CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park University baseball team is set to play in its fourth-straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament on Wednesday, May 11. The Vikings, who enter as the six seed, will take on host and top-seed North Central College for game one of the tournament at noon.
Coach Luke Johnson's squad did what they were supposed to do last weekend, taking two games from Illinois Wesleyan on the road to bump the Titans out of the final playoff spot. In both victories, North Park started rallies in the ninth inning.
The NPU offense is led by 2019 All-Region catcher Ranko Stevanovic, who holds a slash line of .352/.439/.641 with 46 RBI and 38 runs scored. The slugger has been red hot in conference action, slugging seven homers, five doubles, and a triple against CCIW teams. Additionally, only 14 runners have stolen a base off him, as he's caught nine runners attempting to steal.
Familiar faces in Bobby Bartlett and Justin Swanson have also seen success at the plate against CCIW opponents. Bartlett hit .358 in conference with three doubles, 11 runs scored, and a .446 on-base percentage. Swanson provided the pop with a .536 slugging percentage thanks to three doubles, two triples, and a pair of homers.
Newcomers Garrett Bragg, Reece Arakaki, Nathan Sommerfeld and Alex DiVito made an immediate impact this season. Bragg notched 30 at-bats in conference play, leading all Viking hitters with a .367 batting average. Arakaki carries a .346 conference batting average with 11 runs scored alongside a .974 fielding percentage at shortstop. Sommerfeld saw just 37 at-bats this season, but drove a pair of doubles, a triple, and a home run to account for a .514 slugging percentage. DiVito has been manning center and right field for NPU while maintaining a .345/.457/.436 slash line with a pair of doubles and a homer.
Pinch hitting specialist Richie Silva has come through in the clutch a variety of times this season. In just eight CCIW at-bats, Silva has brought seven runners home with a pair of doubles.
On the mound, Ethan Sund has picked up three CCIW wins in 34.1 IP, holding hitters to a .242 average while punching out 43. In total this season, the All-Region righty has tossed 70 innings while maintaining a 3.73 ERA and .212 BAA, striking out 94.
Frank Kalemba has enjoyed a breakout season as the go-to out of the bullpen. In CCIW action, he carries a 3.57 ERA in 17.2 IP, holding batters to a .210 BAA while striking out 15.
Bartlett and Brendan Russ represent the other duo of starters, totaling 34 CCIW strikeouts and 41.1 innings of work between the two of them.
Tyler Banks and Brett Brueske have also seen some CCIW starts, totaling 19 and 15 strikeouts, respectively.
Tournament Schedule: Visit the 2022 CCIW Baseball Tournament schedule for the most up-to-date schedule of games. All times and dates are subject to change.
Regular Season Champion: North Central claimed its 17th CCIW baseball title and extended its own conference record in the process. This was the Cardinals' seventh-straight CCIW title. Last year, North Central broke the conference record of five-straight titles set by Jack Horenberger's Illinois Wesleyan Titans from 1956 to 1960. This was also head coach Ed Mathey's 10th CCIW regular season title. Mathey served as North Central's head coach from 1994 to 2002, leading the Cardinals to CCIW titles in 1994, 1996 and 1998. He returned to North Central in 2015 following a 12-year stint at Northern Illinois.
NCAA Regional Rankings: North Central (third), Augustana (fourth) and Millikin (sixth) were ranked in the Region VIII NCAA Regional Rankings on May 1. NCAA regional rankings determine who is considered for that sport's championship field. The rankings are compiled by each sport's national committee, which is comprised of regionally assigned members. They're charged with determining the championship field with the help of recommendations from regional advisory committees (RAC).
National Rankings: North Central was ranked 15th in the most recent 2022 D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25.
Team Capsules
Augustana - Team Page
Head Coach: Greg Wallace (25th Season)
2022 Record: 29-10, 11-7
CCIW Regular Season Titles: 6 (Last: 2016)
CCIW Tournament Appearances (including this year): 24 (Last: 2021)
CCIW Tournament Titles: 3 (1999, 2013, 2016)
Carroll - Team Page
Head Coach: Stein Rear (9th Season)
2022 Record: 18-21, 9-9
CCIW Regular Season Titles: 0
CCIW Tournament Appearances (including this year): 2 (Last: 2021)
CCIW Tournament Titles: 0
Millikin - Team Page
Head Coach: Brandon Townsend (9th Season)
2022 Record: 26-14, 11-7
CCIW Regular Season Titles: 8 (Last: 1975)
CCIW Tournament Appearances (including this year): 24 (Last: 2021)
CCIW Tournament Titles: 1 (2021)
North Central - Team Page
Head Coach: Ed Mathey (8th Season - second stint with North Central)
2022 Record: 30-10, 14-4
CCIW Regular Season Titles: 17 (Last: 2022)
CCIW Tournament Appearances (including this year): 26 (Last Appearance: 2021)
CCIW Tournament Titles: 10 (1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1998, 2017, 2018, 2019)
North Park - Team Page
Head Coach: Luke Johnson (18th Season)
2022 Record: 14-23, 7-11
CCIW Regular Season Titles: 6 (Last: 2012)
CCIW Tournament Appearances (including this year): 16 (Last: 2021)
CCIW Tournament Titles: 3 (Last: 1987, 1990, 2012)
Wheaton - Team Page
Head Coach: Matt Husted (10th Season)
2022 Record: 18-18, 11-7
CCIW Regular Season Titles: 1 (Last: 1951)
CCIW Tournament Appearances (including this year): 8 (Last: 2021)
CCIW Tournament Titles: 0
