News
June 10, 2009 - Spartans Recognized for Achievements - While the Spartans didn’t make it to their sixth consecutive NJCAA World Series, having been defeated in the Region IV tournament by Kankakee Community College, many individual honors were bestowed upon ECC players. Named to the NJCAA All-American Third Team were catcher Austin Licon and infielder Greg Stolzenburg. Licon, solid behind the plate with only two errors for the season, batted .413 with 43 RBI’s and 6 home runs. Stolzenburg, ranked 9th nationally among the NJCAA Division II individual hitting leaders, batted .479 with 38 RBI’s, 4 home runs, 19 doubles and 11 stolen bases.
ECC had five players named to the 2009 Region IV All-Region First Team. Earning this award were Zach Blanchette, Curtis Hudson, Austin Licon, Dan Scahill, and Greg Stolzenburg. Blanchette, an outfielder, was ranked 2nd nationally in stolen bases, 38th in batting average, and 40th in on-base percentage among all NJCAA Division II players. Blanchette racked up 48 stolen bases in 49 attempts, batted .438 and had an OBP of .524. Hudson, a starting pitcher, had a record of 7-1, an ERA of 3.13 with 51 strikeouts in 46 innings. Outfielder Dan Scahill batted .398 with 44 RBI’s, 4 homers, 19 doubles, and 14 stolen bases.
Region IV Second Team honors went to Brad Allen, Kyle Horvath and Jim Van Syckle. Allen, an infielder, was ranked 42nd nationally among the NJCAA Division II stats leaders with an on-base percentage of .523 and was ranked 50th in individual hitting. He batted .431 for the season with 6 home runs and 33 RBI’s. Horvath, a designated hitter, batted .408. His 59 RBI’s placed him 37th nationally. Pitcher Jim Van Syckle had a record of 7-1 with 42 strikeouts in 41 innings.
Two Spartans were recognized for their flawless glove work. Receiving the Region IV Rawlings Gold Glove Team award were Curtis Hudson and John Creely. Hudson and Creely, a catcher, were errorless in the field.
Illinois Skyway Collegiate All-Conference First Team honors were awarded to Allen, Blanchette, Licon, Scahill, Stolzenburg and Van Syckle.
On the academic side, Brad Allen, Dan Glade and Travis Saville received the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Academic All-Conference Award. To be given this award, student-athletes in the Skyway Conference must have completed 48 hours with a GPA of 3.0.
May 16, 2009 – Spartans Season Ends - The Spartan baseball team’s bid for a 6th consecutive trip to the NJCAA Division II World Series ended as they were ousted by Kankakee Community College in the championship game by the score of 12-8. The Spartans end their season with a record of 38-18 as the Region IV runner up. “I am very proud of the efforts of the guys. They played really hard and represented the school well,” said head coach Bill Angelo.
May 12, 2009 - Sectional Champs - The Spartans found themselves in familiar territory on Saturday when they took the Region IV Sectional title for the 10th year in a row by defeating Morton College 9-5 and 11-8. In the opening round of the Sectionals, ECC bested Sauk Valley Community College 12-0 (5 innings). ECC now advances to the Region IV Finals which will be hosted by Highland Community College on May 14-16. Four teams will be competing for the championship; Kankakee Community College, the College of Lake County, ECC and Black Hawk College. If the Spartans can come out on top, it will mean they will be making their sixth trip in a row to the NJCAA Division II World Series.
Region IV Championship Tournament @ Highland CC – Freeport, IL
5/14 Game #1 Kankakee vs Black Hawk 12:00pm
5/14 Game #2 ECC vs Lake County 3:00pm
5/15 Game #3 Loser Game #1 vs Loser Game #2 9:00am
5/15 Game #4 Winner Game #1 vs Winner Game #2 12:00pm
5/15 Game #5 Winner Game #3 vs Loser Game #4 3:00pm
5/16 Game #6 Winner Game #4 vs Winner Game #5 12:00pm
5/16 Game #7 (If necessary) 3:00pm
May 4, 2009 - Region IV Sectional Schedule for ECC Announced - The Spartans, who are the #3 seed in the Region, will play host at Spartan Field to #6 seed, Sauk Valley Community College, and #10 seed, Morton College, for the Region IV Sectionals. The Sectionals kick off on Friday, May 8 with Sauk Valley facing Morton at 10:00 a.m. This game will be followed by ECC versus Sauk Valley at 1:00 p.m., and at 4:00 p.m., ECC will take on Morton. On Saturday, May 9, the championship game will be played at 12:00 p.m. If a tie-breaker game is necessary, it will be played at 3:00 p.m.
April 30, 2009 - Today's Game Cancelled - Because of the heavy rains, today's game against the Benedictine University JV team as well as Spirit Day have been cancelled.
April 27, 2009 - Baseball Spirit Day! - ECC's Student Life and Athletic Departments along with the Men's Baseball team are proud sponsors of Spirit Day on Thursday, April 30, 2009. The Spartans will take on Benedictine University's JV team at Spartan Field with the first pitch at 3:00 p.m. There is no charge for admittance. For the fans, in addition to seeing an exciting baseball game, there will be free food and some great giveaways. Come and cheer the Spartans on to victory!
January 16, 2009 - Elgin Ranked #2 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll - For the fifth year in a row, the Elgin Community College baseball team will start the season as one of the top five teams in the country. The Spartans are the only team in the NJCAA that has qualified for the World Series each of the last five years. This year’s team is poised to earn a sixth consecutive trip to the NJCAA DII World Series and a shot at a national title. The Spartans are also the highest ranked team in Illinois. They will start the 2009 campaign on March 6th in St. Louis, Missouri. “I feel like this year's group is as good as any team I’ve had, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish,” said head coach Bill Angelo.
July 29, 2008 - Former Spartan Signs with Oakland A's - Mike Benacka, who played for ECC in 2004 and helped the team earn their first ever berth at the NJCAA World Series, has signed a professional baseball contract with the Oakland A's organization. Mike has reported to the Stockton Ports of the California State League, which is two steps away from the major leagues. Prior to his signing with the A's, Mike spent the last two seasons playing for the River City Rascals in the Frontier League which is a professional independent league. His statistics were simply amazing this season for the Rascals. He averaged two strikeouts per inning and only allowed one earned run prior to being signed by Oakland. The Spartan baseball family wishes Mike continued success as he continues his path to the major leagues.
June 18, 2008 - Spartan Awards - Befitting of a team that goes to the NJCAA World Series, numerous Spartans earned post season honors. At the top of the list were Andrew Burkett and Trevor Rutkowski who were named to the 2008 NJCAA All-American First and Second Teams respectively. Burkett, a pitcher, ended the season with a 9-2 record, an ERA of 2.58 and 74 strikeouts against 17 walks. Third baseman Rutkowski hit .388 for the season with 2 homers, 19 doubles, 42 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases.
Adding to his All-American honors, Andrew Burkett was also named as the Region IV All-Region Player of the Year and an All-Region First Teamer. Joining him on the First Team were Trevor Rutkowski, and outfielder Kyle Standridge. Standridge hit .326, with 32 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. All-Region Second Team honors were awarded to Bryan Mason (.376, 35 RBI's and 20 SB's) and outfielder Matt Wietlispach (.358, 25 RBI's, 18 SB's and 3 HR's).
Shortstop Bryan Mason was named to the NJCAA DII World Series All-Tournament Team. In the three World Series games that ECC played, Mason hit .620 with 7 RBI's, 2 stolen bases and was flawless in the field.
The Spartans had nine players named to the 2008 Illinois Skyway All-Conference Team. Bryan Mason was named the conference's MVP. First Team honors went to Andrew Burkett, Trevor Rutkowski, Kyle Standridge, pitcher Jim Van Syckle (7-3, 42 K's) and outfielder Matt Wietlispach (.358, 25 RBI's, 3 HR's, 18 SB's). Named to the Honorable Mention Team were catcher Austin Licon, outfielder Matt Revelle and catcher Ben Vincent. The ISCC Baseball Coach of the Year was Spartan skipper Bill Angelo.
June 10, 2008 - Elgin Takes 5th in NJCAA College World Series: The Elgin Community College Spartans’ Baseball team gave it everything they had in pursuit of the school’s first national title. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be, and the team ended up coming in fifth place at the National Tournament.
ECC started off the series with a bang beating the defending national champions, Longview Community College out of Summit, Missouri 7-4. Andrew Burkett (9-2) continued his dominance on the mound throwing eight strong innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs. Bobby Diebold came in to pick up his fifth save of the year giving up no hits. Offensive leaders for the Spartans were Matt Wietlispach (2-5, 3 runs, RBI, with a double), Kyle Standridge (3-4 run, RBI) and Trevor Rutkowski (2-4, double).
In the second game, Elgin played 2006 national champions Louisiana State University-Eunice who happened to also win this year’s NJCAA World Series. The Spartans participated in what was said to be one of the best games ever at the NJCAA World Series in Millington, Tennessee. The Spartans played their hearts out but came up short losing 14-12. The game was a constant back and forth contest. Matt Wietlispach continued his great tournament going 4-5 with three runs and two RBI. Bryan Mason also went 4-5 with two runs and four RBI. Trevor Rutkowski added a two run double. Matt Revelle went 2-5 with an RBI. Greg Stolzenburg went 2-5 with an RBI and a run and Austin Licon went 1-2 with two runs and an RBI. Josh Downing started the game throwing six innings giving up nine hits, five earned runs and striking out four.
In the elimination game, the Spartans were beat by Monroe Community College out of Rochester, New York 10-8. This is the second year ECC has been eliminated by Monroe. Wietlispach went 2-4 with three runs and a double. Bryan Mason went 3-5 with two RBI’s and a run. Matt Revelle went 2-3 with two runs and an RBI with a double. Ben Vincent went 2-4 with an RBI and Greg Stolzenburg added a two run hit. Starting pitcher Jim Van Syckle threw 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits and six earned runs. Jim took the loss finishing the season at 8-3.
The Spartans ended their season with a record of 36-12 and being the only NJCAA team that has made five straight appearances at the World Series. “This year’s team really did a great job of playing to their potential. They did our school proud! It was truly an honor to be a part of this group,” said Coach Angelo.
May 21, 2008 - ISCC Honors - The Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference announced its Men's Baseball All-Conference Team and nine Spartans received honors. Shortstop Bryan Mason, who hit .488 in conference and whose glove work and team leadership were exceptional, was named the ISCC's Most Valuable Player. First Team honors were awarded to Mason, pitcher Andrew Burkett (3-0, 3.38 ERA), third baseman Trevor Rutkowski (.383), outfielder Kyle Standridge (.436), pitcher Jim Van Syckle (5-0, 3.63 ERA) and outfielder Matt Wietlispach (.383). Receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention honors were catcher/DH Austin Licon, outfielder Matt Revelle and catcher/DH Ben Vincent. Head coach Bill Angelo, who guided the team to an 11-3 conference record and championship, was named the ISCC Baseball Coach of the Year.
May 19, 2008 - Spartans Going to World Series! - For the fifth year in a row the Spartans will compete in the NJCAA Division II World Series at USA Baseball Stadium in Millington, Tennessee. ECC won the Region IV title along with the right to play in the World Series by defeating #2 seed Kankakee Community College 10-2, and then taking two from #1 seed Carl Sandburg College 4-2 and 9-5.
The Spartans, with a record of 31-14, will play their first game on Saturday, May 24 at 3:00pm against Longview Community College (35-25) from Lees Summit, Missouri. Other teams competing in the World Series which runs from May 24 through May 30 include Western Oklahoma State College, Des Moines Area Community College (Iowa), Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan), Monroe Community College (New York), Lenoir Community College (North Carolina) and Louisiana State University-Eunice.
Game day results will be available at USA Baseball Stadium’s web site: www.usabaseballstadium.org
May 13, 2008 - Elgin claims their 9th consecutive sectional title - Elgin Community College claimed their ninth consecutive sectional title yesterday eliminating Black Hawk College 5-4.
In the first day of sectional action, the Spartans beat Black Hawk 5-2. This game was after Black Hawk had beat Sauk Valley Community College 10-6. Greg Stolzenburg had a great day at the plate going 2-3 with a double, single and two RBI’s. Bryan Mason also added two RBI’s. Austin Licon had two hits for the Spartans’ eight hit attack. Andrew Burkett earned the win improving his record to 7-2. Burkett threw eight innings giving up eight hits, two earned runs and striking out nine. Bob Diebold came into the 9th inning to pick up his first save of the year. Diebold struck two out in the inning for the victory.
Following the Black Hawk game, the Spartans took on Sauk Valley. Late inning heroics by Greg Stolzenburg (3-5, an RBI and run) won the game in the 9th inning with an RBI single to eliminate Sauk Valley from sectional play. Elgin went into the 8th inning trailing by two runs to make a comeback. Offensive leaders were Matt Wietlispach (2-5, double), Kyle Standridge (2-5), Trevor Rutkowski (2-4, double), Brad Porto (2-4, double and RBI) and Austin Licon (1-3, RBI and run). Starting pitcher Josh Downing (3-1) did not get the win but did throw 6-2/3 innings giving up six hits, three earned runs and striking out eight. Kyle Kukulski (2-1) earned the victory in relief throwing 3-1/3 innings giving up just one hit and striking out two.
Elgin Community College went into Mother’s Day 2-0 needing just one win to advance to the Region IV playoffs and claiming their 9th consecutive sectional title. The game on Mother’s Day was canceled due to rain and rescheduled for Monday. Once again the Spartans used late inning heroics to win the game. Elgin went into the 9th inning tied with Black Hawk. Trevor Rutkowski (2-4, double, run and RBI) led off the inning with a single. Matt Revelle (1-3) attempted a sacrifice bunt, but Rutkowski was thrown out at second base. Greg Stolzenburg (1-5) flew out to centerfield making the second out of the inning. Brad Porto (3-4 RBI, run) was intentionally walked. Josh Ehlers followed Porto with another walk bringing up John Creely. With a full count and bases loaded, Creely drew the game winning walk to advance the Spartans and end Black Hawk’s season. Matt Wietlispach also had a good game going 2-4 in the game. Jim Van Syckle started the game throwing 6-1/3 strong innings giving up nine hits, four runs (two earned) and striking out two. Van Syckle left the game with the score tied, and Coach Angelo brought in Bob Diebold. Diebold picked up his fourth win of the year throwing 2-2/3 innings giving up just one hit, no runs and striking out one.
The Elgin Community College Spartans improved their record to 28-14 and will advance to the Region IV Finals in Moline, Illinois at Black Hawk Community College. They will play #2 seed Kankakee Community College on Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
April 22, 2008 - Elgin is once again Skyway Champs - The Spartans won their fourth consecutive Illinois Collegiate Skyway Conference championship and 6th in the last 7 years. Needing a sweep against McHenry Community College, they won in convincing fashion 14-4 and 11-1.
In the first game, the Spartans handled business winning 14-4 pounding out 10 hits. Josh Downing (3-0) had a slow start giving up 4 runs in the top of the first before settling down and going the distance (5 innings due to the mercy rule). Downing gave up 6 (4 hits in the first inning) hits while striking out 5 and only walking 1. Matt Revelle had an outstanding day at the plate going 3-3 with 3 runs scored and an RBI. The freshman DH Ben Vincent also had a stellar day going 2-3 with a double, single and 2 RBI’s while reaching base all 3 times. Kyle Standridge added 2 hits for the Spartans’ 10 hit attack.
In the second game, ECC finished off the Scots 11-1. Roel Martinez had an amazing day. Martinez went 3-3 with 2 singles and a homerun with 3 RBI’s. Once again, Ben Vincent went 2-3 with another single, double, 2 runs and 2 more RBI’s. Greg Stolzenburg added 2 singles with an RBI and a run. Kyle Standridge had a perfect day at the plate going 2-2 with a double, single, walk and an RBI. Brad Porto added 2 hits and 2 runs for the Spartans. Starting pitcher, Andrew Burkett (5-1) threw a complete game going just 5 innings due to the mercy rule, giving up 1 run on 4 hits striking out 4 and walking 1.
The Skyway Champions are now 19-9 and 10-3 in conference. The Spartans will battle region rival Kankakee Thursday at Kankakee Community College in a doubleheader starting at 2:30 p.m.