Published: May 07, 2008 11:10 pm            

Rose baseball gears up for HCAC tournament

TERRE HAUTE — Carrying a 28-11 overall record, Rose-Hulman will compete in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament in Cincinnati, starting tonight.

The winner of the four-team double elimination event will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Rose is one of eight sites for NCAA tournament competition, but the Engineers must win the HCAC tournament or receive an at-large bid from the tournament committee in order to compete in the event.

The Engineers finished third in the league with a 15-6 mark. The 28-win total marks the fourth most victories in a single season in school history. The team needs a pair of victories at the HCAC tournament to cross the 30-win mark for the third time in school history.

Rose-Hulman opens the HCAC tournament against Franklin College at 6:30 p.m. today at Marge Schott Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. The first five games of the tournament will be played at the University of Cincinnati, with games six and seven set for Midland Field at Amelia, Ohio.

The College of Mount St. Joseph serves as the tournament host after capturing the regular-season crown with a victory over Defiance on Sunday. The Lions are 24-15 overall and 16-5 in conference play.

Franklin earned the No. 2 seed after compiling a 25-12 record and a 16-6 league mark. Transylvania rounds out the field at 28-10 and 15-7 in HCAC play.

Rose has been led by pitchers ranked first and second in the league in earned-run average this season. Senior Michael Matsui has a 9-1 record and an ERA of 1.96. Sophomore Derek Eitel stands second in ERA at 2.04 and has a mark of 8-2.

Senior Luis Bougrat has jumped into the starting rotation with a 5-2 record and a 3.83 ERA. Senior Sam Deters leads the bullpen with a school-record seven saves and a career school mark of 18 saves. Offensively, the Engineers rank second in the league in batting average at .323. Sophomore Tim Tepe paces the squad with a .380 average, 57 hits, 16 doubles and 45 runs batted in. Sophomore Chandler Kent has posted a .378 average with 54 hits and 12 two-baggers, while sophomore Keenan Long stands at .369 with 52 hits, 11 doubles and three home runs.



2008 HCAC baseball tournament

Today at University

of Cincinnati

Game 1 — No. 1 seed Mount St. Joseph (24-15, 16-5) vs. No. 4 Transylvania (28-10, 15-7), 3 p.m.

Game 2 — No. 2 Franklin (25-12, 16-6) vs. No. 3 Rose-Hulman (28-11, 15-6), 6:30 p.m.

Friday at University

of Cincinnati

Game 3 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, noon

Game 4 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3 p.m.

Game 5 — Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday at Midland Field, Amelia, Ohio

Game 6 — Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, noon

Game 7 — “If necessary” championship game, 3:30 p.m.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.