Chilczenkowski, Dobosz Earn Top Titan Baseball Honors

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Seniors Nick Chilczenkowski and Dave Dobosz have been chosen as the winners of the “Most Valuable Player” award for the 2006 Illinois Wesleyan University baseball team.

Chilczenkowski (LaFox, Geneva HS) led the 2006 Titans with seven home runs, 15 doubles, 49 runs batted in and with a .423 batting average, the seventh best in a single season at IWU.  His 66 hits is the fourth most in an IWU season.The Titans’ rightfielder ended his career in the top 12 at the school in six offensive categories – fifth in doubles (40), eighth in both walks (68) and runs batted in (129), ninth in hits (177), 11th with 19 home runs, and 12th with 116 runs scored.

Dobosz (Lombard, Glenbard West HS), who was also named the “Most Valuable Pitcher”, led the Titans with a 9-1 record and a 1.36 earned run average, the third best in an IWU season. He struck out 35 and walked 12 in 72 2/3 innings. His nine wins is tied for second best in a single season, behind the 11 from Nathan Knuffman in 1998.

The Titans finished with a 28-14 overall record and were 14-7 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, good for third place. IWU finished second in the CCIW tournament.

In other team awards, sophomore shortstop Nate Rittenberry (Gurnee, Carmel HS) was chosen as the “Most Improved Player” and freshman third baseman Rob Cummings (Oak Lawn, St. Rita HS) won the “Top Newcomer” award.
Rittenberry hit .317 with six doubles, a home run and 10 runs batted in.
Cummings, who hit .372 with eight doubles, six homers and 30 RBI, set a school record when he got six hits at Monmouth on April 18.

Senior catcher Tanner Springer (Bloomington, Tri-Valley HS) and, for the second straight season, junior infielder Pat McWilliams (Naperville, North HS) shared the “Titan Award,” which is given for hustle and competitive attitude.
In 22 games, Springer hit .254 with six doubles and a home run while McWilliams batted .250 and scored two runs in six games.

A number of other individual milestones were achieved in the 2006 season, including

:• Senior right-handed reliever John Wantiez (Oak Lawn, St. Rita HS) set an IWU season record with eight saves, topping Chris Seifert’s 1989 mark of seven.

• Senior shortstop Pat Cinquegrani (Barrington, Palatine Fremd HS) became IWU’s all-time leader in stolen bases with 55, topping the 54 stolen by Jeremy Hunt from 2000-03. He finished No. 2 in career walks (89), No. 5 in runs (143) and tied for 17th with 149 hits. His 49 runs scored this year is tied for second most in an IWU single season.

• Senior first baseman Brian McCabe (Cary, Cary-Grove HS) ended his career in the top 11 in six offensive categories – second in runs batted in (143), fifth in doubles (40), home runs (26) and walks (74), sixth in hits (185) and 11th with 117 runs.

• Senior righthanded pitcher Brandon DuBois (Beecher HS) ended his career tied for fourth in appearances (47), fifth in innings pitched (201 2/3), No. 12 in strikeouts (125) and tied for fourth with 18 victories.

• Senior outfielder Joe Howard (Downers Grove, Montini HS) finished in IWU’s top eight in five offensive categories – fourth in both runs batted in (142) and doubles (42), fifth in hits (191) and tied for sixth with 71 walks.

Head coach Dennis Martel, whose 18-year record is 475-317-3, awarded letters to 25 players. They are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS - Nick Chilczenkowski (LaFox, Geneva HS); Pat Cinquegrani (Barrington, Fremd HS); Dave Dobosz (Lombard, Glenbard West HS); Brandon DuBois (Beecher HS); Ryan Gilbert (New Lenox, Lincoln-Way Central HS); Ryne Haag (Minonk, Fieldcrest HS); Joe Howard (Downers Grove, Montini HS); Russ Koper (Bartlett HS); Brian McCabe (Cary, Cary-Grove HS); Tod Moore (St. Charles, East HS); Tanner Springer (Bloomington, Tri-Valley HS); John Wantiez (Oak Lawn, St. Rita HS).

JUNIORS – Mike Berry (Crystal Lake, Prairie Ridge HS); Josh Bidzinski (Belvidere, Rockford Boylan HS); Robert Inzinga (Glen Ellyn, Glenbard West HS); Patrick McWilliams (Naperville, North HS); Travis Myers (Lake Forest HS).

SOPHOMORES – Ricky Angel (Glen Ellyn, Glenbard West HS); Nate Rittenberry (Gurnee, Carmel HS); Mike Rosin (Morton Grove, Niles West HS).

FRESHMEN – Matt Aronson (LaGrange, St. Ignatius HS); Rob Cummings (Oak Lawn, St. Rita HS); Jesse Foster (Homewood, Homewood-Flossmoor HS); John Kratzmeyer (Chicago, Niles Notre Dame HS); Tim McInerney (River Forest, Oak Park HS).

May 22, 2006; contact: Stew Salowitz, salowitz@iwu.edu