National Champions!!!
'Etta Express captures fourth National Championship with 7-2 victory over Wheaton (Mass.)

May 30, 2006
APPLETON, Wisconsin — For nearly four years, people considered them underachievers. Now, those same skeptics will forever refer to them as National Champions.

Those individuals, the Pioneer baseball team, secured their place in history by defeating Wheaton (Mass.), 7-2, to capture the 2006 NCAA Division III National Championship. It is the ‘Etta Express’ fourth national tile (also won in 1981, 1983 and 1986) and moves them into a tie with Eastern Connecticut State for most in the 31-year history of the event. It is also the first time since 1986 that a Mideast Region team won the National Championship. That 1983 team, like the 2006 team, got an at-large bid to postseason play after not winning the Ohio Athletic Conference title.

“This is an unbelievable day for Marietta College baseball,” said third-year Head Coach Brian Brewer, who was making his first trip to postseason as a manager. “Honestly, we are not only excited but relieved. It has been 20 years since we last won a National title and people outside the MC Baseball Fraternity were beginning to doubt us. This thing’s been a long time coming, and a lot of people have expected it for a lot of years.”

Marietta (43-11), who went 4-0 during the Memorial weekend, became the second straight team to go undefeated in the World Series, joining Wisconsin-Whitewater, who went 5-0 en route to the title in 2005.

As has been the case for most of the season, Marietta’s five seniors played a vital role in the team’s success on Championship Day. Jarrod Klausman (Altoona, Pa.) had a pair of key singles, Justin Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) provided the offensive fire power with two home runs, Lee Guerrera (Wolcott, Conn.) served as a wall for the pitchers behind the plate, Chris Hendricks (Little Hocking/Warren Local) continued to play stellar defense and Mike DeMark (Jeanette, Pa./Penn-Trafford) closed out the most important game of the season.

Following an off day on Monday, Marietta’s offense was focused from the start, knowing that with junior All-American Mike Eisenberg (Coral Gables, Fla./Bullis) on the hill and DeMark waiting in the wings, if the Pioneers could score a couple early runs, they would be in pretty good shape.

The ‘Etta Express had its opportunities, but didn’t crack the scoreboard until the fourth. Steranka led off the fourth with a single, but was erased on a Tom Doty (Mentor) fielder’s choice. Sophomore Tony Piconke (Clinton Twp., Mich./Clintondale) followed by depositing a fastball over the left field fence for a two-run home run, his third of the season.

The Pioneers stuck again in the fifth. Marietta had five hits in the inning with the biggest hit a three-run bomb to left center field by Steranka. Klausman, who extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a single, and freshman Josh Beebe (Fleming/Warren Local), who singled, both scored on the home run, Steranka’s eighth of the season.

Steranka returned to the batter’s box an inning later and slugged a two-run home run over the center field fence to make the score 7-0 in favor of the Pioneers after six innings. Junior Ryan Belanger (Coldwater, Mich.) singled and scored on the home run, Steranka’s third of the Tournament.

Wheaton (43-10), who had just one hit through six innings, took advantage of back-to-back walks by Eisenberg to get two runners on base. Pat Connor made the walks hurt with a RBI single through the left side. Eisenberg struck out the next two hitters, before Brandon Leonard singled home another run to make the score 7-2. Eisenberg ended the threat with his third strike out of the inning and 11th of the game.

A double play got Marietta out of a small jam in the eighth inning. Eisenberg sprinted back out to the mound to start the ninth, but was removed to a standing ovation from the Pioneer faithful after allowing a single to open the inning. Before exiting, a smiling Eisenberg tossed the ball to DeMark, confident that he would secure the National Championship.

DeMark retired the first two hitters he faced, one with a fly out and the other with a strikeout. That strikeout was the 262 of his career, tying him for fifth on Marietta’s career strikeout list. Pioneer fans both at the park and listening around the world had to endure a two-out single, before the final fly ball of the year landed in Piconke’s glove, starting the celebration.

Marietta’s offense finished with 15 hits in the game, while Wheaton had seven. Steranka, went 3-for-5 with two home runs, five runs batted in and two runs scored. Beebe went 3-for-4 with a pair of infield singles. Klausman, Piconke and junior Ryan Eschbaugh (Marietta) each added two hits in the victory. Klausman finished the year with 91 hits, which ranks fifth on the Pioneers’ single-season hit list.

Eisenberg, who was working on three days rest after shutting down Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Marietta’s opening game on Friday, had another dominating performance. He scattered six hits and struck out 12 in eight-plus innings. Eisenberg improved his season strikeout total to 138, which tied Matt DeSalvo’s 2000 mark for third all-time on MC’s single-season list.

Eisenberg and Steranka were both honored for their efforts during the Championship with Co-Most Outstanding Player honors. They join Joe Schaly (1981), Jim Pancher (1983) and Mike Brandts (1986) as World Series MVPs. Eisenberg, who was 2-0 in two starts, allowed three runs on 10 hits with 23 strikeouts in 16 innings of work. Steranka batted .500 (9-for-18) with three home runs, 11 runs batted in and four runs scored.

Eschbaugh, who hit .500 (6-for-12) and played errorless defense at shortstop, and Klausman, who went 9-for-16 (.560), were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

“We can’t wait to get home and share this with the entire MC Baseball Fraternity,” added Brewer. “The men worked so hard all year and did everything we asked of them. That is what makes this so rewarding. We began the year with a goal and today we accomplished that goal. Marietta College is National Champions!”