Korey Krueger (right) has resigned his position as Lawrence head baseball coach, Director of Athletics Robert Beeman announced Tuesday (July 10).

Krueger, a 1995 graduate of Lawrence, had coached the Vikings for 10 seasons. He has accepted a position in sports sales and marketing for baseball and softball at The Players Choice, an indoor sports complex in Appleton. Lawrence will conduct a national search for Krueger's successor, according to Beeman.

Krueger, an All-Midwest Conference football and baseball selection during his playing career at Lawrence, took over the baseball program in 1998. He compiled a record of 102-215-1, and the Vikings' highest finish in the North Division was third place six times in the five-team division. Krueger was named North Division Coach of the Year in 2004, with his team compiling a 15-19 overall record that season.

Krueger's teams broke or tied 35 individual records and 28 team records over the past 10 seasons. Fifty-two of Krueger's players earned All-Midwest Conference honors and six were named to the All-Midwest Region squad. Krueger also coached Andrew Wong, who earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors twice and signed a contract to play professional baseball.

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St. Norbert senior infielder Dan Weitzel has been named to the third team of the ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Weitzel hit .356 this season while playing second base. He had five doubles and one home run with 32 runs batted in. Weitzel posted a 17-game hitting streak this season from March 20 to April 21. Weitzel holds a 3.88 grade point average with an accounting major.

A second-team All-Midwest Conference selection this season, he was a three-time Academic All-MWC honoree. A Dean’s List student, he is a member of the Sigma Beta Delta business honor society and a member of Students in Free Enterprise.

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St. Norbert sophomore shortstop Adam Frost (right) has been named to the 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-America baseball third team.

Frost enjoyed one of the best seasons in St. Norbert history, hitting a robust .471 (74-for-157). He set school season records in at bats (157), runs (tied-52), hits (74), doubles (tied-18), total bases (tied-108) and stolen bases (27). Frost, who also hit four home runs with 33 runs batted in, was named the Midwest Conference North Division Player of the Year and also had a 20-game hitting streak this season.

Frost led the Green Knights to a 14-2 league mark to win the MWC North Division and finished as the runner-up in the MWC Tournament.

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Nine Midwest Conference student-athletes were selected to the 2007 NCAA Division III All-Midwest Region Baseball Team, including a pair of first teamers in Ripon senior pitcher Jordan Baitinger (right) and St. Norbert sophomore shortstop Adam Frost (left).

Illinois College junior righthander Brad Collignon was joined on the All-Region Second Team by Monmouth senior outfielder Jeremy Kafka and Ripon senior second basemen Chad Olson.

Illinois College freshman outfielder Adam Baran, Ripon senior catcher John Dunlavy, Monmouth junior third basemen Ryan Priola, Grinnell junior second basemen Robbie Unsell and St. Norbert freshman utility player Tony Jandron represented the MWC on the third team.

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Ripon senior catcher John Dunlavy and senior pitcher Jordan Baitinger (right) were both named to the All-Regional Team at the 2007 UW-Stevens Point NCAA Division III Baseball Regional held at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids on May 16-19.

Baitinger opened the regional play by making history, as the lefty threw the second no-hitter in NCAA tourney history in the Red Hawks 4-1 win over St. Olaf. St. Olaf’s lone run was unearned as Baitinger struck out five and walked two during the nine-inning complete-game effort.

Dunlavy went 3-for-5 in each of Ripon’s three regional contests for a .600 batting average. He scored six runs, drove in six runs and belted a pair of home runs.

Baitinger will be honored by the NCAA at the World Series banquet on May 24.

Ripon appeared to be on the verge of lengthening its season and securing a rematch against St. Thomas on Friday (May 18) afternoon, but UW-Stevens Point used a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to win 11-10 and eliminate the Red Hawks from the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament for the second straight season.

Ripon ends the 2007 season with a 22-15 overall record, while the Pointers, who are hosting the regional in Wisconsin Rapids, face St. Thomas at 7 p.m. Friday evening.

Ripon, who hit four home runs in the game, staked a 7-4 advantage after two innings, before adding a run in the fourth on a John Dunlavy homer and two more in the sixth. UW-Stevens Point posted single tallies in the fifth and seventh frames to stay within striking distance, before opening the last of the ninth with five straight hits that plated two runs. Reliever Bryant Bednarek retired the next two Pointer hitters with the bases loaded, but hit the next batter with a pitch to bring home a run. The next hitter recorded a walk-off single up the middle, brining home the tying and winning run.

Ripon took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against St. Thomas in a second round matchup at the UW-Stevens Point Regional in Wisconsin Rapids on Thursday evening (May 17), but the Tommies offense put up a flurry of runs during a three-inning stretch en route to a 9-3 victory.

With the loss, the Red Hawks will face UW-Stevens Point in an elimination game at noon on Friday (May 18). The winner of the contest will face St. Thomas at 7 p.m. Friday evening. Ripon swept the Pointers (4-2, 10-9) in a home doubleheader on April 21.

Mac Shumann gave the Red Hawks the early lead, plating John Dunlavy with an RBI double in the first inning. Ripon starter Greg Basthemer did not allow a hit in the first three innings, but St. Thomas tallied four runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take control.

Ripon rounded out its scoring in eighth inning, as Bo Johnson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Brandon Birschbach added an RBI single.

Ripon senior Jordan Baitinger (right) made history on the mound Wednesday (May 16) evening at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, as the Red Hawks defeated St. Olaf 4-1 behind a complete-game no-hit effort from Baitinger. The lefty struck out five and walked two en route to joining Rowan’s Norm Charlesworth as the only other player in NCAA Division III history to tally a no-hitter in NCAA Regional action. Charlesworth’s no-hit bid came against John Hopkins on May 15, 1980. Ripon will face St. Thomas, a 5-1 winner over UW-Oshkosh earlier in the day, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 in second round action at the UW-Stevens Point Regional.

Chad Olson opened the game with a single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly from John Dunlavy to give Ripon a 1-0 lead after one inning of play. The Red Hawks rounded out their scoring in the fifth, using a single from Mac Shumann, a double from Dunlavy and a Chevy Schultz walk to load the bases with two outs. Bo Johnson followed with an RBI single and Alex Duros drove in two more runs with a single of his own to give Ripon all the offense it would need.

St. Olaf tallied its unearned run in the sixth after Baitinger hit the leadoff man with a pitch. The runner advanced two bases on a throwing error and eventually scored on a fielders choice.

The Midwest Conference Baseball Divisional award winners came from four different teams in 2007. Division champs St. Norbert and Monmouth produced the positional Players of the Year, as Green Knight sophomore Adam Frost (right) and Fighting Scot senior outfielder Jeremy Kafka were honored. The Pitchers of the Year awards both came from the divisional runners-up, with Ripon senior Jordan Baitinger and Illinois College junior Brad Collignon receiving the award. Coach of the Year reverted to the regular-season champs, as St. Norbert’s Tom Winske and Monmouth’s Roger Sander were both recognized.

2007 MWC All-Conference Teams

Lawrence sophomore first basemen Tommy Schmidt (right) has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Player of the Week for his efforts from May 3-5.

In four games against Carroll, Schmidt batted a blistering .750, going 12-for-16 with three doubles, two homers and nine runs batted in. He also scored eight runs while compiling a .789 on-base percentage and an astounding 1.313 slugging percentage.

The MWC Player of the Week started his week by going 4-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBIs in Lawrence's 10-0 victory in the series opener. In the series finale, Schmidt tied the school record for hits in a game by going 5-for-5 with a double, a homer, three runs scored and six RBIs.

The Ripon baseball team will head be heading to the UW-Stevens Point Regional at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids for the second season in a row after the NCAA released its 2007 Division III Baseball Tournament pairings on Monday, May 14.

Ripon earned the Midwest Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA tourney after winning the 2007 MWC Baseball Championship Tournament with a 6-5 victory over tourney host St. Norbert on May 12. The title marked the fourth in a row for Ripon and head coach Bob Gillespie (right), who fell one win short of a DIII World Series appearance a year ago.

The Red Hawks are ranked third in the six-team regional and will face fourth-ranked St. Olaf in their first round game on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. St. Olaf enters as an at-large team after falling in the MIAC tournament finals. Ripon defeated St. Olaf 7-4 in last year’s regional. The Red Hawks swept a doubleheader from top seeded UW-Stevens Point during the 2007 regular-season.

NCAA Regionals

Ripon scored five runs in the final two innings to rally and defeat St. Norbert 6-5, winning the 2007 Midwest Conference Baseball Championship on the Green Knights’ home field in De Pere, Wis., on Saturday, May 12. The title marked the Red Hawks’ fourth consecutive league crown and the team also earned the conference’s automatic berth to the 2007 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. Bob Gillespie's Red Hawks fell one victory short of the NCAA DIII World Series a year ago.

Ripon opened the championship game with a run in the first, but St. Norbert staked a 4-1 lead with two runs in the third inning and singles tallies in the fourth and fifth frames. The Red Hawks broke through in the eighth, using a single and two walks to load the bases with two outs. A hit batsmen brought home one run which Bo Johnson followed with a two-RBI single to tie the game, before two more walks pushed Ripon ahead 5-4. Alex Byrne’s RBI single tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the inning, but that was all St. Norbert could muster from a bases loaded no-out situation. Ripon responded with the winning run in the top of the ninth, as Chad Olson led off with a single and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Chevy Schultz. St. Norbert opened the ninth with a single and moved the runner into scoring position with a bunt, but Ripon reliever Bryant Bednarek induced a ground out and fly out to end the game and earn the win.

The contest was the second one-run game of the day for St. Norbert, who knocked off Monmouth 4-3 in the morning session to advance to the title game against Ripon. The Green Knights would have needed to defeat Ripon twice for the championship.

NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament pairings will be released on Monday, May 14.

at St. Norbert 6, Illinois College 5 (10 inn.) – The Green Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the game, but the Blueboys countered with four runs in the fifth frame and took a 5-4 lead into the eighth inning. St. Norbert knotted the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the inning and won the contest when John Maki’s walk-off single brought home Adam Frost in the tenth. Frost was 4-for-5 with four runs scored, while Maki and Dan Weitzel each drove in a pair of runs. Tony Jandron earned the win after throwing 1.1 innings in relief. Trent Schauster had two hits and drove in a run for Illinois College.

Ripon 13, Monmouth 5 – Ripon took a 2-0 lead in the opening inning and went on to score runs in every inning except the third and fifth. The Ripon offense was led by Mac Shumann (2-6, 3 RBI), John Dunlavy (4-6, 2 R, RBI) and Kyle McFarland (3-6, 3 R, 2 RBI). Greg Basthemer started and allowed four earned runs in eight innings to earn the win for the Red Hawks. Ryan Priola’s lone hit for the Scots was a three-run homer in the seventh inning that momentarily cut Ripon’s lead to 9-5.

Ripon 7, at St. Norbert 3 – Ripon starter Jordan Baitinger allowed nine hits en route to the complete-game victory, while the Red Hawks chased Green Knight starter Tony Jandron in the first inning. Ripon tallied six hits and five runs with two outs in the first frame to break the contest open. Kyle McFarland drove in two runs for Ripon, while Mac Shumann registered three hits and scored a run. Cory Fuller led St. Norbert with three hits and an RBI.

Monmouth 4, Illinois College 3 – Monmouth rallied to eliminate the Blueboys and advance to a Saturday morning showdown with St. Norbert. The Scots tallied three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 3-3, before Nate Palkovic’s RBI single in the sixth scored Kevin Sashko and put Monmouth up for good. Adam Baran (R) and Trent Schauster (R, RBI) each had three hits apiece to lead the Blueboy offense.

The 2007 Midwest Conference Baseball Championship Tournament, hosted by St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. on Friday and Saturday May 11-12, appears to be the mirror image of the 2005 tourney edition. The host and tournament field are the same once again, as St. Norbert and Monmouth enter as the North and South Division champions, respectively, while Ripon and Illinois College fill out the final two slots.

The Green Knights will do their best to make sure that the 2007 game results do not replicate 2005, as St. Norbert fell to Ripon in the title game two years ago, the second of three consecutive league championships for the Red Hawks. Ripon went on to defeat 2006 tourney host Monmouth in last year’s championship en route to falling one victory short of an NCAA Division III World Series appearance.

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A trio of St. Norbert baseball players have been named to the COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic Academic All-District V College Division team.

Senior catcher Brian Perszyk and senior infielder Dan Weitzel were first-team All-District selections, while junior pitcher Jake Gasser was a second-team All-District honoree. As first-team picks, Perszyk and Weitzel move on to the national College Division Academic All-America ballot, with the teams named May 29. District V’s College Division encompasses Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota schools belonging to NCAA Division II, III or NAIA affiliations.

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A year ago, St. Norbert set the mark for most consecutive conference victories when the Green Knights won their 19th league game in a row, topping Ripon’s previous mark of 18 straight. St. Norbert went on to extend their streak to 21 games, but Ripon ended the bid for 22 when the Red Hawks topped the Green Knights 4-2 in De Pere on April 29, 2006. Ripon won its final MWC game in 2005, went 16-0 in the league in 2006 and set a new league record for consecutive wins on April 14, 2007 as the Red Hawks won their 22nd and 23rd straight MWC games with a sweep of Beloit.

St. Norbert junior righty Jake Gassser threw a no-hitter in the Green Knights 3-0 victory over Worcester (MA) in Port Charlotte, Fla., on March 23. Gasser needed just 59 pitches to complete the seven-inning no-hit bid, as the Lancers only managed to hit two balls out of the infield. Gasser, who struck out four in the game, threw St. Norbert’s first no- hitter since John Hanmann no-hit Beloit on April 15, 1989.

Ripon enjoyed one of the best seasons in the program’s history last season, as Bob Gillespie’s club fell three runs short of a berth in the 2006 NCAA Division III World Series. The Red Hawks posted a 16-0 mark in Midwest Conference play and swept through the conference championship tourney for their third straight league crown, an MWC-best 16th overall title and a league and school-record for wins in a season with 34 total victories. Ripon is the favorite for its sixth MWC North Division title in seven years according to the 2007 MWC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll, while three teams share the top spot in a wide-open South Division.

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Ripon finds itself ranked among the nation’s best following a record-breaking season that saw the Red Hawks fall one win shy of a berth in the 2006 NCAA Division III World Series. The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's 2007 Preseason Top 25 poll features Ripon at No. 17. The Red Hawks and head coach Bob Gillespie (right) set a Midwest Conference record for victories in a season (34) a year ago, which included a 16-0 mark in league play and a third consecutive conference title.

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The Ripon athletic department unveiled renovations to its baseball field, Francis Field, effective for the 2007 season, which include a brand new press box, concession stand and bleachers.

Francis Field photos are available here

Former Lawrence baseball player Andrew Wong (right) has signed with the South Georgia Peanuts. The Peanuts play in the South Coast League, a six-team independent professional league that begins play this spring.

Wong gradated from Lawrence in June 2006. A three-time All-Midwest Conference selection and one-time All-Midwest Region selection, Wong finished his career with a .345 batting average. The shortstop and third basemen set school records for hits (154), runs batted in (100), and doubles (35). He was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection.

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Bosio takes over a pitching staff that put together a 5.32 earned run average in 2006, as the Vikings finished with a 14-20 record. Lawrence pitchers gave up 301 hits in 262.1 innings and struck out 132 while walking 123.

Bosio brings an impressive pitching history to the Vikings, compiling a 94-93 career record with a 3.96 ERA in the big leagues. He struck out 1,059 and walked only 481 during his career. Bosio had five seasons in which he won 10 or more games, including going 16-6 with the Brewers in 1992. After that season, his seventh in Milwaukee, he left for Seattle via free agency. Bosio had one of the finest moments of his career during his first season with the Mariners. He tossed a no-hitter on April 22, 1993, in a 7-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. He walked the first two batters and then retired the next 27.

Since retiring after the 1996 season, Bosio has been involved in coaching. He spent the 2003 season as the pitching coach with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and had logged three seasons as a pitching coach in the Mariners organization before that.

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Kosanke comes to Carroll after a successful stint as the head baseball coach at Waukesha South High School. He led the Blackshirts from 2001 to 2006, compiling a record of 117 wins and 104 losses. He earned Wisconsin State Coach of the Year honors in 2004 and was selected to coach the 2005 East All-Star team for the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Classic.

Kosanke graduated form Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., where he was a two-time all-conference selection and member of the school’s first conference championship team in 1996.

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