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Princeton University Athletics
Stiller, Walz Take Ivy League Baseball Weekly Awards
March 23, 2004 | Baseball
March 23, 2004
Princeton, N.J. - A pair of Princeton pitchers, sophomore Erik Stiller and freshman Eric Walz, claimed the Ivy League Pitcher and Rookie of the Week awards for their performances during the first two weeks of the 2004 season. Additionally, junior centerfielder B.J. Szymanski was named to the league's weekly honor roll.
Stiller, a right-hander from Bryan, Texas, started three games for the Tigers and has posted a 1-1 record with a 1.50 ERA. He has allowed just three earned runs on 11 hits in 18 innings pitched. In his first start he pitched five scoreless innings in a no decision at Old Dominion. He then earned his first win after allowing one run in six innings at Duke. In his last start he allowed two runs in seven innings at Virginia Commonwealth.
Walz, a right-hander from Fort Worth, Texas, has appeared in four games making one start and has a 2-0 record and a save to his credit. In his collegiate debut he entered a scoreless game in the sixth and allowed one run on three hits over the final four innings to post the win over Old Dominion. In his next appearance, he tossed three scorless innings to get the save at Duke. In his first career start on Saturday at Virginia Commonwealth, Walz pitched eight innings and allowed three earned runs on eight hits as Princeton defeated the Rams. Szymanski, a switch-hitting outfielder from Wichita Falls, Texas, leads the Tigers in hitting with a .417 batting average in 12 games played. He has 20 hits in 48 at-bats and has a team-high 15 RBIs. He also leads the team with a .750 slugging percentage, a .473 on base percentage and three home runs. He opened the season with a 10-game hitting streak. Big outings for him during that stretch included a 2-for-5 afternoon with two RBIs at Duke, a game-saving diving catch at Elon, a home run at North Carolina, and a 3-for-4 day with two RBIs at North Carolina A&T.
Team Notes:
-Princeton climbed two spots to 12th in the CollegeBaseballInsider.com Northeast Coaches Poll. Princeton jumped those spots after earning two wins at Virginia Commonwealth, ranked fifth in the regional poll. Other Princeton opponents that appear in the poll are Rutgers, Cornell and Stony Brook, all of which are in the others receiving votes category.
-Princeton is now 8-6 on the season after completing its 10-day, 11-game Spring Break Road Trip. The Tigers were 3-0 prior to the trip and played to a 5-6 record on the trip. Last season, Princeton was 4-12 following its spring trip.
-After taking two of three game from Duke and defeating Elon, Princeton was 6-1, marking the best start for a Princeton baseball team since 1989.
-The Tigers wrapped up the trip by splitting a four-game series with Virginia Commonwealth over the weekend.
-Princeton had had seven players hit home runs in the 14 games played this season. Last season, Princeton only had nine players that hit home runs in the 50 games the Tigers played.
-Senior Steve Young and junior B.J. Szymanski are both hitting over .400. Both players started the season with hitting streaks. Szymanski hit safely in his first 10 games, while Young had hits in his first eight games.
-The Tigers have received strong outings from all four weekend starters this season. Sophomore Erik Stiller is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Freshman Gavin Fabian is 1-1, has a 2.25 ERA and is 1-1, with the loss being a 1-0 complete game outing. Freshman Eric Walz is 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA and a save. Junior Ross Ohlendorf is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
-Junior Brian Kappel has stepped into the closers role this season and has three saves in six appearances. In his last save, after allowing the first two batters he faced to reach base, he rebounded to strike out six straight batters to seal up a win.
-The Tigers open up the home portion of their schedule this coming Saturday when they host Stony Brook for a doubleheader on Saturday. The two teams then meet on Sunday on Long Island. Princeton and Stony Brook have never faced one another. The Seawolves are currently 7-6 on the season after taking two of three games at West Virginia two weekends ago. Their games this past weekend were snowed out and they play twice more, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, before the weekend series.