IPFW Baseball to Face Butler this Weekend

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW baseball team will travel to Indianapolis this weekend to play a three-game series against the Butler Bulldogs. The first game will take place on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m.

IPFW had two of the four games from last weekend cancelled due to snow. They were able to get a doubleheader in against SIUE on Sunday and the Mastodons split with the Cougars taking a 1-2 loss in the opener and a 7-6 extra innings win in the nightcap. IPFW is now 3-6 overall.

The Mastodon pitching rotation will feature Jason Kalber, Chuck Weaver, and Brandon Pease. Kalber is a lefty that is 0-0 after three starts with an ERA of 3.38. He has eight strikeouts on the year and is holding opponents to a .220 batting average.

Weaver is tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 11. He is 0-1 in three starts with an ERA of 6.23. Following Weaver in the rotation will be newcomer Brandon Pease. Pease is also searching for his first win of the season after taking two no decisions in his two starts. The redshirt freshman has one of the best ERA's on the team at 2.84 and he is tied for second on the team with 10 strikeouts.

Offensively, Markus Kalber has been on fire from the plate. Kalber is hitting .455 with seven doubles and a home run. He posts a slugging percentage of .758 and an on-base percentage of .486. The team's home run leader is Shane Trevino (2). Trevino and Clay Hathaway share the team lead in RBI's with six each.

Butler is 4-5 overall after taking two of three from Lipscomb this past weekend. The Bulldogs played at Georgia State to begin the 2013 season and they ended the month of February with a three-game series at Appalachian State. Butler went 1-2 both at Georgia State and Appalachian State. The Bulldogs have scored more 10 or more runs in every win this season.

Butler's starting rotation will feature two left-handers as Eric Stout and Kevin Lenkman will take the mound on Friday and Sunday. Saturday's starter will be senior Kyle Kramp.

Stout is a sophomore that holds a 1-2 record early in the season with an 8.40 ERA. He has thrown 15 innings in his three starts and is tied for the team lead with 13 strikeouts.

Kramp is a 6-3 right-handed pitcher that is off to a 3-0 start for the Bulldogs. He has the second-best ERA on the team at 4.97 with six strikeouts. Lenkman will take the mound on Sunday with a 7.88 ERA. He is 0-1 in his first three starts of the year and is second on the team with 10 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.

At the plate it has been Jimmy Risi generating runs for the Bulldog offense. Risi is hitting .410 through the first nine games. He leads the team in doubles (5), home runs (5) and RBI's (15).

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

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