Weather Adjusts Baseball Home Opener

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – IPFW will not host Bethel College on Friday due to poor field conditions at Mastodon Field, yet the two teams will play a doubleheader at Jenkins Baseball Stadium on Friday as the Pilots have a field that is ready for action. Game one of the doubleheader will start at 1 p.m.

The Mastodons will be off on Saturday and Sunday, but the team will travel to Indianapolis on Monday to face Anderson at Victory Field. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.

Fans may park in the Victory Field parking lot and Indians' representatives encourage fans to park on the West side near the 3rd Base Gate. Parking will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additional car parking is available across the street at White River State Park and the Indiana Government Center Parking Garage.

Poor field conditions have pushed the season home opener to April 12 as the 'Dons will host the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State on Friday followed by a Sunday doubleheader against North Dakota State.

IPFW BASEBALL
The Mastodons are now 8-11 overall after taking two of three against Alabama State last weekend. Catcher Caleb Fenimore was named Summit League Player of the Week for his outstanding play as he hit .400 with six RBI's, two doubles and a home run. The junior posted a .900 slugging percentage with a .455 on-base percentage.

The pitching rotation is not set in stone but it looks like Jason Kalber will take the hill on Friday in game one of the doubleheader with Chuck Weaver getting the nod in game two. Steve Danielak is a possible candidate for the Anderson game on Monday.

Kalber has made six starts on the year with one complete game. He is 0-3 overall with a 3.00 ERA. The senior leads the team in innings pitched with 30 and he is second on the team with 22 strikeouts.

Weaver also has six starts this season as he posts an overall record of 1-1. The senior has a 4.66 ERA and is holding opponents to a .268 batting average. Weaver has 29 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched which leads the team.

Danielak is 3-2 overall with a 5.50 ERA. He has made six appearances, but has only started on the mound in two games. Brandon Pease is another option for IPFW this weekend. Pease holds a 3.46 ERA and has started in five games.

Individuals that may impact the game from the bullpen include Connor Lawhead, Kyle Sorensen and Travis Reboulet. Lawhead leads the team with three saves in seven appearances. He has 13 strikeouts. Sorensen and Reboulet each have two saves to their credit. Sorensen has one of the best ERA's on the team at 1.86 and Reboulet is close behind at 2.70.

At the plate, IPFW has two players near the .300 mark as Markus Kalber enters the weekend hitting .328 and Tyler Shepherd is just below at .295. Kalber is the team leader in doubles with nine and Shepherd is near the team lead in RBI's with seven.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS
Bethel is 7-9 early in the 2013 season with a perfect 4-0 mark in conference play. Like IPFW, the Pilots have battled poor weather conditions and therefore have had multiple games canceled and postponed. They have won four-straight heading into the weekend with two home and two road wins over Goshen.

The Pilots have four players hitting over .300 on the year as Andrew Whitlow leads the way with a .359 average. Whitlow has a double, triple, and a home run giving him a team-high 10 RBI's.

Clint Nealeigh holds a 2-1 record on mound for Bethel. He posts an ERA of 3.20. Nealeigh is second on the team in strikeouts with 17, teammate Mike Vanderlaan is the leader at 18.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS
Anderson is 6-8 overall with a 2-1 conference record. They will play a three-game series against Defiance this weekend before playing IPFW on Monday. The Ravens recently took two of three from Bluffton on the road winning the first game 6-5 then splitting a doubleheader.

Cole Heberling has been in the zone during the start of the season as he leads the club with a .431 batting average. Heberling has started in all 14 games and is the team leader in doubles, home runs and RBI's.

Six different pitchers have earned a win on the mound for Anderson. Nolan Schaefer posts the best ERA on the team at 1.69 while the team's strikeout leader is Dan Schmitz with 24. Location can be an issue with Schmitz at times as he also leads the team with 18 walks.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

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