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Sophomore utility man Steve Georgion and senior center fielder Ryan Hawkins recently received post season honors from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference for their outstanding seasons. 

Georgion, from Boone Grove, IN (Boone Grove High School) earned First Team honors as a utility player after hitting .366 this season for the Panthers.  In 42 games Georgion led the team in hits (51), slugging percentage (.482), total bases (67), triples (2) and tied for the team lead in doubles with nine.  He was second on the team in at bats (139), runs (27), RBI (29) and walks (15). 

Georgion was a true utility player for the Panthers, playing right field, left field, second base and third base on an equal basis.  The young left-handed hitter also played first base and center field for the Panthers.   

Hawkins, from Columbus, IN (Columbus North High School and Ancilla Junior College), earned Honorable Mention honors after hitting .345 and leading the team in runs (42), doubles (9) walks (23), on-base percentage (.503), and stolen bases (18).  The feisty lead-off hitter also played a solid centerfield for PNC.         

This is the second year Hawkins earned CCAC post season honors as he was a First Team outfielder as a junior for the Panthers. 

This year the Panthers finished 18-23-1 and 8-12 in CCAC play.  The 18 wins were the second-most in the history of the young program (22 in 2004).

The Purdue North Central baseball team needed to sweep Robert Morris Monday afternoon in Chicago to earn the final spot in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and extend their season.  Unfortunately, the Panthers lost both games and were eliminated from postseason competition. 

In the first game PNC fell 2-0 despite the complete game effort of junior pitcher Joe Reid.  Reid allowed just eight hits and struck out three while giving up only two earned runs.  Reid’s hard luck and lack of run support continued as his record dropped to 1-7 despite a solid ERA of 4.91. 

Once again the Panther offense sputtered, managing just two hits, both by sophomore Steve Georgion, and striking out 11 times.  However, PNC had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh as the first two runners reached base.  But a failed sacrifice bunt and two strikeouts ended the game. 

The second game was more of the same as PNC fell 10-0 in five innings.   The Panthers anemic offense continued to struggle as they collected just three hits, one each by senior Ryan Hawkins, junior Aaron Aigner and freshman Chris Stocker. 

Senior Jim Erdelac took the loss, falling to another hard luck record of 3-7, despite having a 3.61 ERA for the season.  He lasted 1.2 innings before seniors Billy Pitts and Jason Stuebe finished the game for PNC.  

PNC moved their record to 18-23-1 overall and 8-12 in conference play (8^th place out of 12 teams).    

The Purdue North Central baseball team split a doubleheader with Judson College Saturday evening in Elgin to keep their Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament hopes alive.  The Panthers lost the first game 5-3 but rebounded in the second game with an 8-5 victory. 

In game one, senior pitcher Bobby Pitts (3-1) took the loss despite giving up just one earned run in 3.2 innings.  However, a costly error by the Panther defense allowed Judson to score three runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead.  Both teams added single runs in the sixth inning for the final tally.  Senior Jason Stuebe pitched a solid 2.1 innings of relief for PNC, allowing an unearned run.       

PNC collected only six hits in the game and were led by junior Joe Reid who had two hits and an RBI.   

In game two the Panthers rebounded for a 8-5 victory.  PNC jumped out to a 7-2 lead before escaping several Judson rallies for the difference.   

Freshman Tom Albano came on in relief of junior Tony Robb to move his record to 3-0.  Albano entered in the third inning with the bases loaded and nobody out and proceeded to strikeout the Judson’s number two and three hitters.  After a questionable hit-by-pitch call forced in a run, Albano closed out the inning with no further damage for PNC.  Albano allowed just one run on two hits and four walks, while striking out three in four innings of work for the Panthers. 

Offensively, Reid led the way again with three hits and an RBI while senior Gary Ray had the big blow with a bases clearing triple in the third inning.  Sophomore Steve Georgion added two hits and two RBI’s for the Panthers. 

PNC wraps up conference play with a doubleheader at Robert Morris on Monday at 2 p.m.  The Panthers must sweep in order to have a chance at the last spot in the CCAC conference tournament.   

For the second straight day the PNC Panthers fell to the University of St. Francis, this time by the score of 10-1 Thursday afternoon in Joliet. 

PNC jumped on the board early and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.  However, St. Francis responded by scoring in every inning but the fifth, including single runs in the first, third, fourth, seventh and eight innings, wile plating two runs in the second inning and three runs in the sixth. 

St. Francis pounded out 17 hits overall against four different PNC pitchers while the Panthers managed just six hits by six different players.  Senior pitcher Jim Erdelac took the loss and moved his record to 3-6.  Erdelac was pitching on short rest as the Panthers are scrambling to try and gain the final conference tournament spot.   

Senior Gary Ray had the only extra base hit for PNC with an RBI double in the first inning. 

The Panthers play again this Saturday when they travel to Judson College in Elgin, IL for an important CCAC doubleheader match-up at 5 p.m.      

The Purdue North Central baseball team dropped a 5-0 decision to the University of St. Francis, Wednesday afternoon at Hicks Field in Westville.  The loss moved the Panthers to 17-19-1 overall and 7-8 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.  St. Francis improved to 23-20 and 11-8. 

St. Francis jumped out to an early 2-0 lead by scoring two unearned runs in the second inning.  They added two more in the fourth and one in the eighth for the difference.  Junior Joe Reid (1-6) pitched eight innings for PNC, allowing the five runs (3 earned) on 11 hits, while striking out four and walking one.  Freshman Jon Charlson pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing just one hit, for the Panthers. 

The difference in the game was a quiet Panther offense that managed just three hits and struck out 11 times.  Seniors Ryan Hawkins and Dustin Waters had singles while freshman Chris Stocker hit his first career triple.   

The two teams meet again tomorrow for a single nine-inning game at 3:30 p.m. in Joliet, IL.     

The Purdue North Central baseball team took another step in building their program Tuesday afternoon in Dekalb, IL.  The Panthers, playing just their second Division I game in the program’s young history, tied Northern Illinois 8-8 after 12 complete innings of play.  The game was called due to darkness as PNC moved to 17-18-1 overall. 

The Panthers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first, capitalizing on a Ryan Hawkins hit-batsman (the first of the senior’s career), a walk to sophomore Steve Georgion, and RBI singles by junior Joe Reid and senior Dustin Waters.   

Northern Illinois responded in the bottom half of the inning however, scoring five unearned runs off freshman pitcher Ryan Curless on two PNC errors to surge in front 5-2. 

A three-run response by Purdue North Central in the fifth knotted the game at 5-5. Leadoff hitter Ryan Hawkins roped a triple to center and scored on senior’s Gary Ray single. Ray then stole second and moved to third on a Georgion’s base-knock, before scoring on Reid’s second hit of the day. Waters was then induced into a run-scoring double play that evened the score. 

Freshman John Babinski relieved Curless in the fourth and pitched brilliantly out of a bases loaded jam.  However, Northern Illinois scored three runs in the fifth on four singles to take an 8-5 lead. 

PNC added a run in the sixth inning when freshman Chris Stocker led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Stocker moved to third on a groundout by freshman Ian Figuly, before scoring on a groundout by senior Jim Erdelac, who spoiled several good pitches by the NIU pitcher.   

The game remained 8-6 until the ninth when Erdelac led off the inning with a double.  Hawkins walked and Ray reached after he was hit in the head by an errant pitch to load the bases.  Georgion grounded into a RBI fielder’s choice to the shortstop, who made a sensational play and forced Ray at second.  With runners at the corners and the score 8-7, Reid scored Hawkins on a suicide squeeze to tie the game.  Waters grounded to short to end the inning and eventually send it into extra innings. 

Purdue North Central once again appeared ready to gain the lead in the bottom of the 12th, but right fielder Mike Santoro gunned Waters down at home plate to preserve the tie. 

The Panther pitchers were impressive once again.  PNC held NIU scoreless for the last seven innings, giving up just three hits.  Babainski pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, while senior Billy Pitts pitched an impressive 2.2 inings into the 10^th.  Senior Jason Steube closed the game for the Panthers retiring seven of the eight batters he faced. 

Offensively, PNC out hit NIU 14-10 and were led by Waters’ three hits.  Hawkins, Ray, Reid and Stocker all added two hits apiece with Hawkins adding two walks and Ray two stolen bases. 

The Panthers concluded their home schedule on Wednesday verses the University of St. Francis (IL) at 3:30p.m. in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest.      

The Purdue North Central baseball team sat on a two run lead in the second game of a twin bill, allowing Trinity International the opportunity to come from behind and split Monday afternoon’s doubleheader.  The Panthers are now 17-18 overall and 7-7 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

“You can’t just flip a switch anytime and all of a sudden start beating a team,” said PNC head coach John Weber.  "We need to do all the little things right to play at a high level…which we clearly didn’t do in the second game.  You can’t bring energy to the table in the sixth inning and expect to win.  The desire and heart has to be there at the beginning from the entire team.  Trinity played hard the entire game; we didn't” 

The Panthers won the first game 7-4 behind the complete game effort of senior Jim Erdelac.  Erdelac, who improved to 3-5, allowed seven hits, struck out nine, and walked three while giving up just one earned run. 

Offensively, the Panthers had 11 hits, led by sophomore Steve Georgion’s three hits and two RBI’s.  Freshman Chris Stocker, senior Ryan Hawkins and Erdelac all added two hits apiece.  Hawkins also had two RBI’s and Georgion and Stocker both had doubles. 

In the second game the Panthers took a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning, squandering many opportunities because of poor base running (three runners picked off first base) and lack of execution.  Trinity International battled the entire game and came back on a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to make the final score 3-2.  Tony Robb took the loss moving his record to 6-3.  Robb pitched a solid 6.1 innings, striking out seven, before senior Jason Steube came on to retire the final two batters.     

The Panthers only had five hits in the second game, none from the five through nine hitters in the order.  Junior Joe Reid had both RBI’s on two singles.  Georgion reached base three times on a hit and two walks to conclude a perfect day at the plate. 

The Panthers play again tomorrow when they travel to Northern Illinois to take on the Division I Huskies at 3p.m.                      

The Purdue North Central baseball team won their fourth straight game Thursday afternoon with a 7-1 non-conference victory over St. Francis University of Ft. Wayne, IN.  The win moved the Panthers to 16-17 overall while they remained at 6-6 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

Excellent pitching from three different pitchers set the tone for the Panthers.  Senior Bobby Pitts (3-0) started and pitched five strong innings for the win.  Pitts, who allowed just one unearned run in the fifth inning, gave up two hits while walking one and striking out two.  Freshman John Babinski relieved in the sixth inning and added an impressive three innings, striking out four while giving up one hit and one walk.  Billy Pitts, Bobby’s twin brother, came in and pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced. 

PNC also had a productive day at the plate with 11 hits overall.  Senior Jim Erdelac and junior Joe Reid both had two doubles and an RBI while Erdelac added another base hit.  Erdelac’s RBI came on a shallow sacrifice fly that scored the speedy Jason Stuebe from third base on a spectacular slide.  Junior Aaron Aigner smacked his first career round tripper with a solo shot deep into the parking lot in left field and added a single to his credit.  He also was hit by a pitch for a team leading 8^th time this year, added two stolen bases and made a nifty play up the middle defensively.  Sophomore Steve Georgion added two hits, an RBI and a stolen base, while senior Ryan Hawkins punched in two runs for the Panthers. 

The Panthers play again this Saturday when they host Trinity International at 12pm in a CCAC doubleheader. 

The Purdue North Central baseball team pounded out 19 hits and had solid pitching to defeat host Calumet College of St. Joseph 12-2 Tuesday night.  With the win the Panthers improved to 15-17 overall and 6-6 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

While the Panther bats were mighty, senior pitcher Jim Erdelac pitched a gem, shutting down the Crimson Wave on just four hits in seven innings of work, allowing just one run.  Erdelac struck out five and walked two while allowing only one putout in the air – a fly out to right field in the sixth inning.  Senior Jason Steube worked the final two innings and allowed one run while striking out three. 

PNC jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.  Senior Ryan Hawkins led off the game with a double, which was immediately followed by a two-run homer by senior Gary Ray.  CCSJ cut the score in half with a run in the second on a double and a single, before a bases clearing double by freshman Chris Stocker allowed PNC to take a 5-1 lead after three innings.  

The score remained at 5-1 until the top of the seventh when the Panthers put the game away with four runs on seven hits, the big blow being a two-run double by junior Aaron Aigner.  PNC added two in the eighth and one in the ninth for good measure. 

Several Panthers had big offensive days, including senior Dustin Waters (4 hits), Hawkins (2B, 2 singles, walk, 3 runs, stolen base), Ray (HR, 2B, 3 RBI’s), junior Joe Reid (2 hits, RBI), Aigner (2B, 2 singles, 3 runs, 2 RBI,) and Stocker (2B, 2 singles, 3 RBI).  In fact, the only Panther that didn’t reach base safely on the night was sophomore Steve Georgion (0 for 5).  Aigner also made several nice plays at shortstop to back up Erdelac and Stuebe. 

The Panthers next game is Thursday when they travel to Ft. Wayne to take on St. Francis at 3 p.m.

In a tale of two different games, the Purdue North Central baseball team swept a doubleheader from IU Northwest Saturday afternoon in Gary, IN. 

In the first game the Panthers won 17-7 invoking the 10-run rule after five innings of play.  PNC took an early lead by scoring six runs in the second inning, three on a homerun by senior Gary Ray, before IUN closed the gap to 6-5 entering the fourth. 

After adding two more runs in the fourth on a two-run homer by senior Dustin Waters to make it 8-5, PNC exploded for nine runs in the fifth for their final tally.  The Panthers had six hits in the inning, including a solo home run and a double by sophomore Steve Georgion and a double by Waters.

Overall, Georgion led the way by doing one better than the cycle with a homer, triple, two doubles and two RBI’s.  Several other Panthers reached base multiple times including Waters (HR, 2B), senior Ryan Hawkins (2 BB’s, 1B), Ray (HR, 1B), junior Aaron Aigner (3 HBP’s, 1B), junior Lance Losinski (2 1B’s), senior Billy Pitts (1B, HBP), and senior Jim Erdelac (2 1B’s).  Ray had four RBI’s, Waters and Erdelac added three RBI’s each, while Georgion and Hawkins had two apiece.

Junior Tony Robb picked up the win in relief of freshman Ryan Curless who was making his first career start.  Robb qualified for the win in his only relief appearance of the year thus far. 

In the second game the Panthers had to overcome a lethargic effort and rally in their last at bats to make up a 1-0 deficit against IUN.  The Panthers scored five runs in the top of the seventh before senior Bobby Pitts closed out the game to move his record to 2-0.  Pitts came on in relief of freshman Jon Charlson who allowed just one run in 4.2 innings in his first career start as well. 

In the top of the seventh freshman Chris Stocker started things with a single and reached second on a throwing error by the leftfielder.  Freshman Ian Figuly followed with a single as did Erdelac to tie the game at 1-1.  Hawkins hit into a fielders choice to put runners at the corners before Ray drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.  Georgion added a run-scoring single, Reid followed with an RBI double off the wall in left center, and Waters added another RBI single to close out the scoring. 

Reid had three doubles in the second game for PNC while Stocker and Erdelac added two singles apiece.  The Panthers had 12 hits in the game with six coming in their last at bats. 

Next up for the Panthers, now 14-17 overall, is a road game against conference foe Calumet College of St. Joseph on Tuesday at 3p.m.                   

The Purdue North Central baseball team fell just short of defeating conference leader Olivet Nazarene Monday afternoon at Hicks field on the PNC campus.  The Panthers fell by the scores of 4-2 and 4-3 to move their record to 12-17 overall and 5-6 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.   

In the first game the Panthers took a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning before Olivet Nazarene rallied for a solo homerun in the sixth and two runs in the seventh.     

The Panthers scored their two runs in the third inning, including the go ahead run on a suicide squeeze by junior pitcher Joe Reid.  Overall, the Panthers had just three hits on the day with two coming from senior Ryan Hawkins.  Nazarene had 10 hits off of Reid, who pitched a solid game for PNC.  Reid allowed just three earned runs in 6.1 innings and struck out three while walking two.  Freshman Tom Albano came in and retired the last two batters for the Panthers, including one on a strikeout. 

In game two the Panthers led 3-2 going into the fifth before Nazarene took advantage of some defensive miscues and some walks, scoring the winning run in the top of the seventh once again, for the 4-3 victory. 

Once again the Panther offense struggled, managing only three hits once again.  However, junior pitcher Tony Robb held Nazarene in check, giving up just two earned runs in 6.2 innings of work.  Albano came on again and retired the last batter.  Freshman Chris Stocker socked his third home of the year, sophomore Steve Georgion added an RBI triple and junior Joe Reid contributed an RBI single for the Panther runs. 

PNC has a light week and won’t play again until Saturday when they travel to Gary, IN to play Indiana University Northwest in a doubleheader at 12 p.m.  

The Purdue North Central baseball team suffered a 14-0 setback at the hands of St. Xavier Friday afternoon in Chicago.  The loss moved the Panthers to 12-15 overall and 5-4 in conference play. 

The Panthers fell behind immediately 2-0 after one inning of play, and it quickly unraveled from there.  St. Xavier scored one run in the third inning, five runs in the fourth, four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth inning.  Meanwhile, PNC had just five hits from two players and committed five errors overall.   

The only offensive spark for the Panthers came from sophomore Steve Georgion, who had three singles and senior Dustin Waters who added a single and a double.   

Senior Jim Erdelac took the loss, giving up five runs (0 earned) on five hits in 3.1 innings of work while striking out six.   

PNC hosts conference leader Olivet Nazarene on Monday at 2 p.m. in a doubleheader.        

The Purdue North Central baseball team split their third consecutive doubleheader Wednesday afternoon in Palos Height’s IL when they fell to Trinity Christian 8-2 in the first game but responded with a 17-5 victory in the night cap.  Both games were closer than the scores indicated. 

In the first game the Panthers trailed just 5-2 entering the sixth inning, but the Trolls scored three times to ice the game.  Junior Joe Reid took the loss for PNC, giving up seven runs (four earned), five hits, five walks and struck out five in 5.2 innings of work.  The Panthers offense was quite again, collecting just four hits, two by senior Ryan Hawkins.  Hawkins and senior Jim Erdelac drove in the only runs for PNC in the fifth inning. 

In game two the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Trinity Christian took a 5-3 lead entering the sixth inning.  But the Panthers responded with a whopping 14 runs in the sixth inning on 12 hits to put the game out of reach.  Junior Lance Losinski started for the Panthers before freshman Tom Albano came on and picked up the win by striking out four in 1.2 innings of relief. 

Several Panthers had big offensive performances as PNC collected a season-high 22 hits, including 18 singles.  Sophomore Steve Georgion led the way with four hits, junior Joe Reid and seniors Gary Ray, Dustin Waters and Jim Erdelac had three hits each.  Senior Ryan Hawkins and freshman Ian Figuly, who started the big inning, had two hits apiece.  Ray and Reid led the way with four RBI’s and Georgion, Erdelac and freshman Chris Stocker had two each. 

PNC (12-14, 5-3) plays at St. Xavier on Friday at 3 p.m. in their next contest. 

The PNC baseball team was back in action Tuesday afternoon and split a non-conference doubleheader against visiting Aquinas College (MI).  The Panthers won the first game 10-8 before dropping the second game 7-2. 

PNC rallied from two deficits for a thrilling victory in game one.  The Panthers fell behind 5-2 after one and a half innings of play, but tied it at 5-5 after three full innings.  Aquinas pulled ahead 8-5 entering the bottom of the fifth.  However, PNC scored two in the fifth and three in the sixth for the final score.   

The Panthers pounded out 12 hits overall and were led by senior Gary Ray and sophomore Steve Georgion.  Ray was three for three with three runs, a walk and four RBI’s.  Georgion was three for four with two runs and three RBI’s.  Both had doubles for the Panthers.  Senior Ryan Hawkins and junior Joe Reid had two hits apiece for PNC and Hawkins added a stolen base. 

Senior Billy Pitts picked up the win in relief of freshman John Babinski.  Pitts pitched one scoreless inning after Babinski gave up five earned runs in five innings of work.  Freshman Tom Albano closed the door for the save. 

In the second game Aquinas scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings before scoring four runs in the fifth for the difference.  PNC managed just five hits, two by freshman Evan Allison, in their failed bid for the sweep.  Allison and senior Dustin Waters drove in one run each for the Panthers. 

Junior Steve Paradzinski took the loss in 4.2 inning of work, moving his record to 0-1.   Pitts came in again and had another strong relief performance, allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings and striking out two batters. 

The Panthers next game is tomorrow at Trinity Christian (Palos Heights, IL) in a CCAC doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m.

The Purdue North Central baseball team split a doubleheader Sunday verses the Scarlet Hawks of the Illinois Institute of Technology.  IIT won the first game 4-1 in eight innings while the Panthers rebounded to take game two by the score of 2-1. 

Senior pitcher Jim Erdelac tossed a complete game for PNC in game one, allowing just eight singles and a double while striking out six.  But the Panthers managed just five hits and scored their lone run in the fifth inning before an IIT rally in the eighth inning made the difference.  Freshman Ian Figuly was the only Panther with multiple hits with two singles, and junior Lance Losinski drove in PNC’s only run with a hard single up the middle. 

In game two the Panthers road the hot arm of junior Tony Robb who threw a complete game while allowing just five hits.  Once again PNC had just five hits of their own but managed to scrape single runs across in the third and fifth innings.  Senior Dustin Waters had one RBI for the Panthers and freshman Evan Allison came off the bench to drive in the winning run with a sacrifice fly for the other RBI.  

The Panthers, now 10-12 overall and 4-2 in conference, host Aquinas College of Michigan on Tuesday in a doubleheader at 1pm.         

The PNC baseball team had a thrilling 15-14 come from behind win over Calumet College of St. Joseph Saturday afternoon in Westville.  The victory moved the Panthers to 9-11 overall and 3-1 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

PNC took and early 4-0 lead in the first inning on several CCSJ miscues.  But CCSJ took advantage of several Panther miscues to tie the score at four after four innings of play. 

CCSJ scored three in the fifth and added one in the top of the sixth to expand their lead to 8-4.  But the Panthers roared back with six of their own in the bottom of the sixth to take what seemed like a commanding 10-8 lead into the final three innings. 

CCSJ, not to be outdone, scored six runs of their own to take a 14-10 lead after seven innings of play.  The Panthers tied the game in the bottom of the eighth at 14 all before winning on a balk in the ninth inning. 

Both teams were sloppy on the day with CCSJ committing five errors and PNC adding a whopping eight of their own.  The Panthers managed to out-hit CCSJ 12-9 as both teams left several men on base (PNC – 8, CCSJ – 10). 

Individually, freshman Tom Albano picked up the first win of his career, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out one.  Senior Dustin Waters led the way with three hits, while senior Ryan Hawkins, freshman Chris Stocker, senior Gary Ray and junior Joe Reid added two hits apiece.  Reid led the way with three RBI’s.  Amazingly, despite the offensive output, neither team had an extra base hit. 

The Panthers will play again tomorrow when they host IIT at 12 p.m. in a CCAC doubleheader.               

The Purdue North Central baseball team fell to St. Xavier 12-0 Friday afternoon at Hicks field in Westville.  The loss dropped the Panthers to 8-11 overall and 2-1 in conference play.

The game was close early on as St. Xavier took a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning.  But the St. Xavier took advantage of several hits and two Panther errors to put seven runs on the board in the top of the fifth.  St. Xavier added a run in the sixth and three in the seventh for their final total.

PNC’s bats were anemic and mustered just two hits all day as they were out-hit 15-2.  Junior Joe Reid took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs in 4.2 innings.  Seniors Ryan Hawkins and Dustin Waters managed the only hits for the Panthers.

The Panthers play again tomorrow when they host Calumet College of St. Joseph for one game in another CCAC match up.  First pitch is scheduled for
1 p.m.

The Purdue North Central Panthers defeated visiting Tri-State University (Angola, IN) 11-7 Thursday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader.  The win moves PNC to 8-10 overall while Tri-State dropped to 5-10.

The game was a sloppy affair on both parts as both teams seemed to be looking ahead to big conference weekends.  PNC committed five errors overall and Tri-State committed a whopping six errors.

The score was tied at four after five innings before the Panthers started to pull away.  PNC scored three runs each in both the sixth and seventh innings and added an insurance run in the eighth to make it 11-5.  Tri-State rallied for two runs in the ninth for the final score.

Freshman Ryan Curless earned his first collegiate win in relief of fellow freshman John Babinski.  Babinski lasted 4.1 innings giving up just two earned runs before Curless came on and shut the door on Tri-State.  Curless pitched three innings overall and gave up one unearned run while striking out two.  Junior Steve Paradzinski came on and retired the only four batters he faced in the eighth and ninth, before freshman John Charlson retired the last batter after giving up two runs.

Offensively, junior Joe Reid led the way with three hits and two RBI.  Six other Panthers added a hit but freshman Ian Figuly and senior Dustin Waters contributed two RBI each.  Waters had the only extra base hit with a two run double. 

PNC hosts defending conference champion St. Xavier on Friday at 3pm.  On Saturday the Panthers host Calumet College of St. Joseph at 1pm and on Sunday PNC hosts IIT at 12pm in a doubleheader.         

The University of Illinois at Chicago baseball team took advantage of some wild pitching from visiting Purdue-North Central as the Flames drew seven walks on the evening, six of which came around to score, as UIC extended its winning streak to five games with a 14-5 non-conference victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night.

With the victory, UIC improves to 10-9-1, while the Panthers fall to 7-10 on the campaign.

Junior pitcher Scott Saling (1-0) earned the victory for the Flames, scattering seven hits and striking out two batters in six innings of work. PNC reliever William Pitts (0-1) took the loss for the Panthers, allowing five runs in one inning of work, while issuing three bases on balls.

UIC scored five runs in both the fourth and fifth innings after the Panthers had taken an early 1-0 lead.  The Flames expanded the lead to 12-1 after five innings before PNC cut into the lead and made it 12-5 entering the eighth inning.  UIC added two insurance runs in the eighth for the final margin.      

Senior Ryan Hawkins, junior Joe Reid and Freshman Chris Stocker all had two hits for PNC while Stocker led the way with a double and two RBI.

The game was the first-ever Division I contest for PNC’s Baseball team and athletic department.  The Panthers also play UIC tomorrow and Northern Illinois University later this year.  First year baseball coach John Weber is trying to build up the program and gain additional exposure for the program by playing the hardest competition possible.

The two teams meet again on Wednesday with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

The Purdue North Central Baseball team swept a doubleheader from visiting Cardinal Stritch University (Milwaukee, WI) to win both their home and conference opener.  The Panthers won the first game 7-2 and the nightcap 5-1 to move their record to 7-9 overall and 2-0 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic conference while picking up their fifth straight win.

In the first game, the Panthers were led by the pitching of senior Jim Erdelac.  Erdelac (1-2) picked up his first win of the season and went six strong innings.  He gave up both runs, struck out eight, walked three and allowed just five hits.  Junior Steve Paradzinski pitched a hitless seventh for PNC. 

Offensively, senior centerfielder Ryan Hawkins had four hits, including two doubles, and two stolen bases, while junior shortstop Aaron Aigner and freshman catcher Chris Stocker added two hits apiece for PNC.  The Panthers scored five runs in the second inning and took advantage of six Stritch walks overall, led by three from freshman second baseman Evan Allison.

In the second game, junior Tony Robb moved his record to 4-1 with five solid innings, giving up the lone run while striking out four, hitting two batters, and allowing six hits.  Senior Jason Steube picked up his second save by closing out the last two frames. 

The Panthers led just 2-1 after five innings, but scored three in the bottom of the sixth to ice the game.  PNC scored a run each in the first two innings behind an RBI double by senior third baseman Dustin Waters and an RBI single by freshman designated hitter Ian Figuly.  Aigner added a huge run-scoring single to make it 3-1 in the sixth, and both junior outfielder Joe Reid and Erdelac (playing second base in game two) added two more run-scoring hits for the difference. 

PNC had just six hits in the game, three of which came in the sixth inning.  Figuly’s was the only Panther with multiple hits (2).            

The Panthers hit the road on both Tuesday and Wednesday to play the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I opponent in the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Game time on Tuesday is 6:35 while Wednesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:05.  UIC is the three-time defending champion of the horizon League and made the NCAA play-offs in 2003.

Panthers Sweep Grace College; Home Opener Next
March 22, 2005

PNC's baseball team swept a doubleheader from Grace College today in Winona Lake, IN by the scores of 8-2 and 7-2.

In the first game, junior Tony Robb moved his record to 3-1 while freshman Tom Albano picked up his first career save pitching three hitless innings of relief, striking out 4.  Offensively, senior Dustin Waters had 3 hits and 3 runs, and sophomore Steve Georgion had 3 RBI's to lead the Panthers.

In the second game senior Bobby Pitts (1-0) picked up the win and his twin brother, Billy, earned the save with three more hitless innings of relief.  Offensively, junior Joe Reid had three hits and two RBI's and Georgion added two more hits and an RBI.

The Panthers are now 5-9 and open up their home season on Friday at 1pm in a doubleheader verses St. Francis, IN (originally a road game).  PNC is also at home on Saturday at 12pm verses Cardinal Stritch.

Panthers Go 2-6 on Florida Trip
March 14, 2005

The Purdue North Central Baseball Team finished 2-6 on its recent trip over spring break to Port Charlotte, Florida.  The Panthers now stand at 3-9 overall after dropping three of four to Oakland City University earlier this year.

The Panthers dropped their first three games of the trip, including a doubleheader on their first day of games on March 5^th.  Senior Jim Erdelac was the hard-luck loser as PNC fell to Malone College (OH) 2-1.  Erdelac (0-2) threw a complete game, allowing six hits, striking out five and walking no one.  The Panthers had runners in scoring position in six of seven innings but mustered just one run.  Senior Ryan Hawkins led the Panthers with two hits while sophomore Steve Georgion had the lone RBI.

In the second game, PNC fell to Madonna University (MI) 11-3.  The game was close (3-2) until the bottom of the fifth inning when Madonna took advantage of several PNC miscues and clutch hitting to score eight runs.  Junior Joe Reid took the loss, moving his record to 1-1, allowing nine hits in 4.1 innings.  Senior first baseman Gary Ray led the offense with two hits and an RBI and freshman catcher Chris Stocker also added two hits.  Freshman pitcher John Charlson pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Panthers.

On Sunday, March 6^th, the Panthers played their worst game of the trip and fell to Central College of Iowa by the score of 9-1.  Central out-hit PNC 14-6 and the Panthers committed four errors.  Freshman John Babinski (0-1) took the loss while Georgion had half the Panthers’ hits with three.

On Monday, PNC earned their first win with an exciting 4-2 win over Seton Hill (PA).  Junior Tony Robb picked up the win throwing a masterful eight innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out four and allowing one run.  Senior Jason Steube picked up the save striking out the winning run to end the game.  The Panthers had 12 hits, led by Stocker’s three, including a game-clinching two-run homerun.  Hawkins, senior Dustin Waters and freshman Ian Figuly added two hits apiece.

After being rained out on Tuesday and Wednesday verses Malone College, the Panthers returned to action on Thursday with a 2-1 loss to Concordia University of Wisconsin.  Erdelac (0-3) was once again the hard-luck loser, throwing another complete game, allowing just seven hits while striking out seven and walking one.  However, the offense faltered again, collecting just five hits by five different players.  Georgion had the only RBI, driving in a run in the first inning with a single.

PNC lost a doubleheader on Friday, wasting another good pitching performance.  Reid pitched 6.1 solid innings against Urbana College (OH), allowing just two earned runs, but the Panthers lost 4-2.  Once again, the Panthers had just five hits by five different players, with Hawkins picking up the lone RBI.

In the second game the Panthers lost to Madonna again, this time by the score of 8-4.  It looked like Madonna was going to register another blowout against PNC, until Stocker connected on his second homer of the trip to cut the lead in half with two innings to go.  Junior Lance Losinski (0-2) picked up the loss, throwing four innings and allowing five earned runs.  Freshman Ryan Curless pitched strong in relief, allowing no runs in 1.1 innings and striking out three.  Stocker had two of the four hits as the bats continued their silence.

The Panthers concluded their trip by collecting their second win with a 9-5 victory over Grace College (IN).  Robb also picked up his second win by allowing just one earned run in six innings before senior Bobby Pitts came on for the save.  The Panther bats exploded for 15 hits, led by Waters’ three hits and five RBI.  Waters legged out a triple, while Ray chipped in with three hits and two RBI.  Hawkins and Georgion also had multi-hit games with Georgion collecting two RBI.

The Panthers returned home on Sunday evening (March 13^th) and, after a week off, are looking to open conference play verses Robert Morris College in Chicago on March 19^th.

The Purdue North Central Baseball Team was at again Thursday – giving back to the local community.  This time the Panthers rang the bell and collected donations for the Salvation Army.  Eight members of the team rang for six hours straight outside the Walmart in Valparaiso.

This is the third event the Panther baseball team participated in this semester, a theme that the whole athletic department has come to embrace.  Last week the baseball and softball teams helped set-up, run, and clean-up a holiday party for Healthy Families of LaPorte County in Michigan City.  The softball team also had a clinic last week that was held in Michigan City.  Earlier in the year the baseball, softball and basketball teams helped with the Panther Pounce, an on-campus run/walk that benefited the athletic department.  In October the basketball team gave a free clinic in East Chicago.

“This is something that we set out to do earlier this year,” said Director of Athletics and Baseball Coach John Weber.  “John Coggins (Dean of Students), Grayling Gordon (Basketball Coach), Gil Arzola (Softball Coach) and I had meetings to discuss the importance of giving back to the community.  The students do so much already – academics, athletics, work, student activities - so for these students to volunteer their time is really neat.  It shows you the type of young men and women we have in our programs.”

The eight baseball players who helped the Salvation Army raise funds were Aaron Aigner, Jon Charlson, Steve Georgian, Lanca Losinski, Mark Oresik, Billy Pitts, Bobby Pitts and Donny Zolper.

“Some of these guys came straight from finals at PNC to help out,” said Weber.  “I’m very proud that they stepped up to help others in need.”

Eight members of the Purdue North Central Baseball Team volunteered their time to help a local organization Wednesday afternoon.  The Panther eight helped run the annual Healthy Families of LaPorte County Christmas party held at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Michigan City.

The Panthers not only helped in the set-up and clean-up of the party, but they also helped by serving families food and drinks. 

The mission of Healthy Families of LaPorte County is to support new parents and empower them to be the best parents they can be.  In an effort to accomplish their mission, the following goals are supported:

*To systematically assess first-time parents in order to identify their strengths and needs then refer them to community resources.

*To enhance family functioning by building trust, establishing support and teaching problem-solving skills.

*To promote positive parent-child interaction.

*To promote healthy child growth and development.

The PNC team members that volunteered were players John Babinski, Jon Charlson, Ryan Hawkins, John Koutelas, Lance Losinski, John Vucko, Dustin Waters, and  head coach John Weber.

”It was a great experience for our team and we were happy to give of our time for this worthwhile cause,” said Weber.  “I’m very proud of our guys, they are true champions of character.”