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June 9, 2006

Cedar Falls, Iowa -

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The Panthers finished 28-27, 10-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference.  In the final two weeks of the season UNI went 5-3, taking a series over the Creighton Bluejays and defeating Iowa and No. 5 Nebraska in midweek action.  Despite the Panthers' first winning record in four seasons, UNI was nudged out of the conference tournament for the third year in a row.  UNI also recorded its lowest earned run average since joining the Division I ranks in 1981 with a 4.63 mark.

   

UNI placed freshman shortstop Brandon Douglas (St. Charles, Iowa/I-35 Truro) on first team all-conference.  Douglas became the first UNI freshman to earn first team honors since the Panthers' inception into Division I and the first Panther freshman to lead the team in hitting since 1988.  Sophomores first baseman Brett Featherston (Epworth, Iowa/Western Dubuque) and outfielder Brett Douglas (St. Charles, Iowa/I-35 Truro) earned second team all-conference, while senior second baseman Mark Frieske (Spokane, Wash./North Central) and sophomore outfielder Curt Bradley (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) received honorable mention accolades.

   

Featherston tied UNI's single-season record for walks with 40 and senior left-hand pitcher Drew Wold (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) set the career record for appearances with 65 in four years.  Seniors Pat Moran (Rapid City, S.D./Stevens) and Nate Trumm (Worthington, Iowa/Dyersville-Beckman) broke into many school career records including games played and hits.  For the complete list of updated career and season records see pages 23-24 of the final release.

   

Another Panther highlight was when sophomore lefty Aaron Jenkins (Brooklyn Park Minn./Champlin Park) earned Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing a seven-inning complete-game shutout against Bradley (5/7). 

 

Head Coach Rick Heller Quotes On The 2006 Season: "I thought we played really good baseball the last month of the season. Honestly, even in the early part of the season, we were right there. We had a chance to win, virtually every series we played.  It was good to see us improve as the season went on - we eliminated a lot of mistakes. 

   

"We had some pitchers step up and fill the hole - fill the holes of losing Jeff Hille, Jake Hansen and Bryan Westphal to season-ending injuries. I was really happy about that; we didn't fold when we lost some of those guys.  We fought through some things and as guys got adjusted to their new roles on the pitching staff, they really did a nice job.

   

"It was disappointing to not make the Valley tournament, just because we had many opportunities early in the season to win games. We went through a pretty big streak where we played solid baseball and still lost.  That was frustrating. Unfortunately, that is just baseball.  There are some times when the breaks do not go your way. All you can do is put yourself in a position to win the game and hope guys make plays or get a hit to put you over the top. That didn't happen until past the halfway point.  When the scale started to turn our way, we started catching breaks and some calls when our way. That is just baseball. There was not enough season to equal it out, in my opinion. 

   

"In our situation, it is really crucial that we stay healthy to put together a big season.  Unfortunately, in the last three years, we have had some key guys go down on the mound that have really hurt us. Our position players stayed relatively healthy this season and thus, you saw some guys really come on toward the end of the season and have a really good year.  

   

"It was a big positive for us to have a winning season and win 28 games.  We have been right there every year and we play in a league that is outstanding from top to bottom.  It makes it even tougher now that we have gone to a three-game series. In some years [when the league had four-game series], we thought that 11-12 wins would get you into the tournament, but this season was crazy in terms of how much parity there was in the MVC. Hopefully, the guys that are coming back will have a big of chip on their shoulder." 

 

Game-By-Game Recap: UNI cruised through the opening weeks of the 2006 campaign, putting together a seven-game win streak, despite battling cold, rainy conditions.   It took two games from Arkansas-Little Rock and swept a four-game series at Centenary.  The Panthers hit .329 in their first six games and Featherston combined for seven RBI with one home run and three doubles.  UNI then defeated New Mexico State (NMSU) in game one, 15-11, off four homers and a shutout final four innings.  Then the tides turned for UNI as the team suffered its longest losing streak of the season in five games, dropping two games to NMSU and its first three in Florida. 

   

 It rebounded with a 7-2 win over St. Francis as freshman Nick Kirk (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) struck out seven in six innings of work and Bradley went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one of his team-leading five triples. The Panthers went on to defeat Fairleigh Dickinson and Eastern Illinois and lose to Eastern Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois in the Sunshine State.

   

UNI opened its home schedule with a 4-2 victory over Clarke College and then went on the road again for its Valley opener at Illinois State.  The Panthers picked up one game in Normal, Ill., winning game two on the back of sophomore lefty Taylor Sinclair (Indianola, Iowa/Indianola) who pitched 7.1 innings and only gave up one run.  UNI then posted a 4-2 midweek loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee March 28 at Riverfront Stadium.

   

The Panthers swept North Dakota State in a three-game set April 1-2.  Due to rainy conditions, the teams played a doubleheader Saturday where UNI clinched 3-1 and 4-0 wins.  Sinclair dominated the Bison in game two, pitching his first complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits while striking out six. The Panther bats surged in Sunday's 7-3 brooming as Brandon Douglas went 3-for-4 with two doubles and Eric Hoffman tallied a two-RBI single.

   

UNI then fell in back-to-back extra inning contests to Minnesota (4/5) and Missouri State (4/7).  In Friday night's series opener to the Bears, senior Zach Jevne pitched a season-high 8.1 innings, only allowing one run.  However, an RBI-double by Missouri State in the top of the 12th frame sealed the 2-1 Bear victory. The Panthers toppled the Bears in game two, 8-1, as UNI stole four bases and four Panthers had a multiple-hit game.  Sinclair pitched another gem, striking out three in eight innings of work.  The Panthers dropped the rubber game, 4-2, giving up two runs in the top of the ninth to start a four-game slump.

   

UNI posted midweek losses to Upper Iowa and Northern Illinois and then dropped game one to MVC regular-season and tournament champion Evansville, 6-1, April 14.  Sinclair recorded his fourth consecutive win in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Purple Aces, tallying a season-best seven strikeouts in eight innings. The Panthers were then shutout, 7-0, in game three.

   

UNI revenged an earlier loss to Minnesota April 19 in Minneapolis, Minn. with a 9-6 victory.  The Panthers were propelled by a five-hit, six-run fifth frame and Featherston went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI.   The Panthers then continued their road trip in Terre Haute, Ind., going 1-2 against Indiana State. 

   

In the Friday night opener against the Sycamores, sophomore closer Bryan Westphal (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead) tallied his team-leading fifth save of the season, recording the final four outs with strikes and confirming UNI's 9-5 win.  Junior Nick Cameron started a Panther rally in the sixth frame with a solo home run to left field and Frieske plated the go-ahead run with a double to left center.  The Panthers dropped the following two contests to Indiana State, 8-7 in extra innings and 17-7 in eight innings.

   

UNI controlled the third annual Corridor Classic against Iowa, April 26 at Veterans Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jenkins earned a spot in the weekend rotation in the game, tallying a season-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings and throwing six shutout frames in UNI's 4-2 victory.

   

Beginning with the win over the Hawkeyes April 26, UNI finished the season on a 9-6 roll, taking series from Southern Illinois (SIU) and Creighton and defeating No. 5 Nebraska.

   

The Panthers split a doubleheader with SIU, April 28.  Senior Zach Jevne (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah) recorded a career-high nine strikeouts and Featherston tallied four runs scored in UNI's 11-6 game one win.  UNI fell 14-2 in game two.  The Panthers then patched together an 8-6 rubber-game victory to give UNI its first series win over the Salukis in head coach Rick Heller's tenure, April 30.  Brett and Brandon Douglas both homered in the series finale.

   

After dropping the first two contests at Bradley (5/5-5/7), UNI took game three in a decisive fashion.  Jenkins pitched his first career complete-game shutout, leading the Panthers to a 10-0, seven-inning victory, and only allowing one hit and striking out seven in the process.  Brett Douglas also went 4-for-4 with four RBI.

   

Next up were the No. 5-ranked Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb. The Panthers put together a stellar outing against one of the top-ranked offenses in the nation; eight UNI hurlers combined for eight strikeouts and only allowed three hits.  UNI's offense also stung the Huskers, as eight Panther batters put together 11 hits and helped UNI defeat Nebraska, 5-1.

   

"That was when we were starting to play some pretty good baseball," Heller said. "We finished the season out that way. I was just happy that we had a bunch of guys that could have very easily just given up against tough competition and they didn't.  They played hard and tried to get better all season long.  That was another day where I thought we made a good jump."

   

UNI then took game one from Wichita State, 3-1. Jevne pitched his second career complete game and helped the Panthers break the Shockers' 10-game home win streak.   The Panther dropped the final two games of the series at Wichita State, 6-2 and 10-2. 

   

UNI hosted its final four regular-season games at Riverfront Stadium, coming away with a 3-1 record and a winning record on the season. The Panthers rallied for a 6-5 win over Iowa, May 16, and UNI now has won five of its last six meetings with the Hawkeyes.

   

The Panthers took two games from Creighton in the last regular-season weekend (5/18-5/20). UNI battled back from a 6-1 deficit in game one with 11 unanswered runs to clinch a 12-6 victory.  Frieske went 4-for-5 with two RBI and Cameron and Trumm both homered in the contest.  An eighth-inning 'Jay rally in game two tied the series as Creighton won, 4-3.  

Jenkins put together another top-notch performance in the rubber game, guiding UNI to a 3-0 victory. Jenkins worked for a career-high eight innings and tallied eight strikeouts, only giving up two hits.

   

UNI said farewell to eight seniors: Clayton Daniels, Mark Frieske, Jake Hansen, Brett Iverson, Zach Jevne, Pat Moran, Nate Trumm and Drew Wold.

   

Jevne had an outstanding senior campaign, filling the role as the No. 1 starter when Jeff Hille went down early in the season.  He tallied a team-high seven wins and finished with a 3.64 earned run average in 89.0 innings.

    "Zach Jevne really had a great senior season and really carried us at times," Heller said. "He gave us a chance to win nearly every time out.  I am really proud of his efforts."

   

Frieske earned MVC honorable mention honors for the second consecutive season and moved from the outfield to second base, a new position for the Spokane, Wash. native, and committed only one error and 76 assists in conference play.

   

"I felt like Mark Frieske played great all season long," Heller said. "He was put into a tough situation, never playing second base prior to this season.  When he moved to second base and started playing there every day, I think that is when we started playing better baseball.  Frieske provided the level of consistency in the middle infield that we needed."  

 

LOOKING FORWARD

   

UNI was led nearly entirely by underclassmen during the 2006 campaign as four of the top five hitters have at least two years of eligibility remaining and it returns 10 pitchers who have quality experience.

   

"I just feel like we have a great group of younger players on this team," Heller said. "I am excited about next year. All those guys are great kids and we have a great group of guys who play the game the right way. They are the group of guys that can turn the corner for us."

   

Redshirt freshman Brandon Douglas led the Panthers with a .370 batting average, 78 hits and 51 runs scored.  He also earned a multitude of post season accolades, including being named to the 2006 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team. 

   

Sophomore Brett Douglas and Curt Bradley were directly behind Brandon Douglas on the team's hitting statistics, batting .351 and .331, respectively.  Brett Douglas tied for a team-high nine sacrifice hits and had 21 RBI, 14 in conference games.  Bradley led the squad with five triples, along with six doubles and one homer.

Sophomore Brett Featherston paced the Panthers with 48 RBI, six home runs and 19 doubles, tallying a .522 slugging percentage.

   

Prior to a season-ending injury, Westphal recorded a 1.57 ERA average in 20 appearances and a team-high five saves. He is tied for third in UNI's career records with eight saves. Jenkins came on strong for UNI, putting together a 4-1 record with a 3.09 ERA.  The left-handed pitcher compiled 70 strikeouts in only 58.1 innings pitched.

   

Sophomore lefty Taylor Sinclair recorded UNI's first three conference victories and came away with a 4.45 ERA in 85.0 innings of work.  Sinclair recorded his first career complete game and save during the season, as well.

   

 Two-way players junior Eric Hoffmann (CF/LHP) and sophomore Jason Smith (C/RHP) are expected to make a larger impact on the pitching staff next season. Hoffmann kept a 0.00 ERA throughout 10 appearances, while Smith held a 1.80 ERA in five innings of work.

 

 

DRAFT DAY: Right-hand pitcher Zach Jevne (Decorah, Iowa) and outfielder/second baseman Curt Bradley (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) were drafted in the second day of the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft June 7.  Jevne was taken in the 27th round by the Baltimore Orioles as the 805th overall pick.  Bradley was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 33rd round as the 983rd overall selection.

 

FRESHMEN ALL-AMERICAN: Shortstop Brandon Douglas was named to the 2006 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Baseball team. He is one of 85 freshmen in the nation to comprise the prestigious roster. Douglas, also a 2006 Missouri Valley Conference First Team selection, is the first Panther since Kory Kelchen in 2002 to earn the honor.

 

SCHOLAR ATHLETES: Sophomores Curt Bradley and Taylor Sinclair were named to the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team as honorable mention selections, determined by a vote of league sports information directors.

 

Bradley, also a 2006 MVC honorable mention outfielder, hit .331 on the season and led the Panthers with five triples.  He tallied six doubles and one home run, recording a .442 slugging percentage.  The Columbia, Mo. native holds a 3.32 grade point average in psychology.  Bradley also is a member of the Panther football squad.

 

Left-hand pitcher Sinclair started 14 games, recording five wins, one complete game and one save during the season.  He finished with a 4.45 earned run average and 48 strikeouts in 85.0 innings of work.  Sinclair was a crucial element to the Panthers' first three conference victories, recording four consecutive wins March 25-April 15.  The Indianola, Iowa native struck out a season-high seven against conference regular-season and tournament champion Evansville in eight innings of work.   Sinclair holds a 3.57 GPA in geography.

 

PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Aaron Jenkins was named MVC Pitcher of the Week May 8 for the first time in his career.  Jenkins fired a seven-inning, one-hit shutout against the Bradley Braves May 7. In the contest, he struck out seven in his first career complete game shutout and guided UNI to four, 1-2-3 defensive frames, while leading his team to a 10-0, run-rule victory.