games for the Billikens. Scott Turmail's 106.2 innings pitched is the third most in a single season at SLU. Casey Moore started 50 games behind the plate, including all 26 contests during league play. New Leader: Head coach Darin Hendrickson wrapped up his first season as the Billikens' skipper. Hired in the summer of 2007, Hendrickson has found success at each of his three previous head-coaching stops during his 12-year tenure. Most recently, he led Central Missouri to three regular-season and tournament championships over the last four years and twice had his team in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Previously, he led St. Louis Community College Forest Park to four NJCAA Super Regional championship games and Fontbonne University (St. Louis) to a conference title in that program's third year of existence in 1998. Hendrickson has a 13-year career record of 514-203. Also in their first seasons at SLU were assistant coaches Kevin Moulder, Will Bradley and volunteer assistant Danny Jackson. 500 Wins: The Billikens' 10-8 victory against Fordham on March 29 marked the 500th win in the 12-year head-coaching career of Darin Hendrickson. He achieved 209 wins during his four-year tenure at Central Missouri, 126 in four years at Fontbonne, 155 in four years at Forest Park CC and 24 in his first season with the Billikens. Season Accolades: Sophomore second baseman Andrew Guerra was named A-10 Player of the Week on May 5 after hitting .571 and driving in 11 runs in games against Illinois State and Richmond. He belted three home runs and also became SLU's single-season leader in doubles. Junior right-hander Scott Turmail twice picked up A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors. In his first appearance in a Billiken uniform on Feb. 23, he allowed just four hits and struck out three in a complete-game shutout at Belmont. For his effort, he was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and was dubbed the Northeast Region Player of the Week by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. Turmail was named A-10 co-Pitcher of the Week for the period ending March 16 after picking up a save against Fontbonne and tossing eight shutout innings against Dartmouth. Beal Street: Sophomore designated hitter Mike Beal (St. Louis, Mo./Glendale CC) finished fourth on the club with a .311 average ... had 14 doubles, two home runs and 25 RBIs on the season ... all 37 of his starts came as the designated hitter ... best performance came against St. Bonaventure when he registered three hits, including a grand slam, and five RBIs. R&B: Senior infielder Ryan Bennett (Kansas City, Mo./Miami [Ohio]) led the team in hitting with a .357 average, which is the best final batting average by a Billiken since 1999 ... posted a .379 average in A-10 games ... had 15 mult-hit games on the season, including a career-high four-hit performance against Temple ... has been granted another year of eligibility and will return next season. All is Well: Sophomore outfielder David Blackwell (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) finished the season with a .248 batting average and five RBIs ... posted a career-high three hits in a game against Samford. Well Dunn: Sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) started all 53 games ... ranked second on the team with a .326 average, and first in runs (47) and stolen bases (26) ... belted five homers and drove in 29 runs ... reached base safely in all but one game this season, including the final 37 contests ... had a team-high 10-game hitting streak and was second on the club with 17 multi-hit and eight multi-RBI games ... established a career-high three hits on four occasions and registered a career-high three RBIs in a game against Fordham. Don't Mess with Texas: Sophomore infielder Andrew Guerra (Dallas, Texas/Rice University) finished fifth on the club with a .298 batting average ... had 21 doubles on the year, which is a SLU single-season record ... started 38 games at second base and eight in left field ... picked up A-10 Player of the Week honors on May 5 ... one of three SLU players to post a four-hit day when he turned the trick in a league game against Richmond. Curious George: Freshman right-hander George Hebert (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) posted a 1-1 record in 12 appearances on the hill, including three starts ... his win came against Bradley when he yielded just one run on three hits over six innings. Ryno: Junior first baseman Ryan Johnson (Creve Coeur, Mo./SLUH) had 13 hits and five RBIs on the season ... started nine games at first and one in left field. Return of the Mach: Junior infielder Matt Mach (St. Louis, Mo./MICDS) had his season cut short for the second year in a row when he suffered an injury in the SEMO contest. The Mayor: Junior right-hander Chris Merrick (Forest Hill, Md./Catonsville CC) appeared in 12 games and made eight starts on the mound ... was 2-2 with a 7.00 ERA ... struck out a career-high five batters against Illinois State in his first career win ... pitched eight innings and allowed two runs (one earned) in the win versus UT Martin. Moore Power: Senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) had 43 hits with one homer and 17 RBIs ... registered a .266 average in conference games ... caught 24 base runners trying to steal, which is second in the conference ... played behind the plate in all 26 conference games. A Little Moore Power: Junior shortstop/pitcher Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) had a 3-2 record and a 3.41 ERA in a team-leading 18 appearances, all in relief ... had 18 hits and scored 16 times while driving in 10 runs ... pitched four shutout innings against SEMO for his first win of the season ... allowed no runs and just two hits in 4-2/3 innings versus Eastern Illinois ... picked up saves against UMBC and La Salle. Lights Out: Sophomore right-hander Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo./Forest Park CC) made 16 appearances (13 starts) on the mound ... also started six games in the outfield ... picked up two wins and posted a 5.66 ERA ... hit .238, including a two-run home run at Charlotte ... had a career-high three hits against GW and drove in a career-best three runs against Illinois State. Hitting BP: Sophomore outfielder Brandon Parsons (Stow, Ohio/Stow Munroe Falls) had 25 hits and drove in 16 runs ... scored 14 times and drew 10 walks ... started 21 games in right field ... had six two-RBI games ... notched a career-high three hits against Missouri-St. Louis. Extra Perks: Junior right-hander Brad Perkins (Collinsville, Ill./SWIC) appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen and had two saves ... threw two innings of no-hit relief against Samford to pick up the save ... shut out Bradley for save number two. Pinpoint: Junior third baseman Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) started 53 games, 50 of which came at third base ... led team with 65 hits and registered a .317 batting average ... had three homers and 36 RBIs ... third on the team with 10 stolen bases ... led team with 21 multi-hit games, including four games where he posted three hits ... had a career-high four-RBI night against Harris-Stowe. Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) led the team with 44 RBIs, the second time in his three-year SLU career he led the team in RBIs ... has 123 career RBIs, which ranks ninth all-time ... drew a team-leading 46 walks, the second-most all-time ... his 117 career walks rank fourth all-time ... had four games in which he posted four RBIs, including in back-to-back contests against Illinois State and Fordham. On the Bayou: Senior infielder/pitcher B.J. Rodrigue (Destrehan, La./Brother Martin) had his season cut short due to an injury ... posted a 2-2 record and 2.75 ERA in eight appearances ... pitched a complete-game shutout against Ohio State in what was just his second career start ... picked up the win against Fontbonne with five shutout innings. All That Chaz: Junior right-hander Chaz Salembier (Brentwood, Mo./Clayton) tied for second on the squad with 16 appearances, including one start ... had a 2-1 record with a 6.65 ERA ... allowed one run on three hits while striking out four in his first career start in a game versus Harris-Stowe ... picked up the first win of his career after five innings of one-run, three-hit relief against UMSL. Leave It To Sever: Junior right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill./Benet Academy) finished fifth in the league with 80 strikeouts, which ranks sixth all-time at SLU in a single season ... has 199 career Ks through three seasons, which is the sixth-most in school history ... turned in a 5-6 record, which included four win in conference play, with a 5.21 ERA ... had two complete games ... registered a career-high 10 strikeouts against Temple in his final start of the year. The Mailbag: Junior right-hander Scott Turmail (Florissant, Mo./Forest Park CC) led the pitching staff with seven wins and a 3.12 ERA ... led the conference in innings pitched (106.2) and complete games (six) ... opponents hit just .248 against him ... walked just 11 batters on the season, giving him 0.95 walks allowed per nine innings, good for fourth in the country ... pitched into the seventh inning in every start this season, including going eight-plus innings in nine of those 13 starts ... was a two-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week. Help Me, Help You: Freshman outfielder Ramee Yacoub (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) led all Billiken freshmen with a .288 average ... was second on the squad with a .325 batting average in A-10 games ... had 23 RBIs and stole eight bases ... established career highs of three hits and four RBIs in a game against Duquesne ... totaled four hits and six RBIs over the two-game series with the Dukes. Catching Some Zs: Junior left-hander Mark Zielinski (Maryland Heights, Mo./DeSmet) made nine appearances out of the bullpen ... also pinch ran in a game against La Salle and scored the only run of his career. |
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