Fite, Sims Finish Careers on ASC All-Academic Team

Seniors Cory Fite and Warren Sims were named to the 2006 Academic All-ASC teams.  For Fite, it was yet another award to add to a growing list.  Fite earned President's List honors again this semester, the fourth time in the last five semesters that he has achieved the honor, and was the 2005 SU Male Athlete of the Year.  He recently graduated with honors with a degree in Mathematics.  Sims also recently completed his baseball career.  He earned Dean's List distinction this past semester and was a member of the Academic Honor Roll for the fall semester.  He is a Political Science major and will graduate from SU in December.

Kester, Ayala Headline As 9 Mountaineers Earn ASC Awards

(5/2/06)  Schreiner Baseball is on the rise, as evidenced by a total of nine Mountaineers earning All-ASC West Division awards for 2006.   Leading the way was junior outfielder Jeremiah Kester who earned first team All-ASC West after hitting .415 (3rd in the ASC).  Kester led the league in hitting until the final weekend, when a back problems hampered his bid for the batting title.  Freshman outfielder/pitcher Roger Ayala earned two awards.  He was named second team All-ASC West as a utility player and earned honorable mention All-ASC as an outfielder.  Ayala played right field, shortstop and second base during the year in addition to being on of SU's top three starting pitchers.  Also earning honorable mention All-ASC West were senior Joe Mann (both as designate hitter and outfielder), juniors Tommy Cable and Jordan Anders and freshmen Johnny Huizar and Josh Faglie.  Mann was seventh in the ASC in RBI (42), third in doubles (20) and hit .351.  Cable and Anders were fourth on the Mountaineers in batting (.279).  Anders played the season with a torn ACL and still managed to play catcher for most games.  Huizar was second in batting at .330 and RBI (23).  Faglie was SU's most successful pitcher - despite operating most-often in relief - as he racked up a 5-0 record.

TLU Ends SU's Season with 3-Game Sweep

(4/23/06)  Schreiner Baseball's season ended when Texas Lutheran took all three games of the final series.  SU led in the first two games of the series, but fell 11-6 and 9-6.  In the finale, TLU scored early and often in a 16-0 win.  The series marked the end of the playing careers of seniors Joe Mann, Cory Fite and Warren Sims.  Sims had a solid weekend, pitching a total of 5-2/3 innings and giving up only 1 run on four hits.  The Mountaineers also had a rough weekend with injuries.  In the opener, Jeremiah Kester battled back spasms and could only play half of the game.  Ray Martinez injured his shoulder early in Saturday's first game when he collided with Kester going for a pop fly in shallow center field.  Martinez was 3-for-4 in the series at the time he was injured.  Jordan Anders was also injured in that game, suffering a hand injury on a play at the plate.  Martinez and Anders did not return to action.

SU Stays as Hot as the Weather with Sweep of Dallas

(4/18/06)  Schreiner Baseball is as hot as the near 100-degree Texas springtime and the Mountaineers continued their recent streak with 5-3 and 4-1 wins over visiting University of Dallas.  In the first game, Ray Martinez hit a two-run double in the second inning and Josh Faglie remained perfect (5-0), going six innings and giving up only two earned runs.  A.J. Mann earned his first save of the year by pitching one inning in relief.  In the second game, Warren Sims was strong all the way through, limiting UD to only four hits and one run in a complete game victory.  After the Crusaders rallied to tie the score in the top of the sixth (1-1), the Mountaineers put up three runs in the bottom half of the inning to give Sims more than enough support.  Rene Muniz again came through with a key pinch hit to give SU a 2-1 lead.  Walks to Martinez and Jeremiah Kester resulted in the other two runs.  Kester, Johnny Huizar and Joe Mann all had two hits as the Mountaineers won their fifth game in six starts.   Kester currently leads the ASC in batting average at .430 and Mann is second in RBI with 41.

SU's Eight-Run Third Inning Puts Away UHMB

(4/14/06)  Schreiner took the lead early and never looked back in a 13-6 win in the series finale with UHMB.  There was no letup this time as the Mountaineers scored 3 runs in the second inning and eight more in the third.  Starting pitcher Cory Fite went 5-1/3 innings for the victory and allowed three runs on only three hits.  Bernard Pena relieved and pitched the final 3-2/3 innings allowing just one earned run on two hits.  The top of the batting order carried the day for SU.  Jeremiah Kester was 3-for-5 with two RBI and 2 runs scored.  Joe Mann was 2-for-5 with three RBI.   Tommy Cable was also 2-for-5 with three runs scored.  Jordan Anders and Anthony Maldonado each added 2 RBI of their own.  Every fielding starter had at least one hit as the Mountaineers took two of three games from UMHB and have now won three of their last four games.

Muniz' Clutch Hit Delivers 2-1 Win and Split of Series

(4/13/06)  Pinch-hitter Rene Muniz delivered a clutch one-out single to drive in Larry Burford with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh for a 2-1 win.  In the second game, Mary Hardin-Baylor scored three runs in the 7th to erase a 2-0 deficit and score a 3-2 win and series split.  Chris Armijo pitched six strong innings for SU but was on the short end of a 1-0 score.  Josh Faglie (4-0) came in in the seventh and pitched out of a jam and gave the Mountaineers the chance to rally.  In the bottom of the 7th, Tommy Cable singled and Jordan Anders walked to put two on with one out.  After pinch runners replaced each player, Chase Kimball put down a sacrifice bunt to advance Lupe Garza and Larry Burford into scoring position.  A wild pitch scored Garza with the tying run and Muniz came through with the game winner.  In the second game, Roger Ayala carried a shutout into the 7th inning before a key defensive error and following triple allowed three UMHB runs to score as UMHB rallied for the 3-2 win and split.

SU Takes Finale But Edged in First Two Games

(4/8/06)  Schreiner scored six runs in the eighth inning at McMurry to blow open a close game, and went on to win 8-5 in the series finale.  In the first two games of the series, McMurry rallied for a 12-11 win in Friday's opener and won a pitching duel, 2-0, in the first game on Saturday.  In SU's victory, Roger Ayala picked up his first collegiate win, going seven innings and giving up four runs.  Josh Faglie was solid in relief, pitching two innings and giving up just one hit.  In the eighth, Tommy Cable, R.T. McConathy and Jordan Anders started the inning with consecutive singles to load the bases.  Cory Fite hit into a fielder's choice which plated one run.  Johnny Huizar drew a walk to bring in another.  Jeremiah Kester drove in the third run with a single and Joe Mann completed the scoring with two run single.  In the second game, SU starter Chris Armijo took the hard-luck loss giving up only four hits and two runs over 5-1/3 innings.  In the opener, SU jumped out to a 6-1 lead and still led 11-5 in the seventh but couldn't hold on.  Kester was 6-for-11 during the weekend and Ray Martinez was 6-for-12.  Mann added 5 hits and led SU with 5 RBI.

Mountaineers Beat Trinity With Pitching, Mann's Squeeze Bunt

(4/4/06)  What Schreiner Baseball could be and is was on display in a 4-3 win over visiting Trinity.  Solid pitching, first from starter Bernard Pena, then from Josh Faglie (3-0) combined with timely hitting and led to the come-from-behind win.  Pena pitched 6 solid innings allowing only four hits and striking out six.  Even with his effort, SU still trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.  In the fifth, Jeremiah Kester (who was 5-for-5 on the day) and Johnny Huizar each had singles.  With one out, Tommy Cable delivered a bases-clearing double to tie the score.    Faglie relieved Pena in the top of the 7th and held Trinity to 2 hits through his three innings of work.  With the score still tied at 3-all entering the bottom of the 9th, Ray Martinez started the inning as was hit by a pitch.  Kester then delivered with a double.  After a walk to Huizar, Joe Mann came through with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt to plate the winning run.

Big Inning Rallies HSU Past Schreiner and Leads to Sweep

(4/1/06)  Hardin-Simmons scored 7 runs in the eighth inning of the opening game of its series and 3 more in the ninth to post a 12-9 victory.  SU then dropped Saturday's doubleheader by 5-0 and 4-1 scores.  Mountaineer starting pitching was solid all weekend.  Cory Fite held HSU scoreless through 5 innings and gave up 2 in the sixth before giving way to 5 SU relievers.  Chris Armijo gave up only two earned runs in nearly five innings of work but the Mountaineers managed only three hits in the second game.  Roger Ayala was even better, giving up only one earned run in nine innings of work in the finale. 

SRS Rallies in 9th to Take Two of Three from SU

(3/25/06)  Sul Ross State scored 9 runs in the final two innings - including 5 in the bottom of the 9th - to beat the visiting Mountaineers, 14-13, and take two of three games.  SU lost the opener 6-3 and won the first game on Saturday, 7-5.  In the series opener, SU jumped on top, 2-0, in the first and held that lead until Sul Ross rallied with five runs in the fifth and were able to keep the Mountaineers from coming back.  In the second game, the Mountaineers scored seven runs in the first two innings and never looked back.  Chris Armijo got the win, giving up only three runs over five innings.  Warren Sims pitched two innings in relief.  Joe Mann had a big weekend at the plate, going 7-for-12, with 7 runs scored and 4 RBI.  Tommy Cable was 5-for-11 with 5 RBI and 3 runs and Jeremiah Kester also had five hits.  Johnny Huizar added four hits and 2 RBI of his own while Jordan Anders was 3-for-8 with 2 RBI.

SU Sweeps CSU to Run Win Streak to Three

SU pitchers gave up just one earned run in a doubleheader sweep of Cardinal Stritch (WI), winning the opener ,11-0, and the second game, 6-4.  In the first game, the Mountaineers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning and Johnny Huisar's grand slam in the fifth snuffed out any CSU hopes for a comeback against Josh Faglie (2-0).  Faglie scattered 8 hits over 5 innings for his second win in three days.  In the second game, Schreiner scored three runs in the sixth, the big hit coming from Joe Mann which plated two runs to break up a 3-3 tie.  Cody Sobolak (1-0) picked up the win, pitching 3 innings and giving up only two hits in relief and Warren Sims got his first save of the season.  Jeremiah Kester had four hits on the day and Jordan Anders was 3-for-4 with two RBI.  Mann added 3 RBI of his own.  Tommy Cable was 3-for-7 with three runs scored.  The Mountaineers have now won three straight games going into a weekend series at Sul Ross State.

Mountaineers Win, 7-6, in 10 Innings to Take Series Finale

R.T. McConathy's single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Schreiner an emotional come-from-behind win, 7-6, to take the finale of a 3-game series with Howard Payne.  It wouldn't have come to that if not for a two-out SU rally in the 9th that knotted the score at 6-6.   Trailing 6-4 with nobody on and two outs, Roger Ayala started the 9th inning comeback with a single.  Anthony Maldonado followed with a single and Johnny Huizar was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Jeremiah Kester reached on an error, scoring Ayala and pinch-runner Lupe Garza, who was running on the pitch.   Josh Faglie came on to pitch the 10th inning and retired HPU to get his first collegiate win.  With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Jordan Anders hit an opposite field double.  Pinch-hitter Rene Muniz singled to advance pinch-runner Larry Burford to third.  After a ground out,  McConathy delivered the winning hit.  Although he wasn't able to get the win, Cory Fite pitched a solid game going 6-1/3 innings and allowing three runs.  The Mountaineers fell in the first two games of the series by 12-7 and 10-1 scores.

Huizar's 11th-Inning Blast Propels SU to Split

Johnny Huizar hit a one-out, two-run, walk-off homer in the 11th inning to give the Mountaineers a come from behind 8-7 win, in a game that started yesterday but was suspended due to darkness after nine innings.  Jason Arsola (1-1) got the win and pitched 4-2/3 innings of relief of SU starter Chris Armijo.  Armijo was outstanding, going 6-1/3 innings, striking out six and allowing only two earned runs.  It was Huizar's first collegiate homer.  UT-Dallas got an unearned run in the top of the 11th to put the Comets on top 7-6.  In the bottom of the 11th, SU's Lupe Garza walked to lead off the inning and Cory Fite hit into a fielder's choice before Huizar's heroics ended the marathon game.  Ray Martinez went 3-4 for the Mountaineers and scored two runs.  Richard Guerrero was 1-2 with three RBI.  In the regularly-scheduled series finale, Huizar went 2-4 and added 3 more RBI but it wasn't enough as UTD gained a split with a 12-7 win.  Roger Ayala (0-2) who tried to pitch with a sore neck, took the loss.  Matt Langston went 2-3 with two runs scored and Joe Mann had 5 hits in the two games.

SU Rallies, Game Suspended 'til Tomorrow

Schreiner scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, in fading light, to tie UT-Dallas, 6-6, and the game was suspended and will resume before Saturday's scheduled series finale.  In the first game, SU got behind early, mainly due to costly fielding errors, as UTD rolled 18-0.  The Mountaineers  bounced back in the second game behind Chris Armijo.  Armijo carried a shutout into the sixth inning but the SU offense could fare no better.  The Comets scored two runs in both the six and seventh to gain a 4-0 advantage.  SU squandered a scoring opportunity in the sixth when the Mountaineers had the bases loaded with no outs, but failed to score.  SU had it's first rally in the seventh with three runs.  After UTD tallied single runs in both the eighth and ninth innings, Schreiner came back with three to tie the score and push the completion back to Saturday.

Baseball Drops Pair at Southwestern

The SU Baseball team battled frigid conditions and Southwestern and ended up losing both games of a weekend series, 7-2 and 11-8.  Like in the first series, there were positives and some negatives, but that is what non-conference games are for.   In the first game Chris Armijo took a one-hitter into the fourth inning (in a 1-1 game) but SU gave up 5 runs in the inning and couldn't recover.  In game two, SU jumped out to a 4-0 lead but again was undone by a big inning.  Southwestern scored five times in the bottom of the fourth.  The Mountaineers answered back with one run in the fifth but Southwestern tacked on four more in the bottom of the frame and held off SU for the win.  Cory Fite had his second strong start, giving up only one earned run in nearly four innings of work.   Only four of Southwestern's runs were earned as SU committed 5 errors.  SU outhit Southwestern in both games, including a season-high 17 in the second game.  Joe Mann and Roger Ayala continued their torid hitting start to 2006.  Mann went 4-5 in the second game and leads SU with 9 RBI  and six extra base hits in five games.  Ayala leads the team in hitting at .600 and was 3-4 on Sunday.  Jordan Anders went 5-7 in the series.

HR's Costly as UTPB Rallies to Series Sweep

UT-Permian Basin pounded four home runs en route to a 15-5 win and three-game sweep of SU.  Mountaineer starter Cory Fite (0-1) pitched a solid six innings (including 7 strikeouts) and carried a 4-3 lead into the top of the seventh before the Falcons rallied.  The three runs he'd given up came on two home runs and were the only mistakes Fite made to that point.  In the top of the seventh, he made one other mistake.  On a comebacker to the mound, his throw to second base on a possible double play went into center field and left runners on first and second with nobody out.  Schreiner made two pitching changes, and each relief pitcher surrendered a home run.  When the seventh inning was over, SU was trailing 11-4.  Chase Kimball was 2-3 at the plate with 2 RBI and Joe Mann continued his productive start to 2006 with 2 more RBI on 2-4 batting.  Roger Ayala was also 2-4.

Late Rally Falls Short as UTPB Gets Opening Day Sweep

SU Baseball head coach Joe Castillo found out something that he probably already knew.  There is no quit in his team.  Down 9-2 in the fourth and 14-5 going into the bottom of the sixth inning in the second game of an opening day doubleheader, SU scored 8 runs in the final two innings and had the tying run in the on-deck circle but it wasn't enough as UTPB completed the sweep with a 16-13 win.  UTPB rallied with 8 runs in the fifth inning of game one to win that game, 9-2.  Errors and pitching wildness were the Mountaineers undoing but much of that can be chalked up to rookie jitters for several freshmen.  Offensively, the star of the day was Jeremiah Kester.  Between the two games, he was 5-5, added four walks, had 2 RBI and scored 5 runs.  Providing punch in the second game comeback were Richard Guerrero and Joe Mann, who each had three-run homers.  Mann was 4-7 on the day and had 5 RBI in the second game.  SU committed a total of six errors, issued 13 walks, hit 4 batters, had 7 wild pitches and a passed ball.  Fortunately, that is why you play non-conference games to start the year.  Expect the freshmen and the team to bounce back quickly.