Villanueva and Schweiss Summer Update
IRVING, Texas – Two former members of the University of Dallas baseball team have continued their playing careers this summer. Luciano Villanueva ('16) signed with the Utica Unicorns, while Michael Schweiss ('12) continued his deal with the Normal Cornbelters for a fourth season.
The Unicorns are part of the United Shore Professional Baseball League, which was founded by Rochester-based General Sports and Entertainment. It is the culmination of a 10-year effort by General Sports to bring professional baseball to the Detroit area. To learn more about the league, click here.
Villanueva, who pitched and played the field for the Crusaders, has been primarily playing second base this summer. Wearing No. 6 for the Unicorns, he is currently batting .310 (9-for-29) with two doubles and five RBIs. Villanueva has hit safely in six of the eight games he has appeared in.
Villanueva was a four-year letterwinner during his stint at Dallas. He played a career 142 games and started 133 of them. His batted a career average of .272, 132 hits, 72 runs scored, 20 doubles, four triples, five home runs, and 73 RBIs. He had a career-season in 2015, leading the squad in nearly every offensive category and was the lone player to hit north of the .300 mark with a .322 average. He earned back-to-back honors for Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Second Team All-Conference in 2015 and '16. Additionally, Villanueva was voted MVP amongst his teammate in the final consecutive seasons of his career.
Villanueva performed well on the hill his final season, making nine of his 20 career appearances in that span. All seven starts occurred in the San Antonio, Texas, native's, final campaign. The right-hander earned two SCAC Pitcher of the Week Honors, including one on a complete game, 2-hit shutout at Southwestern University. He finished with a 3-3 record, 2.95 ERA, and logged 39.2 innings pitched this year.
Continuing his post-graduation career, Schweiss is on his fourth summer with the Cornbelters, who are part of the Frontier League. Wearing the same No. 11 when he was in college, Schweiss ranks second on the team this summer having thrown 42.1 innings and reflected a 2.33 ERA. The starter is tied amongst a trio for most starts with seven, and ranks second out of that group with 34 punch outs (third overall). His most recent outing was June 19 at Southern Illinois. Schweiss hurled 6.1 innings and yielded three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
The Cornbelters have dropped three straight Schweiss starts by one-run, but the UD alumni has not factored into a decision in any of them. The last time for that was a win in a seven-inning, quality start on Jun. 1 versus Washington. The Irving, Texas, native, yielded a run on three hits and matched a season-high eight strikeouts in consecutive outings.
The program's career-holder in saves (9) returns to the mound as a starter, and is coming off a season last summer that featured career-bests in wins (9), ERA (3.07), starts (20), strikeouts (135), and innings pitched (128.2). Counting this year, Schweiss has amassed a 20-16 record, 3.70 ERA, 58 appearances (49 starts), 313.2 innings, and 265 strikeouts.
Prior to joining Normal, Schweiss completed a great career with Dallas. The four-year letterwinner garnered plenty of accolades during his playing span with the Crusaders including: 2010 and 2011 Association of Division III Independents' First Team, 2011 D3Baseball.com Honorable Mention All-America, 2011 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-America, 2011 Co-Team Most Valuable Player and 2012 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Honorable Mention. In addition to the previous pair of records mentioned in the program, Schweiss holds the single-season record for most games pitched in 2011 (25)
Schweiss continues to be involved with the Dallas program, serving as an assistant coach in the 2013 before signing with the Belters. He remains a fixture in the dugout, working with Crusaders as a volunteer assistant.