2011 Baseball

2011 Media Guide

MOORE NAMED GREAT LAKES MANAGER OF THE YEAR/DUNFEE NAMED 2ND TEAM
8/3/2011
In just his first season as Manager of the Southern Ohio Copperheads, Bears' Assistant Coach Chris Moore was named Joe Carbone Manager of the Year for the Great Lakes League.  During the summer, Moore led the Copperheads to a 29-13 record, clinching the South Division title. On Sunday, the Copperheads clinched the overall #1 seed in the tournament, which begins today, with a win over the Lexington Hustlers.

Bear's pitcher Austin Dunfee also received recognition as he earned 2nd Team All-Great Lakes League. The right-handed pitcher had a 1-0 record on the mound with a save, posting a phenomenal 0.48 earned runs average in 18.2 innings. 

Southern Ohio opens the Great Lakes Playoffs tonight against the Xenia Scouts at 7:00 p.m.. The Copperheads return home tomorrow night hosting the Scouts in game two of the playoffs at Bob Wren Stadium on the campus of Ohio University. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.  Game three of the series (if necessary) will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Athens.

Click here for complete Great Lakes honors 

Shawnee State's Assistant Baseball Coach Chris Moore
named Great Lakes League Manager of the Year

BASEBALL ANNOUNCES WALK-ON PLAYER INFORMATION
8/2/2011
Head Coach Ted Tom as announced that Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 will serve as the Baseball Alumni Weekend. Friday will kick off the weekend with a golf scramble at the Shawnee State Golf Course beginning at 3:00 p.m.

On Saturday, a homerun derby will kick off the day beginning at 2:00 p.m. The annual alumni game will take place afterwards with alumni teaming with current players split into two teams. To close out the weekend, there will be a social following the game.

For more details, contact Ted Tom at 740-351-3537 or by email, ttom@shawnee.edu.

Click here to read more...

"What a tremendous honor!," says Head Baseball Coach Ted Tom. "I am very excited for Phillip winning this award. It is a true testament to his hard work and dedication to our program that he receives this. Make no mistake about the fact that our program began winning championships upon Phillip's arrival to Shawnee State.

The Spring, Texas native becomes the program's first 1st Team honoree and first to be named All-American twice during their career. This season, the Mid-South Player of the Year led the Bears to the MSC Tournament Championship and to their first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 2000.

"Being the first baseball player at Shawnee to be named a 1st Team All-American as well as being the only two-time All-American is quite an honor considering the players who have played here," adds Tom. "Phillip had an outstanding career at Shawnee State. He was part of a group that took our program to new heights. The numbers and awards speak for themselves making Phillip one of the all-time finest to wear a Bear uniform."

Butler finished the season sixth in the NAIA in total runs batted in (74) and twelfth in doubles (21). He also compiled a batting average of .356 with 29 runs, 77 hits, two triples, 10 home runs with a slugging percentage of .611. He was named Mid-South Player of the Week four times this season.

Shawnee State reaches the NAIA Tournament after sweeping through the Mid-South Tournament to receive the MSC's second automatic bid.

Click here for complete bracket

Butler, the Spring, TX native, helped the Bears to three wins in the MSC Tournament with a .615 batting average going 8-for-13 at the plate. He finished with three doubles and six RBI's in three games.

He recorded four hits in the Bears' 12-2 win over the University of the Cumberlands in the MSC Tournament opener. In the Bears' thrilling 2-1 win over Virginia-Wise, Butler had the winning RBI. He had three more hits in an 8-4 win over St. Catharine College to keep the Bears the lone unbeaten team in the tournament.

This season, he leads the MSC in slugging percentage (.621), hits (69), RBI's (67), doubles (18) and home runs (10). He ranks fifth in the conference with a .354 batting average.

Butler, a senior from Spring, TX, was named MSC Player of the Year and All-MSC as he leads the conference in six statistical categories, including home runs (10), runs batted in (64), doubles (17), hits (65), total bases (116) and slugging percentage (.620). On the season, the senior has accumulated .348 batting average, ranking 12th in the MSC.

Morrison, a junior from Spring, TX, also was named All-MSC. The junior infielder leads the team with a .354 batting average and four triples on the season. He is second on the team with 58 hits, while also accumulating 33 runs scored, nine doubles, four home runs and batted in 35 runs for the Bears. 

Coleman, a junior from Hillsboro, OH earned Honorable Mention All-MSC.  Coleman leads the MSC with 30 stolen bases and 56 runs on the season. He also ranks second on the team with a .348 batting average to go along with 56 hits, eight doubles, a triple and 35 RBI's.

Gesick, a junior from Pickerington, OH was named Honorable Mention All-MSC.  Gesick ranks second on the team with 26 runs scored, 11 doubles, six home runs and 49 runs batted in. On the season, he has accumulated a .313 batting average with 56 hits. 

Pallutch (Conneaut, OH) was named the MSC Baseball Champions of Character recipient. Pallutch earned the award for his civic and servant leadership within the campus and community.

Gomez (Spring, TX), Ahorrio (Chicago, IL), Stum (Tipp City, OH) and Suydam (Painesville, OH) were named to the MSC All-Academic Team.  This honor goes to student-athletes with a sophomore or higher class ranking and a 3.25 and above grade point average.

SSU TO HOLD YOUTH BASEBALL CAMP
4/25/2011
Shawnee State University Baseball Head Coach Ted Tom is pleased to announce June 7^th-9th as the dates for Shawnee State University Youth Baseball Camp.  This is a fantastic opportunity for boys and girls between the ages of 6-14 to learn the fundamental building blocks of baseball directly from the SSU coaching staff and players.  Camp will run each day from 9am until noon featuring defensive instruction for infield and outfield play, offensive instruction, and pitching and catching.  The Bears are coming off a historical season in which they won their first ever regular season American Mideast Conference championship and saw Coach Tom named AMC Coach of the Year.  Each camper will receive in-depth instruction on his or her play in what promises to be a fun and informative camp.  If you want to be a part of the fun, please fill out a player registration form and send it back to the SSU Baseball Office by June 3^rd.  Cost for the three day camp is $40 per player.  Please contact Chris Moore at (740) 821-4351 or cmoore@shawnee.edu with any questions you may have.

Click here for application

SSU TO HOLD SPRING PROSPECT SHOWCASE
4/25/2011
Shawnee State University Head Baseball Coach Ted Tom is pleased to announce May 22nd as the date for the fourth annual Spring Prospect Showcase.  The showcase will be held at Branch Rickey Park in Portsmouth, OH and will be conducted by the SSU coaching staff directly.  Cost for the camp is $60 for individual players.  The Bears are coming off a historic season in which the won their first ever American Mideast Conference regular season championship and Coach Tom was named Coach of the Year.  Camps at Shawnee State have proven to be a successful recruiting tool for the program as at least one player has signed to play at Shawnee State from every single camp hosted by the current staff.  There are team rates available for high school teams that send six or more players.  The form for registration and an itinerary can be found by following the link below.  Please call Chris Moore at (740) 821-4351 or email at cmoore@shawnee.edu for more information. 

Click here for application

Tom earned his 100th victory in the Bears 3-1 win over the Tigers in game two. Tom is in his fourth season as manager of the Bears' program and has accumulated a career record of 100-109. This season, Shawnee State boasts a season record of 29-21 and an 14-12 mark in the Mid-South Conference.

"I think anytime you reach a milestone, it is an honor to have the players and the coaching staff that you have," said Head Coach Ted Tom. "I have surrounded myself with great assistant coaches, who have the same vision and wish to accomplish the same goals. We also have had the opportunity to recruit quality athletes and if we are able to continue, I am confident that we will reach more milestones."

The Bears fell 3-1 in the opener. The Tigers held the Bears scoreless, leading 3-0 until the seventh inning when Colin Keim drove in Danny Gesick for the Bears' only run of the game.

Andrew Carter was tagged with the loss and goes to 6-3 on the mound. Carter pitched a complete game allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked two batters, while striking out two. 

CU's Rusty Devitt picked up the win pitching a complete game allowing one run, four hits and three walks. He struck out eight Bears on the day.

The Bears' revenged their loss as they captured a 3-1 win to give Coach Tom his milestone victory. Campbellsville got on the board first as Jameel Ziadeh hit a double to score Michael Durhamin the second inning.  

Shawnee State knotted the game at 1-1 in the fourth.  Kendal Coleman led the Bears off with a single through the middle and then advanced to third on a base hit by Phillip Butler. Coleman scored on defensive interference to put the Bears on the board. 

In the top of the sixth, Gesick hit a single to shallow right to score Coleman. Colin Keim followed with a single of his own to score pinch runner Quentin Everman and give the Bears the 3-1 lead. 

Cory Pallutch got the win for the Bears and improves to 6-2 on the mound. He started and worked 5.0 innings, allowing only one run on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts.  Josh Kauffman came in during the sixth and worked 1.1 innings and didn’t allow a hit. SSU's closer, Jordan Williams picked up the save, pitching the final 0.2 inning and giving up two hits, one walk, while striking out two.

Butler and Keim each went 2-for-3 on the day. 

The two teams square off today at 2:00 p.m. for games three and four of the series. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.  Shawnee State can capture the MSC East Title with a pair of victories.

Butler, the Spring, Texas native, hit two grand slams last week in the Bears' series against University of Virginia-Wise while tallying 13 RBI's to earn MSC honors.

He finished the week with four runs, two home runs and a stolen base while accumulating a .737 slugging percentage.   

Butler now leads the NAIA with 63 runs batted in on the season. He also leads the MSC in five offensive categories, including slugging percentage (.698), hits (62), doubles (17), home runs (10), and RBI's (63). 

BUTLER EARNS MSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
4/4/2011
For the second time this season, senior Phillip Butler has been named Mid-South Conference Player of the Week. 

The Spring, TX native, earned this honor as he batted .500 (11-for-22) on the week with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and nine runs batted in.  He recorded hits in all but one of Shawnee State's games last week, including a three-hit game and a pair of two-hit games.

Butler scored five times as the Bears split their eight games and amassed a 1.00 slugging percentage on the week. 

This season, Butler leads the Mid-South in seven categories including slugging percentage (.685), hits (54), doubles (16) and home runs (8). 

Broadcasts can be heard by clicking the Shawnee Sports Net logo below.

On the week Butler accumulated a .385 batting average with two home runs and 11 RBI's to earn MSC Player of the Week honor for the first time in his career. He has a pair of three-hit games to guide the Bears to a record of 4-3 on the week.

On Friday, during a doubleheader sweep over Pikeville, Butler recorded six hits and 10 RBIs, including a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to propel the Bears 9-6 over Pikeville.

Butler leads the MSC with 38 RBIs and is tied for first in the conference in home runs (5) and doubles (12). His 39 hits are second in the MSC and his .348 batting is 13th in the conference.

The Preseason All-American teams was chosen by the NAIA All-America Selection Committee. 

Gesick and Butler were named Honorable Mention All-American last spring. 

SHAWNEE STATE BASEBALL ANNOUNCES 2011 SCHEDULE
11/2/2010
Head Baseball Coach Ted Tom would like to announce the 2011 baseball schedule which includes 16 games against teams that competed in the NAIA Opening Round from a year ago.  The Bears will open their 2011 campaign the first weekend of February at 2010 NAIA World Series participant, Tennessee Wesleyan followed by a weekend series against 2010 NAIA Runner-up Lee University. 

The 2011 season will be the Bears first season in the Mid-South Conference.  Coach Tom had this to say about the transition, “The Mid-South Conference will be a whole new ball game in terms of its competitive nature.  Our guys are extremely excited to compete against the level of competition we will see on a weekly basis and see exactly how we stack up.  With this being said, it is imperative that we have a tough pre-conference schedule to see where we are.”

The Bears will also travel to Milligan College in February before conference play begins against St. Catharine.  Conference home contests versus Pikeville, UVA-Wise, and Cumberlands highlight the home portion of the conference schedule along with non-conference games versus Berea and former AMC cohorts Mount Vernon Nazarene, Cedarville and Notre Dame College.  The Bears will enjoy 26 games being played in front of the home faithful at Branch Rickey Park.  The Bears will travel to West Virginia Tech, long time rival Rio Grande, and finish the season at Campbellsville.  Non-conference road games will see the Bears play Northwestern Ohio and Division I member University of Dayton.  During spring break, the Bears will play a two game series at Trevecca Nazarene as well as a one game set with defending National Champion Cumberland University.

“With our conference schedule beginning in March, we must begin our season earlier in February so we can be prepared.  It will be a test for our players to begin playing earlier than ever before.  I am excited to get started and I am confident that our players will meet the challenge,” says Coach Tom.

TEAM GRAY WINS BLUE/GRAY SERIES IN CONVINCING FASHION
10/21/2010
To wrap up the fall practice season, the Shawnee State Baseball team held the Fourth Annual Footer & Shake Blue/Gray series last week at Branch Rickey Park.  Team Blue won Game 1 behind a strong offensive performance from junior Danny Gesick (Pickerington, OH) by the score of 7-4.  Game 2 saw Team Gray storm back from an 8-2 deficit, capped of by a Cody Morrison (Jr., Spring, TX) homerun to win in dramatic fashion 9-8.  Game 3 was a shortened 5-inning contest that saw the Gray win 5-3.    

Team Gray went on to win the remaining 4 games of the series.  In Game 4, junior Austin Dunfee (Pomeroy, OH) and freshman Blake Kilgore (Firebrick, KY) combined to shut out Team Blue 8-0.  Gray went on to win the fifth game of the series 9-4.  The Gray were led by a six hit performance over the last two games by Sophomore Colin Keim (Clinton, OH).  Games 4 and 5 were part of the Bears annual Parents’ Weekend played in front of over 100 friends and family of the program. 

“Our Parents Weekend has become quite an event for everybody involved with our program.  It is a great opportunity for our parents to intertwine prior to the season as well as the chance to see this year’s version of Bears Baseball.  The Bear Baseball Nation was out in full force on Friday and Saturday and I believe our players used the atmosphere as motivation to showcase their talents.  It was a great culmination to our fall segment of practice,” remarks Head Coach Ted Tom.

The Bears will next be in action to begin the 2011 season on Friday, February 4 in Athens, TN to play Tennessee Wesleyan.  Please check our website in the near future for the full schedule release.

Venters made his debut with the Colonials on Tuesday against the Brockton Rox.  Venters pitched five innings allowing one run on six hits, one walk while striking out four in the Colonials 2-1 loss. 

Venters, a 2008 graduate, was a four-year letter winner in baseball at Shawnee State.  He accumulated a 15-16 record on the mound and a career ERA of 4.48.