St. Francis Baseball Sweeps #20 Judson

The University of St. Francis baseball team disagreed with the #20 ranking of Judson University as the Fighting Saints sweep Judson in a two game set 3-0 and
5-4 yesterday.

In game one St. Francis freshman Adam Panayotovich threw his second shutout in a week going seven innings and allowing only three hits in a 3-0 victory.  Outfielder David Kuhne went 2-3 with an rbi and DH Steve Cservenyak went 1-3 with the other two rbi's.

It took eight innings in game two but Tim Reichert's single drove in Brad Porter for the game winner.  Corey Schultz pitched the final two innings to pick up the win for St. Francis.

Brian Michalak Succeeds Gordie Gillespie at St. Francis Baseball

Brian Michalak, the top assistant at the University of St. Francis the past four seasons, has been named the Head Baseball Coach and will suceed Gordie Gillespie who retired at the end of last season.

Michalak played for Gillespie after graduating from Lockport in 1979 and was a four-year utility infielder at St. Francis.  Michalak now resides in New Lenox Illinois.

St. Francis and Robert Morris in Opening Round of NAIA Baseball National Championship

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the pairings and site selections for the 2011 NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round.  St. Francis and Robert Morris will participate in a five-team double-elimination opening round tournament May 12th - May 16th hosted by St. Francis at Silver Cross Field in Joliet Illinois.

A total of 45 NAIA teams will compete for a spot to move onto the NAIA World Series in Lewiston Idaho from May 27th through June 3rd.

The Joliet Illinois bracket and seeds are as follows:

1. Oklahoma Baptist
2. Biola (CA)
3. St. Francis Illinois
4. Robert Morris Illinois
5. Jamestown (ND)

Robert Morris will play Jamestown at 11:00 am and St. Francis opens against Biola at 3:00 pm on May 12th at Silver Cross.

Brent Walters Earns Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week

Brent Walters

Senior Catcher Brent Walters from the University of St. Francis has earned the CCAC Player of the Week honors last week.  Walters collected 13 hits and 11 rbi's as St. Francis went 6-1 on the week.  In 21 at bats Brent had two doubles, and a three run dinger and had two or more hits in five of the seven games.

St. Francis is now 10-0 in conference play and 21-5 overall on the season.

University of St.Francis Baseball Moves to 5-0 in Conference

The University of St.Francis baseball team remains undefeated in South Division of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference after sweeping a doubleheader against Trinity International yesterday.

In game one St.Francis scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth on a bases loaded two rbi single from Mark Ahern (Homewood Illinois) and two sacrifice flys.  Mitch LaBuda (Downers Grove Illinois) worked three innings in relief to earn the win in game one.

St.Francis needed extra innings in game two as Brent Walters (Lisle Illinois) double drove in David Kuhne (Metamora Illinois) from first for the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.  Bobby Markatos (Palos Hills Illinois) blanked Trinity on four innings for his first win of the season.

St.Francis is now 15-4 overall and 5-0 in conference.

Corey Schultz Named to 2011 NAIA Baseball Preseason All-American Team

Corey Schultz

University of St. Francis junior right handed pitcher Corey Schultz was named to the 2011 preseason NAIA Baseball All-American Team.  Schultz is the only player from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, one of 17 players to be named to the team and a 2010 NAIA Baseball Honorable Mention All-American.

The Fighting Saint closer Schultz led the team with nine victories, a 2.59 era, five saves and a 9-1 record.  Corey Schultz is from Kankakee, IL.


 

Wheaton Illinois Baseball Moves Win Streak to Four

Baseball in Illinois News

Wheaton College moved it's win streak to four in a row with a win over St. Francis of Illinois 11-7.  Justin Zeller homered and doubled twice in the victory. 

To read more on this game follow the link below..

Wheaton College over St. Francis 11-7

Gillespie Receives Distinguished Service Award

From Baseball in Illinois News Sources

DAPHNE, Ala. - Gordie Gillespie, the winningest coach in college baseball history, received a Distinguished Service Award (DSA) from the United States Sports Academy. Gillespie, coach at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, was presented with his DSA by Academy alumna and Board of Trustees member Ms. Linda Moore on 21 December 2009 on the St. Francis campus.


Gillespie, who turns 84 in April 2010, will begin his 58th season of coaching baseball next year. He has compiled a career record of 1,816 wins and 922 losses. More than half his victories have come at St. Francis, where he coached from 1977 through 1995 and again from 2006 until the present.

Gillespie has been inducted into 16 halls of fame, including the College Baseball Hall of Fame this past summer, and is a four-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coach of the Year. Gillespie's 1993 team won the first national championship in St. Francis school history, regardless of sport.

The DSA is given annually to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to national or international sports through instruction, research or service. The DSA is separate from the Academy's Awards of Sport and each recipient also receives the coveted Order of the Eagle Exemplar for their achievements.

Each nominee must possess an extensive background in sports. This means that the individual must have had significant dealings in either instruction, research or service in sports for more than 10 years.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, nonprofit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information about the Academy, call 251-626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

2010 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll Announced

November 17, 2009

Saint Xavier University in Chicago Illinois has been ranked #24 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preaseason poll. 


McKendree University and the University of St. Francis received votes but did not make it into the preseason top 25.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the 25 conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups. The first regular season Top 25 poll will be announced on March 30, 2010.