May 24, 2005

Chicago, Ill. - The Horizon League announced that University of Illinois at Chicago Head Baseball Coach Mike Dee has been named the Coach of the Year in a ballot of league coaches at the pre-tournament banquet held at Butler's Reilly Room in the Student Union on Tuesday night.

The award marks Dee's fifth honor in seven seasons, after leading the Flames to an overall record of 35-18-1 and a fourth-straight, regular-season title with a mark of 14-6 in Horizon League play. After losing their first eight games of the season, UIC has rebounded to win 35 of their next 46 contests.

UIC dominated the post-season individual awards, claiming eight of a possible 24 selections on the first and second teams, while earning four players on the All-Newcomer Team.

UW-Milwaukee finished with five players selected, followed by Youngstown State (4), Wright State (3), Butler (2) and Cleveland State (2).

Making both the All-Horizon League First Team and All-Newcomer Team were freshman first baseman Mark Hallberg (Barron, Wis./Barron) and sophomore outfielder Larry Gempp Jr. (Ingleside, Ill./Grant/College of Lake County).

Hallberg who is batting .355 on the season, leads both UIC and the Horizon League in hits (75) and runs scored (50). The Barron, Wis., native is also second in the league in RBI (40) and total bases (103). Gempp Jr. leads UIC in batting average (.356) and home runs (8), as well as the Horizon League in triples (5) and total bases (104).

Rounding out the All-Horizon League First team selections for the Flames is sophomore pitcher Zach Peterson (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka). Peterson is 8-1 with a Horizon League-best ERA of 3.33 and 38 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched. The Minnetonka, Minn., native has picked up seven straight decisions, including five wins and two saves in his last eight appearances (4 starting, 4 relief).

Junior outfielder Bart Babineaux (New Iberia, La./Catholic/El Camino CC) was named to both the All-Horizon League Second Team and All-Newcomer Team.

Babineaux torched Horizon League pitching in his rookie season with the Flames, batting a team-best, .453 (29-for-64) with five home runs and 24 RBI. Overall, Babineaux is batting .319 with six home runs and tied for second in the Horizon League in both runs (43) and RBI (40).

Joining Babineaux on the All-Horizon League Second Team are senior outfielder Shane Crowder (Sisters, Ore./Sisters/Mount Hood CC), junior catcher Bryan Nolte (Higginsville, Mo./Higginsville/Butler County CC), junior designated hitter Ted Rosinski (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and sophomore pitcher Ryan Zink (Madison, Wis./LaFollette).

Crowder has feasted on Horizon League pitching this season, batting .389 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 20 games played. Overall, Crowder is third on the squad with a .326 batting average along with five home runs and 29 RBI.

After a slow start, Nolte bounced back in fine form, as the junior backstop is batting .309 with 33 RBI on the campaign. Nolte has been outstanding defensively, throwing out 37.8% (17-for-45) potential base-stealers.

Rosinski has been solid at the plate for the Flames, batting .320 with a career-best, five home runs and a Horizon League-best, 43 RBI. In 18 Horizon League games, Rosinski batted .379 (22-for-58) with four home runs and a team-best, 25 RBI.

Zink, a 2004 All-Horizon League Second Team selection, makes his return to the squad with a record of 7-5 with two saves and an ERA of 3.98. In conference play, Zink has picked up four wins and one save in seven appearances.

Junior pitcher Scott Saling (Springfield, Ill./Springfield/Springfield CC) rounds out the award-winners for the Flames and the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team.

Saling is currently 4-0 with two saves and an ERA of 4.17 during his rookie season. In league play, Saling was 2-0 with a save and an ERA of 3.27.

Butler outfielder Dale Mueller captured Player of the Year honors, batting .371 with three home runs and 24 RBI for the Bulldogs. Youngstown State hurler Justin Thomas took home Pitcher of the Year honors with a record of 7-5 with a 3.42 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 76.1 innings pitched.

UW-Milwaukee pitcher Aaron Sorensen earned the distinction of Newcomer of the Year, with a mark of 8-3 with a 5.29 ERA and 71 K's in 78.1 innings pitched.

UIC will open up Horizon League Tournament play on Thursday night, as they will square off with the lowest winning seed of Wednesday's opening round action at 7:00 p.m. (CST) at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, a AAA-affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.