Etta Express open home schedule with busy weekend at Pioneer Park

Mar. 18, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio – Coach Brian Brewer and his Pioneers welcome three teams to Pioneer Park beginning Friday (Mar. 18) for a busy weekend of baseball. Action gets underway tomorrow when the Etta Express take on Dubuque (IA) in its home opener at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, Thiel will battle Dubuque at 10 a.m., Marietta will host the Tomcats at 1 p.m. and Hanover will take on Dubuque at 4 p.m. The Pioneers and the Panthers will round out the competition with a Sunday doubleheader at 12 p.m.

The Etta Express (5-3-1) are coming off an emotional spring break trip which included the death of former head coach, the legendary Don Schaly, from cancer, while he was down with the team in Florida. On the diamond, Marietta’s first week gave the coaching staff an idea of where the team was and what they need to work on to prepare the Pioneers for a run at another OAC Championship and a berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Dubuque (8-0) will put its perfect record on the line this afternoon, when it battles the Etta Express for the first time ever. Joseph Hapanionek leads and offense which is hitting .399 on the spring, Hapanionek is batting .577 (15-of-26) with three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI. Cole Lyons (.450 BA, 16 RBI), Justin Sheperd (.440 BA, 10 RBI) and Timothy Cook (.400 BA, 11 R) are also leading the Spartans from inside the batter’s box. Timothy Kinney is the only pitcher with two decisions so far in 2005. He is 2-0 with eight strikeouts and 4.50 ERA in 12.0 innings to lead a squad that has a team ERA of 2.60.

Thiel (4-4) enters the weekend hitting .348 as a team. It is paced by Ben Cobler, who is hitting a team-high .429 (12-of-28) with seven runs and nine RBI. Josh Baker (.409 BA) and Kinsey Henderson (.406 BA) have also had hot starts for the Tomcats. The Thiel pitching staff is led by Keith Jackson, who is 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA. As a team, the Tomcats have a 7.23 ERA.

Hanover (3-5) is coming off a 6-4 to Edgewood (WI), Thursday (Mar. 17). Tyler Punt entered the week batting .435 (10-for-23) to lead the Panthers offensively. Kyle Walden (.421 BA) and Kyle Wynn (.407 BA) will also look to help trigger Hanover’s offense this weekend, which was hitting .319 after its first seven games. The Panthers’ pitching staff has an ERA of 6.00 entering the week.

Coach Brewer’s squad went 5-3-1 during its spring trip to the Port Charlotte (FL) Invitational. After opening with a doubleheader sweep of Lakeland (WI), Marietta fell to SUNY-Cortland and Rochester (NY), before bouncing back to defeat Central (IA) and Concordia (WI). The Pioneers closed out the trip with a tie against Messiah (PA) and a twin-bill split with Fitchburg (MA). Junior Lee Guerrera has had a hot start offensively. He is hitting a team-high .576 (19-of-33) with nine runs and 16 RBI. Senior Chris Sidick also had a great week and returned with a .459 batting average (17-of-37) with 13 runs, 10 RBI and four triples. Sophomore Ryan Belanger (.433 BA, 11 RBI), freshman Tony Piconke (.333 BA, 11 R) and junior Chris Hendricks (.286 BA, 11 R) have also made large contributions in their first opportunities this spring. Mike Mooney (2-0) and Mike DeMark (1-0) lead a talented and experienced pitching staff into the weekend.

Marietta will remain at home following this weekend’s games to play host to Ohio Wesleyan Tuesday (Mar. 22) at 5 p.m.