The NCAA News - News and Features

May 12, 1997

Division III

North Carolina Wesleyan determined to make tournament appearance count

Event: 1997 Division III Baseball Championship.

Overview: After 15 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, top-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan (35-5) failed to make the field last year. The Battling Bishops, led by head coach Mike Fox, the second most victorious active coach in Division III, intend to wipe out the memory of last year with a national title. North Carolina Wesleyan captured the Dixie Conference regular-season and postseason championships, and sophomore righthander Mike Abbruzzese was named the conference's player of the year. Abbruzzese, who is averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings, is 9-1 and ranks fourth nationally with a 1.06 earned-run average. Senior catcher Scott Forbes (.387, 47 runs batted in) leads the nation with 23 doubles, while all-conference second baseman Jamie Whiting is hitting .396 and has hit safely in 26 straight contests .... Late-game heroics have been the norm for defending champion William Paterson (26-5) as dramatic home runs clinched national titles in 1992 and 1996. William Paterson, which has won four straight games and nine of the past 10, is led by right fielder/pitcher Brian Appelman. The all-American is hitting .348 with 25 runs scored and 19 runs batted in, and is 5-1 on the mound with a 3.72 ERA. Junior center fielder Mike Scher leads the team with a .392 batting average, 40 runs scored and 40 hits. Junior second baseman Dan Lauterhahn, who has committed only two errors all season, is hitting .364 with a team-high five home runs .... Cal Lutheran (33-7) is playing as well as any team right now, winning 11 in a row and 18 of its last 20 games. In addition to strong pitching, speed and defense, the Kingsmen have added more power this year. Senior catcher Tom McGee leads the team with a .420 average and 14 home runs, while junior first baseman/designated hitter Anthony Olden is hitting .412 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. Junior first baseman/designated hitter Brad Smith established single-season school records with 21 doubles and 55 RBIs. On the mound, the Kingsmen are led by lefthander Richard Bell (9-1, 1.89 ERA) and Erik Kiszczak (10-2, 2.80 ERA), who started last year's championship game against William Paterson.

Field: Thirty-two teams will be selected at large.

Dates and sites: Regional competition will be May 14-18 at on-campus sites. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference will host the May 24-28 finals at Salem Baseball Stadium in Salem, Virginia.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3066 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1227 for bracket/schedule and 5037 for results. Scores and pairings from regional competition will appear in the May 26 issue of the News. Championship results will be published June 9.