Tyler Curlis makes a diving catch against Wabash.
Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University baseball team made some strides in
2005, combining a solid pitching staff, a solid defense and an
offense that hit for average but didn't generate much power to put
themselves in almost every game. The Tigers got the job done more
often than not, resulting in a second straight 21-win season.
Wittenberg finished 21-16 overall record and a mark of 9-5 in an
abbreviated North Coast Athletic Conference West Division schedule.
The Tigers' season ended in the NCAC Tournament semifinals with a
pair of road losses to eventual national third-place finisher
Wooster. It was Wittenberg's first appearance in the four-team
tournament since 2002, earned by virtue of a second-place West
Division tie with perennial powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan.
Postseason Honors:
Postseason Honors: Senior pitcher Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) was the Tigers' lone choice for the All-NCAC first team. Senior second baseman Jon Komperda (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and junior K.R. Schlievert (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay), a defensive wiz who also ranked among the team leaders with 30 runs scored, 25 runs batted in and 11 doubles on the season, both garnered honorable mention status.
Top Pick:
Hartfelder, a righthanded pitcher who accepted a medical
red-shirt designation from the NCAA to play a fifth college season,
was the first overall draft pick by the Frontier League's
Mid-Missouri Mavericks on May 10, at the conclusion of the league's
2005 Tryout Camp and Draft. The camp started with 177 hopefuls from
31 states, and after two days of workouts, Hartfelder was the No. 1
choice by the Mavericks, a team based in Columbia, Mo.
Hartfelder was an All-NCAC honoree in 2001 when he posted a 3.91
earned run average and a 5-1 record in eight appearances, including
five starting assignments. In 2002, Hartfelder finished with a 4-2
record and a 5.82 ERA before injuring his elbow and subsequently
going through ligament replacement surgery. After making just two
appearances in 2003, he made his comeback midway through the 2004
season, appearing in five games, four in relief, and posting a 5.19
ERA in 8.2 innings.
That set him up for a dazzling senior campaign. He made eight
starts and never gave way to a relief pitcher, compiling a 7-1
record with a 3.57 ERA, the fifth-lowest earned run average in a
season in school history (based on at least 25 innings pitched). He
allowed 53 hits and just 14 walks in 53 innings pitched.
Hartfelder is the latest in a long line of Wittenberg baseball
players to play professional baseball. Three recent alumni of the
program - Ryan Born, class of 2004, Ryan Peters, class of 2001, and
Brent Parke, class of 1999 - made the jump to the Frontier League,
a 12-team independent professional baseball league with teams in
seven states, including Ohio. In addition, Kris and Keith Cooper,
class of 1996, played professional baseball in a different
independent league, and Kevin Tatar, class of 1990, Phil Scott,
class of 1990, Milt Thompson, class of 1976, and Greg Murphy, class
of 1977, all spent time with Major League Baseball organizations
after graduating from Wittenberg.
A Lotta Class:
Komperda was recognized for the combination of his athletic and
academic accomplishments with first-team CoSIDA/ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-America College Division All-District IV
honors.
It was the first such honor in Komperda's collegiate career. A
three-year starter at second base, Komperda turned in a .358
batting average and an on-base percentage of .407, with 22 runs
batted in and 26 runs scored, all of which were among the top four
on the team. Also a solid defensive player, Komperda finished his
senior season with a .953 fielding percentage, making just seven
errors compared to 86 assists, second-most on the team, and 56
putouts.
Komperda finished his career with a .367 batting average,
including 146 total hits, which ranks 11th on Wittenberg's all-time
list. He scored 84 runs, including a team-best 32 in 2004,
successfully stole 22-of-29 bases and drove in 61 runs in his
career.
Justin McCulla had a .292 batting average in 32 starts at third base and also had a 4.76 ERA and two wins in five pitching appearances.
Super Seniors:
Hartfelder, Komperda and outfielder/catcher Matt Foster
(Granville, Ohio/Granville) are the most decorated players
in a strong senior class that is sure to be missed. Hartfelder and
Komperda had their accomplishments chronicled previously.
Foster finished the 2005 season batting .255 with two home runs,
20 runs batted in and 23 runs scored. It was the first time in his
career that Foster hit below .320. He finished his career with a
.314 batting average, and he played in 143 of a possible 150 games,
starting 140 of them. His 104 career runs scored are good for 13th
in school history, his 145 base hits rank him 12th in school
history, his 101 runs batted in put him tied for eighth in school
history and his 16 home runs are good for a fourth place tie.
In addition, pitcher Ryan Goldschmidt (Fort Loramie,
Ohio/Fort Loramie) was part of the starting rotation all
four years in the Red & White, infielder Tom Pickering
(Newark, Ohio/Catholic) was a three-year letterwinner and
an important bat in the middle of the Tiger lineup and infielder
Ryan Bergeman (Milan, Ohio/Edison) was a key
reserve.
Goldschmidt was among the team leaders in starts, complete games
and innings pitched all four years. In 2005, Goldschmidt finished
with four complete games among his eight starts, a 2-5 record and a
5.81 ERA. He won 14 games in his collegiate career. Pickering hit
.300 or better in two of his three seasons at Wittenberg while
appearing in at least 30 games all three years at third base and
designated hitter.
A Bright Future: As the Tigers look ahead, several underclassmen
emerged as key building blocks for the years to come. Freshmen
outfielders Jon Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) and
Tyler Curlis (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) were fixtures
in leftfield and centerfield respectively. Fox hit .358 with 30
runs scored and 20 RBI in 34 starts batting leadoff. Curlis, who
also was an effective relief pitcher, led the team with 29 walks,
turning his .205 batting average into a .439 on-base percentage.
The tandem combined for 10 stolen bases, while fellow freshman
Joel Puthoff (Russia, Ohio/Russia) went 8-for-9 in
stolen bases in 17 game appearances.
Rounding things out, sophomore Andrew Wellman (Huntington,
W.Va./Huntington) was spectacular in the second half of
the 2005 season. In 24 games, including 17 starts at first base,
Wellman turned in a team-best .492 batting average (fourth-best in
school history) with eight doubles, 13 runs scored and 18 RBI. Add
in 13 walks and Wellman's on-base percentage was a robust .583. He
also was not charged with an error the entire season while getting
credited with 122 putouts and three assists.
The Coach:
Jay Lewis (Wittenberg '94) was hired as the
head baseball coach at his alma mater in 1996, with his first
season at the helm in 1997. Lewis, who previously served as an
assistant coach for one year for the Tigers, has compiled an
189-152-4 record since then.
Lewis excelled on the diamond for the Tigers in the early 1990s.
Lewis was a three-year starting catcher for Wittenberg from 1991-93
after spending his first season at West Virginia Wesleyan.