BW Baseball Online Almanac

Baldwin-Wallace College sophomore center fielder Cody Kidd went on a bruise binge last week, getting hit by a pitch four times and setting a school record that only a lead-off hitter could love — a dozen beanings in a single season.

Kidd’s binge started a week ago last Thursday when he was hit twice in the Yellow Jackets’ 21–2 blowout of Myers University. Two days later, in the first game of a doubleheader against Wilmington College, he was hit again, tying the record of 11 HBPs set by last year’s lead-off hitter, Kevin Brown.

He broke the record on Saturday when he was plunked by Ohio Northern University southpaw Scott Bruckman to lead off the first game of a doubleheader sweep in Ada. After taking his record-setting base, he promptly stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error, and then scored on a sacrifice fly ball. He scored the Jackets’ only other run after singling to lead off the third inning, and they went on to win 2–0. In the nightcap, he scored one of B-W‘s three runs himself and knocked in the other two with a game-winning, two-out triple in the fifth inning.

Kidd has been getting on and around the bases for the Jackets all season. He’s hitting .368 and leads the team with a .473 on-base percentage, 42 runs scored, four triples and 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts. He’s also tied with sophomore first baseman Riley Kreisher for the team home run crown with three apiece.

His 42 runs are five shy of Paul Farrah’s school record of 47 set in 1988, and his four triples are just one off the mark set by Pat George in 1976 and matched by Pete Rowe in 2002.

[ B-W Baseball Batting & Baserunning Records ]

Baldwin-Wallace College freshman pitcher Jim Palko was named Pitcher of the Week by the Ohio Athletic Conference yesterday for throwing nine innings in two B-W victories last week without giving up a run.

The right-hander from Euclid muffled Mount Union College with a two-hit shutout in the first start of his career last Monday, striking out three batters and walking just one. Then, on Saturday, he tossed two innings of scoreless relief in extra innings as the Yellow Jackets rallied for a come-from-behind win over Wilmington College.

Palko leads the Jackets’ starting pitchers with a 1.93 earned run average in 18 ^2/3 innings, and he’s holding his opponents to a .236 batting average. He’s scheduled to start the opener of tomorrow’s OAC doubleheader against first-place Heidelberg College at 1 p.m. at Heritage Field.

[ B-W Baseball OAC Players of the Week ]

As the Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team gets ready to open its northern campaign, several school records are in danger of falling. Based on their performances at last week’s Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla., where the Yellow Jackets went 5–4 and outscored their opponents 82 to 45, these are the B-W players in the hunt for a record-setting season:

• Senior pitcher Clayton Kynkor has his sight on the best record in school history after winning both of the games he started at the Classic. His 12–4 career record is now third all-time and tops in this decade.
• Senior bullpen ace J.D. Fullerton added to the career record for relief appearances he set last season with four more in Ft. Myers. With 32 career appearances, he needs 13 more to break the record for total pitching appearances set by Bernie Bonhotel from 1985 to 1988.
• After getting hit with a pitch five times in Florida, sophomore center fielder Cody Kidd is already about half-way to the season record set by Kevin Brown last year.
• Kidd, who led the Jackets with 16 runs scored, and junior second baseman Nate Luken, who scored 12, have set themselves up for a run at the season scoring record of 47 set by Paul Farrah in 1988.
• Sophomore catcher and designated hitter Matt Bolte drove in 15 runs, putting him on pace to break Pat Shannon’s record of 50 RBIs set in 2002.

The Yellow Jackets’ hunt for endangered records continues this weekend when they travel to southwest Ohio for a doubleheader at Urbana University.

Heritage Field has come a long way since the 1950s, when a rudimentary ball field with a couple of benches and a chicken-wire backstop was carved out of abandoned farmland on the east end of the Baldwin-Wallace College campus.

Today, it has one of the best playing fields in the Ohio Athletic Conference, and the facilities around it have steadily improved since the Yellow Jackets hosted back-to-back OAC championship tournaments in the mid-1980s. Just a few years ago, an eight-foot-high outfield fence was installed, and last season saw the debut of permanent bleachers.

But one thing about Heritage Field hasn’t changed in 50 years: There’s still no press box.

While our rivals’ ballparks, like John Carroll’s Schweikert Field and Otterbein’s Fishbaugh Field, have been upgraded with new press boxes in recent years, Heritage Field’s “press box” is nothing but a wooden shack with a beat-up scorer’s table that sits behind the backstop. It’s an eyesore, and it obstructs the view from our new bleachers.

For the last few years, the B-W baseball alumni have been raising money to build a new, modern press box facility with a team meeting room and training table, a recruiting office, a concession stand and restrooms.

This week we kicked off the “Home Runs for Heritage” campaign. We’re asking all of our alums to pledge a donation for every home run the Yellow Jackets hit during the 2007 season. All of the money raised will be contributed to the Heritage Field fund at B-W to help pay for the design and construction of our new press box.

We’re also inviting fans and supporters of the B-W baseball program to join us in our campaign.

Please help us by pledging whatever you can to the Home Runs for Heritage campaign. As a guide to your pledge, the Jackets have averaged about 25 home runs a season since 1995. No pledge is too small! We need as many pledges as we can get to demonstrate the support for a new press box to the college’s new administration.

You can make your pledge online at the Home Runs for Heritage home page, or you can send your pledge by e-mail message to heritage@bwbaseball.com.

Thank you for supporting the Home Runs for Heritage campaign!

[ Home Runs for Heritage ]

Joey Dallas ’93 was inducted into the Baldwin-Wallace College Athletic Hall of Fame last month at the annual Homecoming eve induction ceremony in the Strosacker Union ballroom. He became the 46th B-W baseball player or coach admitted to the hall, following Erik Young ’89, who was inducted at last year’s ceremony.

Joey was an outstanding catcher and designated hitter for the Yellow Jackets from 1989 to 1992. He was a dominating force at the plate as well as behind it, winning the Jackets’ “Big Stick” outstanding hitter award in 1991 and the “Gold Glove” outstanding fielder award in 1992. He was named to the All–Ohio Athletic Conference first team twice, first as a DH in 1991, and then as a catcher in ’92. He was also a two-time All–Mideast Region catcher.

He still holds B-W’s career record with a .402 batting average, and he had the highest on-base percentage (.491) of any player in the ’90s. His .983 career fielding average is second all-time among B-W catchers.

In 1991, Joey led the Jackets to a school-record 25 wins, a runner-up finish in the OAC and an NCAA regional tournament appearance. He knocked out a season record with 64 hits and finished 13th in the nation with a .457 batting average. Behind the plate, he committed just one error in 117 chances while managing a pitching staff that threw more innings than any other in school history.

Two of his former battery mates, Bret Butler ’92 and Mark Massey ’93, were at the ceremony to see their friend and teammate inducted. B-W head coach Bob Fisher ’63 and Joey’s high school coach, Curt Karpinski, a hall of fame pitcher for the Jackets from 1969 to 1972, were also on hand for the honors.

Joey lives in Avon with his wife Michelle and their two daughters. He was named Lorain County baseball coach of the year in 2000 at Elyria Catholic High School, where he managed the dugout from 1998 to 2001. He’s currently a teacher and coach at East Tech High School.

B-W Baseball Athletic Hall of Famers »

The 2006 Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team award winners were announced by head coach Bob Fisher last week.

• Outstanding Freshman: Speedy outfielder Cody Kidd started 12 games and played in 24, batting .319, stealing 10 bases in 12 attempts, and making several jaw-dropping catches in center field.

• Gold Glove Award: Senior second baseman Kevin Brown won his second straight outstanding fielder award by handling over 150 fielding chances with only three errors and pitching in on 21 double plays.

• Big Stick Award: Senior right fielder Dan Melito led the Yellow Jackets in just about every offensive category. He posted a .405 batting average with 53 hits, 43 runs and 46 RBIs in 38 games. He also pounded out nine home runs on top of 17 doubles and smashed the B-W record for doubles in a career.

• Outstanding Pitcher: Junior right-hander Clayton Kynkor was the team’s most consistent starter, posting a 6–4 record with a 4.34 earned run average. He tied a school record with 11 starts and tossed five complete games. His 10–4 career record is tied for the best record by a B-W pitcher in this decade.

• Yellow Jacket Award: Co-captains Kevin Brown and Dan Melito were recognized by the coaching staff for their leadership in the dugout, on the field and in the classroom. They displayed a “practice ethic, style of play and leadership that if emulated by anyone, would make for a better player and teammate,” according to Coach Fisher.

• Guy Fisher Award for Academic Excellence: Sophomore second baseman Nate Luken earned straight As for the spring semester and a 3.88 grade point average for the year, giving him a 3.90 cumulative GPA going into his junior year.

This year’s team award winners will be recognized between innings of the Jackets’ annual alumni baseball game at Heritage Field on Homecoming morning, Saturday, October 7.

[ B-W Baseball Honor Roll ]

Baldwin-Wallace College co-captains Kevin Brown and Dan Melito have been named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All–District IV baseball team.

The Academic All-District team is selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. A nominated scholar-athlete “must have a 3.2 or better grade point average, be of sophomore or better standing and be a key starter or reserve who has played in a minimum of 70 percent of his team’s games.”

Brown, a second team Academic All-District player last year, was named to the first team this year. He started every game at second base for the Yellow Jackets and committed just three errors in 157 fielding chances. The Jackets’ leadoff hitter set season and career records for being hit by a pitch and tied a single-game record with three doubles against Case Western Reserve University on April 13. He graduated from B-W‘s MBA program with honors in May and plans on attending law school to pursue a career as a sports agent.

Melito made this year’s second team. The slugging right fielder led the Jackets in just about every offensive category and smashed the school record for doubles in a career. He graduated in May with a degree in pre-physical therapy and fitness management and starts his graduate training in physical therapy at Walsh University this fall.

Earlier this season, Brown and Melito were unanimous picks for the Academic All–Ohio Athletic Conference first team. They were part of a school-record contigent of seven B-W ballplayers named to the Academic All-OAC team.

The Jackets had the highest grade point average of any team at B-W for the fall semester and finished the spring term with 70 percent of the roster at or above a three-point GPA.

[ B-W Baseball Academic All–District IV Selections ]

Baldwin-Wallace College dominated the 2006 Academic All–Ohio Athletic Conference baseball team, earning nearly half of the honor squad’s 15 roster spots.

The Academic All-OAC team recognizes the league’s top scholar-athletes. Its roster is made up of outstanding starters and key reserves who have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average. Roster spots are awarded by a committee of faculty representatives from each of the ten OAC schools.

This year, the faculty reps honored four B-W ballplayers with first team selections: Kevin Brown, a senior who posted a 3.83 grade point average in B-W’s MBA program; Matt Green, a senior business administration major with a 3.53 GPA; Dan Melito, a senior physical therapy and fitness management major with a 3.51 GPA; and Matt Wilson, a senior business and marketing major with a 3.70 GPA.

Brown, Melito and Wilson were unanimous picks.

Mike Farrell, a senior business and marketing major with a 3.31 GPA; Brian Pille, a junior broadcasting and sport management major with a 3.67 GPA; and Nick Quarando, a junior HPE major with a 3.81 GPA, were selected for honorable mention.

The Yellow Jackets had more Academic All-OAC picks this year than any other team in school history. The 1987 and 2002 teams had a half dozen Academic All-OAC players apiece, and the 1996 club had five. Only one other team has had four first-teamers: Ryan Petrusky, Pat Shannon, Jim Leffler and Brian Keller were named to the top squad in 2003.

[ B-W Baseball Academic All-OAC Selections ]

On May 23, Baldwin-Wallace College senior right fielder Dan Melito was honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association with a spot on its All–Mideast Region baseball team.

Melito was chosen by the ABCA as a second team outfielder after leading the Yellow Jackets in almost every offensive category this season. He was the team’s batting champion with a .405 average and finished the regular season as the third-leading hitter in the Ohio Athletic Conference. He led the OAC with 43 runs scored while belting out nine home runs, 17 doubles and 46 RBIs in 38 games.

His 17 doubles were one short of B-W‘s season record, but they were more than enough for him to smash the career record. He ended up with 47 two-base hits over the last four seasons — nearly a dozen more than the previous record holder.

A week before his All–Mideast Region selection, Melito was named to the All–Ohio Athletic Conference first team by the league’s head coaches. He was joined on the All-OAC roster by senior first baseman Matt Wilson and senior second baseman Kevin Brown, who were named to the second team, and senior left fielder Mike Farrell, who was an honorable mention.

[ B-W Baseball All–Mideast Region Selections ]

Led by senior co-captains Dan Melito and Kevin Brown, the Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team set or tied nine school records this season.

Melito capped one of the best offensive careers in B-W history by smashing the career record for doubles with 47 over the last four seasons — nearly a dozen more than the previous mark. He hit 17 this year alone, falling just one short of the season record set by Pat Shannon in 2003. He finished his career with more runs scored and a higher on-base percentage than any other player this decade, and he’s among the all-time top ten in nine categories, including hits, runs batted in, home runs, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

He’s also fifth all-time among B-W outfielders with a .970 fielding average. In fact, all three of the Yellow Jackets’ senior outfielders finished their careers with top-ten fielding averages. Center fielder Matt Green’s .974 average is second all-time — just five one-thousandths behind Brian Keller’s school record of .979 — and left fielder Mike Farrell is seventh with a .964 average. Farrell also finished in the top ten for career doubles, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage.

Brown, the Yellow Jackets’ leadoff hitter, earned his place in the school record book the hard way. He was hit by a pitch 11 times this year, breaking the season record and giving him the career record with 19. His tough luck led the Jackets to a new team record of 38 beanings. His 71 career walks are the most by any player this decade, and rank sixth all-time. He also finished in the top ten for runs scored and fielding assists.

On April 13, he hustled his way to three doubles against Case Western Reserve University, matching a school and Ohio Athletic Conference single-game record shared by Phil Stringer ’90, Brian Johnson ’01, Pat Shannon ’03 and Mike Turchan ’05.

On the mound, junior pitchers J.D. Fullerton and Clayton Kynkor made a record number of pitching appearances this season. Fullerton’s relief appearance in the Jackets’ final game of the season broke the career record for most appearances by a reliever with 28. He missed the season record by only two appearances. Kynkor’s 11 starts tied the season record set by Scott Medvin in 1982 and matched by Walt Kendzierski in 1985, Bernie Bonhotel in 1988 and Matt Palumbo in 1991.

Kynkor’s 10–4 career record going into his senior year is tied with Heath Baker’s 15–6 mark from 2000 to 2003 for the best record this decade. Kynkor and Baker are tied for the third-best record all-time with Bret Butler, who also went 10–4 from 1991 to 1992.

[ B-W Baseball Record Book ]