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UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS ATHLETICS
Baseball improves immensely from a season ago; Philip Carkhuff and Michael Schweiss selected as team's 'Co-MVPs'
Posted: Jun 17, 2011

Baseball improves immensely from a season ago; Philip Carkhuff and Michael Schweiss selected as team's 'Co-MVPs'

The University of Dallas baseball team concluded their 2011 season with a record of 26-14 (1-0, fall ball), noticeably improving upon their 16-25 (2-0, fall ball) 2010 campaign.   

Under the direction of second year head coach and pitching coach Fraser Holmes –- who was named 2011 'Coach of the Year' by the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) -- the Crusaders are developing a winning culture. 

Series swagger: 

Where a series constitutes at least two games played against an opponent in this instance, Dallas won eight series, while tying four and only dropping two on the 2011 regular season. Of these series, the Crusaders swept four teams – Bates College (Iowa), 2-0; Robert Morris University-Chicago (Ill.), 2-0; East Texas Baptist University, 2-0; and Trinity University, 2-0.   

Of note, Chapman University (Calif.) – the 2011 NCAA DIII Baseball runners-up -- to their credit, were the only team to sweep Dallas, as the Panthers bested the Crusaders in a three-game series. 

High fives: 

Dallas rattled off two five-game winning streaks – season highs -- during 2011 against some quality opponents, including two future Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) foes, in Austin College and Trinity University. 

Streak no. 1: 

Entering the first of these two streaks, the Crusaders had already established their guile, in possessing a 7-2 record. Streak number one -- which lasted from Mar. 1 through Mar. 7, 2011 -- began with Dallas claiming the back-half of a doubleheader against Howard Payne University, 9-2, in Brownwood, Texas. After the split, and with the YellowJackets in the rearview mirror, Dallas knocked off Robert Morris University of Chicago, 6-2 and 3-1, at QuikTrip Park – home of the Independent League's Grand Prairie AirHogs of the American Association. The Crusaders then took their talents to Cocoa Beach, Fla., where in 'Spring Training' play they upended Penn. St-Brandywine, 8-3, and Penn. St-Greater Allegheny, 8-1, in a pair of nine-inning games. The streak, however, came to an end in Cocoa Beach, as Rochester College (Mich.) escaped the diamond with a 2-1 victory. 

Streak no. 2: 

Despite Austin College claiming the first game of a three-game home-and-home series, Dallas resiliently took Game 2 at Crusader Field by a score of 11-1 on Apr. 9, before taking care of business in Sherman, Texas, the following day, defeating the Kangaroos, 14-10. With two consecutive wins under their belt, the Crusaders turned their attention to East Texas Baptist University, a team they had dismissed on Apr. 5, 15-1. Though the outcome was a bit closer on Apr. 12, the Crusaders once again prevailed over the Tigers, this time 7-4. Next on the gauntlet for Dallas was a two-game home series versus the then ranked No. 13 (D3Baseball.com) Trinity University Tigers on 'Senior Day' weekend for the Crusaders. The seniors – Luke Kersting, Delano Ponce, Martin Lopez, David Rettinger, and Philip Carkhuff -- were sent out in style in front of an adoring crowd, as Dallas prevailed in Game 1, 5-4, on Apr. 16, prior to rallying on Apr. 17 to a dramatic extra-inning 4-3 walk-off victory over the Tigers. This streak was haulted by No. 15 (D3baseball.com) Chapman University to begin Dallas' final (road) series of the year. 

Inside the numbers: 

As a team, Dallas amassed some notable statistical accomplishments -- nationally -- on their 39 game season. The team finished with 2.51 stolen bases per game (22nd), 98 stolen bases (27th), and allowed 2.9 walks per nine innings (30th). 

On the individual level, four Crusaders sat atop the national statistical rankings in a variety of categories upon the completion of the 2011 season. Junior left fielder Devin Arnold totaled 34 stolen bases (8th), and .87 stolen bases per game (11th). Junior center fielder Brian Shelburne netted 28 stolen bases (26th) and had .74 stolen bases per game (29th). Meanwhile, senior shortstop David Rettinger's (San Antonio, Texas/Central Catholic H.S.) seven sacrifice flies merited him seventh nationally in the category.

Dynamic duo dominant on mound:

On the pitching front, junior right-handed pitcher Michael Schweiss and senior right-hander Philip Carkhuff formed quite a tandem, and for their efforts have been named Dallas Baseball's 'Co-MVPs' for the 2011 season.

Schweiss, in a shutdown relief/closer's role, concluded his 2011 campaign with a 1.03 ERA (3rd), nine wins (19th), and 5.68 hits allowed per nine innings (12th). In 69.2 innings pitched, he tabulated a 9-2 record in 24 appearances. Schweiss also held hitters to a diminutive .174 batting average.

Carkhuff, assuming the role of Dallas' ace, was solid in his 15 starts. In 78.1 innings pitched, he amassed a 7-4 record with a 2.99 ERA.

The following Dallas individual season school records were set in 2011:

Notable career leaders:

Dallas' 2011 statistical leaders (minimum 20 games played): 

     Offensive: 

     Defensive: 

2011 postseason honors: 

      Denotations:

  • United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)
  • Association of Division III Independents (AD3I)
  • College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)

Philip Carkhuff (Marietta, Ga./The Lovett School)

  • USCAA Baseball National All-Academic Team 
  • USCAA Baseball All-American Team
  • AD3I First Team Pitcher

Michael Schweiss (Parker, Colo./Chaparral H.S.)

  • USCAA Baseball All-American Team
  • AD3I Baseball First Team Pitcher
  • D3Baseball.com Honorable Mention All-America 

Brian Shelburne (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth H.S.) 

  • AD3I Baseball Player of the Year
  • USCAA Baseball All-American Team 

Devin Arnold (McKinney, Texas/McKinney H.S.) 

  • AD3I Baseball First Team Outfielder 

Trevor Allred (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) 

  • AD3I Baseball Second Team Third Baseman 

Varea Costello (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.)

  • USCAA Baseball National All-Academic Team

Nico Caluda (New Orleans, La./Jesuit H.S.) 

  • CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Baseball Second Team 

Fraser Holmes

  • AD3I Coach of the Year

Program outlook: 

In SCAC competition, Dallas will compete in the West Division in 2012 against Southwestern University (8-12 SCAC, 17-20 overall), Trinity University (15-5 SCAC, 34-13 overall), Austin College (6-14 SCAC, 11-24 overall), and Hendrix College (10-10 SCAC, 19-22 overall).

The SCAC's East Division will consist of Birmingham-Southern College (12-3 SCAC, 30-9 overall), Centre College (6-9 SCAC, 13-22 overall), Oglethorpe University (6-8 SCAC, 13-22 overall), Rhodes College (11-4 SCAC, 24-20 overall), Sewanee: University of the South (0-11 SCAC, 10-21 overall), and Millsaps College (11-9 SCAC, 10-21 overall).

The Crusaders went 5-2 in 2011 against SCAC West Division foes. In 2012, Dallas will have the opportunity to slug it out for a conference championship, with the winner receiving an automatic bid into an NCAA Regional.

Thoughts from coach Holmes: 

How do you feel about the team's progression in your two years as head coach? 

"I feel great about our progress. We had a bit of a rough year in 2010 finishing 14-26, but we were able to flip that record around to 26-14 in 2011, with very few changes to the roster from 2010-2011. We played a solid schedule this year, and competed at every turn. We had several big series wins, and only lost two series all year. The mentality of the team as whole changed dramatically, as the expectation of victory every time we stepped on the field was present all year long in 2011."

Looking back at the 2011 season, in your eyes how close was the team to achieving an at-large bid into an NCAA regional? 

"It is difficult to say precisely how close we were in terms of the voting, but I do believe we were in the mix to get one of the two Pool B bids. A series win against Chapman, I believe, would've put us in, and perhaps even winning one game against them would've put us in a better position. Unfortunately, an 11th inning loss to Chapman in the first game of the series against their undefeated ace was devastating. 

In addition, we had an extra-innings loss to UT-Dallas against their ace as well. Due to the ice storm at the beginning of the year, we lost our three-game series against Hendrix, which would've been good in-region games that would've helped our cause, had we won the series. In the end, if we had gotten to 30 wins, especially with a win against Chapman, I do believe we would've gotten in to the tournament. It was an all-around successful season, but our goal from the beginning of the year was to make a regional, so we've got work to do for next year."

What kinds of things did you stress in the exit meetings to your players to get them ready for fall ball and the 2012 season? 

"The main thing we stressed was using the summer wisely -- given how close we were to the tournament, we wanted to stress how important it was to use their time off from school to get themselves ready to achieve the goals of 30 wins and a regional appearance.  We also talked to each player on an individual basis about their specific areas of improvement."

How excited are you and the guys about joining the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association (SCAC) for the 2012 season? 

"We are extremely excited about joining the conference. This is right where we need to be, and we are poised to compete for the conference title in our first year. We were 5-2 against SCAC teams this year, and if we had played the series against Hendrix, we potentially could've been 8-2. The most exciting thing about joining the conference is that we no longer have to play the guessing game about getting into a regional. The path to the regional is now clear and direct—win the SCAC tournament, and that is what we intend to do."

Are there any freshman or JUCOs you expect to contribute right away in 2012? 

"I am expecting great things from our incoming class. With five graduating seniors, we had several roles to fill, and I am excited about the freshmen and transfers. "

Anything else you'd like to add, coach? 

"I'd like to thank the graduating seniors once again, and ask for their continued support for the program of which they were such a big part. Also, we will be hosting an Alumni Baseball Game on Saturday, Oct. 29. More information will be forthcoming in the following days, but I want all Alumni and UD Baseball supporters in attendance!"