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Men's Baseball

May 10, 2012
One last conference win for Cyclones

In one last regular season game May 9 before playoffs, the Cyclones bested Prairie State College in a 6-4 win. Righty John Smith (Evergreen Park) earned the win with Jake Murray (Downers Grove North) getting two solid hits.

May 9, 2012
’Clones fall to Cavaliers

In another close game May 8, the Cyclones fell 8-5 to Kankakee Community College. Jeff Baude (Tinley Park), Bob Wilmsen (Lockport), Sean Vergara (Coral Glades), and Alex Leschkies (Oak Forest) all had turns on the mound. Steve Brewer (Notre Dame) had three hits for the night.

May 5, 2012
Cyclones split with Scots

The Cyclones split two with McHenry County College on May 4. Moraine Valley shut out the Scots 4-0 with Sean Vergara (Coral Glades) throwing off the mound for the win. Bob Wilmsen (Lockport) pitched a good second game, but took the 3-2 loss.

May 3, 2012
Splitsville for Cyclones

In a May 2 doubleheader, the Cyclones split two with Milwaukee Area Technical College.

The Cyclone bats were alive in the first game, yielding a 16-4 win. Joe Rigg (Sandburg) was 4-for-5 at the plate with three doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored. Alex Leschkies (Oak Forest) earned the win after pitching a complete game. He gave up four hits and struck out five.

For the nightcap, Moraine Valley was shut out, losing the contest 1-0. Rigg took the loss, giving up five hits and getting five strikeouts. He also was 1-for-4 with a single.

April 28, 2012
’Clones break losing skid with a sweep

It was a sweep for the Cyclones on April 27 as they took two from Highland Community College.

In game one the ’Clones won 7-1. Sean Vergara (Coral Glades) pitched a complete game allowing no earned runs and striking out four. Alex Eaton (Lincoln-Way North) went 2-for-2 at the plate and was hit by a pitch.

Jeff Baude (Tinley Park) pitched the second game for the 4-2 win. He struck out nine and gave up six hits. Gerard Maslanka (Shepard) was the big hitter for the game with two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases.

April 27, 2012
Cyclones outdone by Chapparals

In their fourth consecutive game with College of DuPage in four days, the Cyclones fell 9-6 on April 26.

The big hitters for the game were Jake Murray (Downers Grove North) and Mario Hernandez (Homewood-Flossmoor). Murray went 4-for-5 with an RBI, a double, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Hernandez was 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, a run scored, and stolen base.

April 25, 2012
Tough loss for Cyclones

In another matchup with College of DuPage, the Cyclones were once again outdone, losing 17-13 on April 24.

Jake Murray (Downers Grove North) made some noise at the plate going 4-for-6 with three runs scored, three RBIs, and a stolen base.

April 23, 2012
Cyclones stumble, drop doubleheader to DuPage

There weren’t too many highlights April 22 in the Cyclones’ double header loss to College of DuPage. Moraine Valley lost both contests 10-5 and 4-3.

Jake Murray (Downers Grove North) went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and two RBIs while Joe Rigg (Sandburg) was 4-for-8 with three runs, one RBI and two stolen bases for the night.

April 22, 2012
Cyclones sweep Lancers

The Cyclones boasted of a four-game win streak after a sweep of College of Lake County on April 21.

The game went into extra innings with the score tied at two in the seventh. A double by Scott Petrovich (Fort Lauderdale) brought in two runs in the top of the ninth for the eventual win. Jeff Baude (Tinley Park) pitched the entire game and struck out eight. Joe Rigg (Sandburg) also had a big game at the plate with three hits.

The bats came alive in game two with the Cyclones finishing off the Lancers 11-1. Bob Wilmsen (Lockport) was the winning pitcher, striking out two and allowing no runs. David Loomis (Shepard) was 4-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base.

April 18, 2012
Cyclones take two from Panthers

It was a clean sweep for the Cyclones on April 17 as they took two from Morton College, both in five innings.

Moraine Valley had a slow start, but began to heat up in the third inning when they rallied with nine runs. Mario Hernandez (Homewood-Flossmoor) solidified the 12-2 win with his first college home run in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. On the mound, Alex Leschkies (Oak Forest) had all the right stuff and struck out eight. Joe Rigg (Sandburg) had a good game at bat, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs and a stolen base.

The second game closely resembled the first with the Cyclones winning 10-0. Bob Wilmsen (Lockport) threw a complete game with one strikeout. Jake Murray (Downers Grove North) was the top batter with five RBIs, three runs scored, a triple, and stolen base.

March 26, 2012
Cyclones looking good at start of season

Already the Cyclones are looking poised for a winning season. With five victories under their belt in the first three games following spring training, the team is rolling on positive momentum.

“This gives us a lot of confidence to open our conference play on Saturday,” said coach Tom Radz.

The Cyclones swept Robert Morris University on March 18 at home with two blowouts, 13-3 and 9-1. This past weekend Moraine Valley swept Sauk Valley Community College 4-0 and 7-5 on March 24, then split a decision on March 25 with Triton College, losing 1-0 before the 12-4 win.

Jeff Baude (Tinley Park) gave up only six hits to a good hitting Triton ball club in the 1-0 loss. Freshman Bob Wilmsen (Lockport) had his first college win when he pitched against Triton. He threw a complete game and gave up only three earned runs and struck out seven batters. “For a freshman to go out and shut down a good team is impressive. He had hitters off balance, as did Baude in the first game,” Radz said.

Joe Rigg (Sandburg) is also off to a good start offensively and defensively. He leads the team with a .516 batting average and has contributed on the mound. “Rigg is making a clear case for MVP so far. I can’t say enough about what he’s done on the field,” Radz said. “He’s one of the best athletes on the team.”

As for the remaining Cyclones, they’ve proven that just playing the game well can produce results. “The contributing factor in all these wins was that our guys executed bunts, hits, etc. and the other teams couldn’t. We proved to be fundamentally sound and proved to be efficient. Fundamentals were key,” Radz said. “I’m very proud of the guys. From last year to this year, it’s a totally different team. They take what we teach them to heart. This group is great.”

March 16, 2012
Team depth adds to bright outlook for Cyclone baseball

With some depth on the roster, the Cyclones project an exciting 2012 season with improvements and big strides over last year.

"I'm excited about this team," said head coach Tom Radz. "On top of having a really good group of guys, we improved on both sides of the ball from last year. We will be much more sound defensively, and I'm really looking forward to what we can do on the offensive end."

The Cyclones said farewell to All-Conference pitcher Austin Wallace (Lincoln-Way East) who is now playing for Coastal Carolina University, but welcomed back sophomore All-Conference shortstop Joe Rigg (Sandburg) who is a projected starter.

Rigg will lead a freshmen-heavy infield, but will be joined by fellow sophomore Steve Brewer (Notre Dame) at second base, while freshmen and Lincoln-Way North grads Brandon Collins and Alex Eaton will round out the infield at first and third base, respectively. Freshman Alex Jeffries (Oak Park and River Forest) will see time at third base and DH while sophomore Gerard Maslanka (Shepard) will fill the utility infielder role. Sophomore Kevin Oliver (Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences) will play at first base and in the outfield.

The Cyclones return one starting outfielder in David Loomis (Shepard) who will see action in left field. Loomis will be joined by sophomores Scott Petrovich (Fort Lauderdale) in center field and Jake Murray (Downers Grove) in right field. Murray, a team captain, also will be part of the Cyclone bullpen.

Catcher Mario Hernandez (Homewood-Flossmoor) will be the opening day starter for the Cyclones, but will split time with Petrovich. They will be backed up by sophomore Jordan Flores (De La Salle).

While no clear number one pitcher has been established for the Cyclone staff, there will be competition for that spot among starting pitchers like sophomores Jeff Baude (Tinley Park), Alex Leschkies (Oak Forest), Sean Vergara (Coral Glades), and lone freshman Bob Wilmsen (Lockport) for the role. The bullpen will be rounded out by John Smith (Evergreen Park), Rigg, Murray, and Petrovich, as well as freshmen Dominick Paolella (Lincoln-Way North) and Mike Kozlowski (Shepard).

"While last year's staff had a clear leader in Wallace, there is no clear ace on this team," Radz said. "That's not necessarily a bad thing because we have much more depth on this pitching staff, and I expect to improve off of our good pitching last season."

During fall ball, the Cyclones were led by Murray at the plate. He will hit third for the Cyclones and look to Rigg, Collins, Eaton, and mid-year transfer Jeffries to bolster the offensive attack.

Radz projects the following starting lineup: Rigg SS, Collins 1B, Murray RF, Eaton 3B, Oliver DH, Hernandez C, Loomis LF, Brewer 2B, and Petrovich CF.

"While this season will be tough mentally because of the number of away games on our schedule, I think the maturity of this club is its most important asset as we go forward," Radz said. "Every year we seem to get rid of the more selfish guys who are headaches and we bring in more quality individuals who are focused on team goals. This team is focused on what we can do as unit and that's what really excites me."

Radz will be joined on the bench this season by assistant coaches Jon Drahos and Cole Farmer.