- WEEKLY POLL
McPherson back to full strength as Trojans sweep
By Deb Wallace
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com
Cody McPherson (Lake/Bluffton) has been through a lot since the early morning hours last March when the Bluffton baseball team’s bus rolled over an overpass onto Interstate-75 in Atlanta.
He and his family have had to deal with the death of the death of the bus driver and the driver’s wife, five of Cody’s Bluffton teammates, numerous accident-related injuries, and national media.
On top of it all, Sports Illustrated featured the Beavers in its May 7 issue. SI included individual photos of every player, including McPherson.
This summer, McPherson picked up right where he left off — switching straight from the Bluffton Beavers’ NCAA Division III baseball program to play summer college wood bat baseball for the Ohio Trojans at Oregon’s William P. Coontz Recreation Complex.
The Trojans completed the home portion of their Tri State Baseball Association schedule by facing Dave Kirilloff’s Baseball Training Academy team, based in Pittsburgh.
In the first game, the Trojans sent Nick Picciano to the mound. Picciano pitched a complete game, walking just one batter and allowed only one earned run.
Offensively for the Trojans, they scored two runs in the second inning due in part to some wild pitching from the Academy’s starting pitcher. Phil Reed and Spike Holliday scored the two runs in that inning.
In the third inning, the Trojans added two more runs. Derek Spencer (Clay/Bowling Green) led off the inning with a walk and was followed by Josh Wierzba, who was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a ground out by McPherson. Austin Ritson singled in one run and Wierzba scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.
The Academy scored one unearned run in the sixth inning as the Trojans took the first game, 4-2.
The second game saw both teams score early. BTA scored two in the top of the first inning off of Trojans starter Shane Pfouts (Lake/Urbana).
Logan Meisler walked to start the game for the Trojans. Meisler stole second, advance to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Spencer.
The Trojans scored two more runs in the fourth inning to go up 3-2 as McPherson and Austin Ritson had the two RBI’s for the inning.
In the fifth inning, the Academy scored three more runs off of Brad Eickhoff to take the lead at 5-3. Eickoff came on in relief to start the fifth. P.J. Thomas came on to get the final out of the fifth inning and finished out the game striking out two, walking one, and did not allow a run.
Austin Ritson started off the seventh inning for the Trojans, hitting a slow bouncer and was tossed out at first. Phil Reed then walked and was followed by Spike Holliday, who hit a single. Casey Kahsen then flied out to the left fielder for the second out of the inning. Logan Meisler followed Kahsen to the plate. After a few foul balls, Meisler sent a ball high up in the air and it sailed over the left field fence to give the Trojans a 6-5 win.
“I was nervous coming into the series this weekend with Baseball Training Academy as they are in a solid second place in the league. Our men stepped up and played hard nose baseball and won the series this weekend,” said Trojans’ general manager Steve Timofeev.
Timofeev was impressed with Meisler’s game-winning home run.
“In all of my years in baseball I have never actually experienced a game winning walk-off home run. Logan has been a great contributor to this summer program,” said Timofeev.
The Trojans have two sets of games left in their season. They face the Baseball Training Academy and the Pittsburgh Pandas, both on the road. Starting on July 27, they begin participation in the CABA World Series in Elgin, Illinois.
Oregon-based Ohio Trojans win College World Series
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com
The Oregon-based Ohio Trojans beat the Wheaton White Sox twice on August 4 to win the Continental Amateur Baseball Association College World Series in Elgin, Illinois.
The Trojans are a wooden bat summer baseball team comprised of Toledo area collegiate players. The team plays in the Tri-State Baseball League, which is based in Pittsburgh and also includes teams from Cleveland, Youngstown, and Columbus.
The Trojans entered the tournament with five injured players, three of whom were starting pitchers: Rob Moffit ( Toledo), Brad Timofeev (Clay, Defiance), and Christopher Beesley ( Dayton).
“We were fortunate to be able to go down to our 18 and under team and pull up some great players,” said Steve Timofeev, general manager.
“Chris Pfund (heading to Eastern Michigan) was a great asset with his speed and outfield play,” added Timofeev. “We also were lucky to have Jake Cappelletty (heading to Adrian) at first base. He came through with some nice clutch hits. We also picked up Chris Squires, Mark McCarty, and Mickey Cassidy from St. Francis College in Indiana.”
The week of baseball began with the Trojans competing in pool play. The team lost to Cleveland rival J.L. Thomas (JL Collegians) and the Fox Valley Angels from Elgin, Ill.
But the Trojans played strong against the Chicago Canadians. They were led by Defiance College pitcher Dustin Zizelman, who threw a complete game shutout. The Trojans also played well in the final pool play game to beat the Aurora Merchants. Shane Pfouts ( Lake), from Urbana, allowed a single run to the Trojans’ five.
The Trojans started tournament play against the Twin City Blue Claws from Cleveland. The Trojans got out to an early 4-0 lead, but a few errors allowed the Claws to put up three and close the gap. But, the Trojans held on for the win.
Starter Bart Shcnur (St. Francis) allowed two earned runs. Austin Ritson came in to close and chalked up the save. T.J. Blanton ( Bowling Green) went 2-for-3, stole two, and scored a pair.
The Trojans moved on to face the number three seed Chicago Canadians. As in pool play, the Trojans handled Chicago easily, knocking out 11 hits for a 6-2 victory. Strong pitching from McCarty was a key. He allowed a single hit and shut out the Canadians in five innings of work. Austin Ritson put the cap on the game, earning another save.
In quarterfinal play, the Trojans faced J.L Thomas from the Great Lakes Baseball League. Defiance hurler Dustin Zizelman took the mound again and threw a solid five innings, giving up just one earned run on six hits. Zizelman fanned seven batters.
Nick Picciano allowed three runs in relief, but the bat of BGSU’s Login Meisler was too much for J.L. Thomas to overcome. Meisler went 3-for-4 on the day, knocking home five RBIs with two home runs. His Falcon teammate, Derek Spencer (Clay), added two hits and an RBI, and scored a run of his own. The Trojans beat J.L. Thomas, 9-4.
The Trojans would not be so lucky against the Wheaton White Sox in the semi-finals. Despite the solid pitching of Chris Squires ( Indiana), the Sox beat the Trojans, 10-9. Squires struck out five and allowed four runs.
Josh Wierzba ( Toledo) helped out the Trojan offense with three hits and a run scored. Spencer kicked in a single and a pair of doubles, scoring two runs. Ritson scored two himself, drove in two more, and ended the day with two singles a double.
After the Wheaton loss, the Trojans played J.L. Thomas again, this time for a spot in the championship round. With the Thomas team’s pitching staff running on empty, the Trojans made easy work of the team, winning 9-3.
The Trojans’ Logan Meisler turned in a good performance: two doubles, two runs scored and two runs driven in. Cody McPhearson ( Lake, Bluffton) added two singles and a run. Josh Wierzba and Austin Ritson each added two singles and one RBI in the 9-run attack.
The Trojans entered the championship round with a loss, which meant they’d need to beat the Wheaton White Sox twice to win the CABA World Series.
In the first game, the Trojans got behind pitcher Dustin Zizelman and helped him to a 1-hit shutout. McPherson, Wierzba, Spencer, and Ritson took charge at the plate in the fifth, scoring four runs. T.J. Blanton ( Bowling Green) also slapped a clutch single to drive in an RBI, and the Trojans won the game, 5-0.
Both the White Sox and the Trojans entered the championship game with one loss. The Trojans were led in the final contest by pitcher McCarty. His stint on the mound yielded a stingy four hits and not a single run. McCarty was simply commanding, striking out three White Sox and giving up only one walk. Ritson, Blanton and Casey Kahsen ( Defiance) all scored a run each to seal the 3-0 win for McCarty and the championship for the Ohio Trojans.
Co-MVP Dustin Zizelman pitched 19 innings, and had a nearly nonexistent 0.37 ERA. He struck out 14 batters, allowed just eight hits and only one earned run. Wierzba hit .560 during the tournament. Ritson hit .440 and pitched himself in relief to a 1.00 ERA in seven innings, allowing one earned run and four hits. Spencer hit .423 and one home run; Meisler posted a .375 average; and McPherson hit .308 and put one over the fence.
The collegiate summer baseball team is part of the Ohio Trojans Baseball Club. The Trojans sponsored seven baseball teams this summer — collegiate, 18 and under, three development teams, 16 and 14 and under teams.
For additional information, visit www.ohiotrojans.com or contact Steve Timofeev at 419-350-1619.
Bluffton baseball team
Cody McPherson has bruises, but “truly
blessed”
By Mark Griffin
Special to
The Press
news@presspublications.com
Cody McPherson made the dean's list at Bluffton University last quarter and is on his way to one day becoming a high school teacher.
The history education major, a 2006 Lake graduate who also plays baseball as a pitcher/outfielder, never could have imagined what would take place in the early morning hours of March 4.
McPherson, 19, and the rest of the baseball team were aboard a charter bus outside Atlanta, headed to Florida to play some spring ball. It was about 5:30 a.m.
“Everyone was sleeping,” McPherson said.
Before they knew it, the bus careened over a wall, dropped about 30 feet and landed on I-75. McPherson was alive, but four of his teammates weren't.
McPherson said the thought of ever being involved in a serious bus accident had never crossed his mind.
“I've thought about maybe our bus hitting a car or someone running into the back of a bus,” he said, “but not falling off a bridge. Not in my wildest dreams. That's something that happens in movies.”
McPherson said there were 35 people on the bus, including 28 players and five coaches. Before he knew it, he said, “I was on the floor on the aisleway.”
“The next thing I remember was being tossed between the poles underneath the seats like a pinball,” McPherson said. “I remember being rolled as we were falling and then just one final thud. When I came to, obviously there was lots of yelling. When I woke up there were already some pedestrians outside helping people off.
“My teammates were telling me to get off the bus, there's gasoline. I will never forget that smell. It was like the strongest odor. It was diesel (fuel). The less injured of the guys helped the other guys to a cement guardrail. It seems like 10 seconds after the accident, the ambulance and the paramedics were at the scene already.”
McPherson said another charter bus took the injured players to the hospital. Four of McPherson's teammates, as well as the bus driver and the driver's wife, were not so lucky.
According to reports, the driver, Jerome Niemeyer, mistook the exit ramp for another highway lane and took the curve at full speed. Weather conditions were not a factor in the crash, which ended with the charter bus resting on its side on I-75.
McPherson managed to walk away from the accident with bruised legs and a severely swollen ankle. Teammates David Betts, Tyler Williams, Scott Harmon, and Cody Holp were pronounced dead at the scene.
“I'm truly blessed,” McPherson said. “I have a couple bruises and a head injury. It hurt to walk at the time, and other people looked much worse than me. My head wasn't bleeding too much. I was still in shock, obviously.”
Accident hits home
McPherson and 14 other teammates were bused to Grady Memorial Hospital.
McPherson, who was released from the hospital at 7 p.m. last Friday night, said the loss of four teammates has hit everyone hard.
“We were a really tight team,” he said. “One of the things the school strived for was a close, tight community — especially a baseball team. It’s like a family. It’s hard. Time heals but it’s not going to be an easy process. We were all messing around before it happened. We were just enjoying all being together.”
Dave and Christie McPherson found out about the accident about 25 minutes after the crash, when their son called from a cell phone.
“I don’t know whose phone it was, but I remember they were passing around a cell phone,” McPherson recalled. “I woke them up with the call. I just said we were in a bus accident and told them it was really bad and somehow we fell off the bridge. I couldn’t think of what else to say.”
Dave McPherson was scheduled to fly down to Tampa, Fla., to watch Cody play baseball the same day as the accident. When Dave and his wife, the principal at Olney Elementary, got the early-morning call from Cody telling them about the crash, they initially thought it was a school employee calling off work for the day.
“When Cody called and said, ‘Dad,’ I knew something was wrong,” Dave said. “I know his voice. He said, ‘We got in an accident and I’m laying alongside the road,’ and he knew some of this teammates were hurt really bad. I tried to get him to explain where it was.
“I thought, they’re traveling south and I was thinking about bridges with gorges and ravines and hills. I never thought it would be a bridge in Atlanta. We weren’t even thinking anything like this.”
After Cody's initial call to his parents, the McPhersons didn’t hear from their son again until 7:20 p.m. Friday night.
“We felt better,” Dave said. “Until we heard his voice again, we didn’t know if he was in shock, or if he was okay. We didn't know what kind of condition he was in. We are very blessed that God took care of him. It’s a time to rejoice for us, but yet you can’t because you think of those four teammates of his and the bus driver and his wife and their family. It’s going to be a long mourning for everybody.”
Dave and Christie flew to Tampa and drove a rental car to Atlanta to pick up Cody. He was, needless to say, glad to see them.
“That was emotional, definitely,” said McPherson, who got back home Sunday afternoon. “I was definitely happy to see them. There is no way that any of us should still be alive.”
The city of Atlanta gave its support to the Bluffton team. Wal-Mart donated clothes to the players, whose own clothing was soaked with diesel fuel. Chick-fil-A brought food right to the hospital, and Dick's Sporting Goods donated large duffle bags.
“It was so well done,” Dave said. “We just can't praise how the Red Cross handled what was going on down there. That city stepped to the plate and took care of all these kids and families.”
Cody McPherson doesn’t know if Bluffton's baseball season has been canceled, and he doesn't care.
“We haven't talked about that,” he said. “It’s not really the important thing right now. It's the farthest thing from my mind.”
In the short time since the accident, McPherson admitted he’s done a lot of soul searching. He said he feels “blessed” to still be alive.
“One very important aspect of my life is my faith,” he said. “For some reason or another Jesus decided it’s not my time and there is more for me to do here. He decided for those four guys, it was time to go home. He’s telling us, here’s your second chance. You’re not done here yet.
“Stuff happens sometimes and it’s not our place to understand why it happened. You just have to know it happened and we have to strengthen others around us to get through it.”
McPherson said Bluffton University has scheduled a memorial ceremony for Monday, and classes resume Tuesday morning. He knows that for he and his teammates, their friends and families, their lives will never be the same.
“We'll just try to pick up where we left off, hopefully,” McPherson said. “You just have to keep pressing on.”
McPherson finishes 2007 baseball season all-league
College baseball player Cody McPherson ( Lake) recently finished the 2007 baseball season at Bluffton University as the lone Beaver selected to the All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference second team.
The first-year right fielder was undaunted by collegiate pitching as he hit .361, finishing with 22 hits in 61 at-bats. McPherson used a keen eye at the plate to pick up six walks, pushing his on-base percentage to .429, the second-best on the squad. He put down four sacrifice bunts and drove in 10 runs for the Beavers.
Bluffton ended its shortened season with a 5-19 record overall, including a 4-15 record in the Heartland Conference. The Beavers displayed strength and perseverance following the March 2 bus accident in Atlanta that claimed the lives of five Bluffton baseball players along with the driver and his wife. McPherson is the son of Dave and Christie McPherson of Northwood.
Oregon-based Trojans sweep two doubleheaders
By Deb Wallace
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com
The Ohio Trojans played the Columbus Hawks in an afternoon doubleheader on Saturday, June 30, the first of two weekend doubleheaders that were both swept by the Oregon-based summer college wood bat baseball team.
The first game saw the Trojans send Chris Beesley to the mound to face the Hawks. Beesley pitched five innings, striking out seven, walking one, and allowing all four of the Hawks runs. Nick Picciano pitched the last two innings, walking one, striking out two, and allowing no runs to cross the plate.
Offensively, the Trojans scored early and often. In the first inning, they sent seven men to the plate and scored two runs. The second inning saw six players to the plate with another run scoring. There were a game high eight players sent to the plate in the fourth inning and two more runs scored this inning.
The Hawks committed two errors in the fifth inning and one run came in that inning. The Trojans finished off their scoring with one more run in the sixth thanks to some smart base running by Josh Wierzba. The Trojans won the game 7-4.
In game two, Shane Pfouts (Lake/Urbana) started for the Trojans on the mound, pitching a complete game shut out. He allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out five.
The Trojans got off to a slow start in this game, not getting more than one man on until the fourth inning. Derek Spencer (Clay/Bowling Green) led off with a single and was followed by another single from Wierzba. Cody McPherson (Lake/Bluffton) then laid down a perfect bunt for another single. Brad Timofeev (Clay/Defiance) reached base on an error from the Hawks which pushed in the first run for the Trojans. Casey Kahsen hit a double that scored two more runs before Timofeev was called out at the plate for the third out of the inning. The Trojans added one more run in the sixth inning for a final score of 4-0.
The Trojans played their Sunday doubleheader against the Chillicothe Capitals in Port Clinton. The change in venue did not seem to make any difference in the Trojans’ play.
Last year, the Capitals were champions of an NABF College Division regional tournament in Louisville, Ky., and qualified to play in the College World Series in Toledo.
The Trojans started out by scoring two runs in their half of the first inning. Logan Meisler doubled to start off the bottom of the first and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Meisler then scored on a single by Spencer, who then scored the second run for the inning.
The fourth inning saw an explosion by the Trojans. Spencer hit a solo home run early in the inning. Wierzba was up next and drew a walk off of the Capitals starting pitcher, and he then stole second base and advanced to third on a missed throw from the catcher. McPherson singled in Wierzba for the second run. McPherson eventually scored on a double by Timofeev. Phil Reed followed with another double that scored Timofeev.
At this point, the Capitals changed their pitchers. Casey Kahsen drew a walk before Meisler flied out to the center fielder to end the inning. The Trojans scored three more runs in the sixth inning.
On the hill for the Trojans was Rob Moffat. Moffat completed four innings while striking out six and walking five. He did face five batters in the top of the fifth inning and allowed three runs in his time on the hill.
Timofeev came in to complete the inning allowing no more runs. He also finished the game striking out a total of three batters, walking one, and allowed just two more runs by the Capitals. The Trojans won easily, 9-5.
In the second game, Dustin Zizelman pitched for the Trojans. He pitched five and two-thirds innings striking out three, walking three, and allowing all six of the Capitals runs in the game.
McPherson came in late in the sixth and faced three batters. He completed the game, striking out one, walking two, and not allowing any runs.
The second inning saw seven Trojan players come to the plate. Brad Timofeev led off with a single before stealing second during Phil Reed’s at bat. Timofeev advanced to third on Reed’s single. Casey Kahsen then singled in Timofeev. T.J. Blanton doubled, scoring Reed. The third inning was just as exciting for the Trojans. Josh Wierzba led off with a walk and was followed by McPherson with a single. Austin Ritson hit a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Two batters later, Reed hits a blast over the fence for a three run homer.
The Trojans added two run in the fifth inning which proved to be just enough runs to win the second game 7-6.
The Trojans are 12-6 on the season and are 11-5 in Tri-State Baseball Association conference action.
Trojans Open
The Ohio Trojans summer college wood bat baseball team opened its Tri-State Baseball Associatin season Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3, with home doubleheaders against the Lake County Lakers and Twin City Blue Claws.
The Trojans have another set of home doubleheaders this weekend, June 9-10, with all four games at John Ousky Field at the City of Oregon’s Williams P. Coontz Recreation Complex on Seaman Road. On Saturday, June 9, the Trojans will host the Allegheny Athletics, who travel from the Pittsburgh area, at 3 p.m., and on Sunday, the Trojans host the Youngstown Metros, starting at noon.
Players for the Trojans include Siena Heights outfielder/catcher Scott Slygh (Clay), Defiance infielder/pitcher Brad Timofeev (Clay), Bowling Green shortstop Derek Spencer (Clay), Bluffton infielder/pitcher Cody McPherson ( Lake), Urbana outfielder/pitcher Shane Pfouts ( Lake), and Bowling Green pitcher Chad Albright (Eastwood).
Summer collegiate baseball returning to Oregon
By J. Patrick Eaken
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com
Oregon will be home to summer collegiate wood bat baseball again this summer. The Ohio Trojans will play home games at Ousky Field in the William P. Coontz Recreation Complex while competing in the Tri-State Baseball League.
Players for the Trojans include Siena Heights outfielder/catcher Scott Slygh (Clay), Defiance infielder/pitcher Brad Timofeev (Clay), Bowling Green shortstop Derek Spencer (Clay), Bluffton infielder/pitcher Cody McPherson ( Lake), Urbana outfielder/pitcher Shane Pfouts ( Lake), and Bowling Green pitcher Chad Albright (Eastwood).
The Trojans were the first team in Oregon to play in the wood bat summer collegiate ESCL since the Maumee Bay Buccaneers, which played from 1999-2002. The Buccaneers qualified for a National Amateur Baseball Federation Major Division regional berth in 1999 and were ESCL champions in 2000 with a 17-5 record in league play.
The Trojans were fourth in the ESCL last season with a 9-15 record, finishing just ahead of the Ohio Storm. Canton Big E won the regular season championship with an 18-6 record and qualified for the NABF College World Series, picking up Albright, who started on the mound in a televised quarterfinal game against the Long Island Astros at Ned Skeldon Stadium.
Overall, the Trojans were 14-16, including wins over teams from the Great Lakes Instructional Baseball League and the Newmarket Hawks from Canada.
The Trojans’ general manager is Steve Timofeev of Oregon. This year, the Trojans will participate in Tri-State’s North Division with the Allegheny Athletics, Tri-County Diamonds, Pittsburgh Academy, Pittsburgh Pandas, and Youngstown Metros. The South consists of the Chillicothe Capitals, Columbus Big Katz, Columbus Hawks, Gahanna Rockets, Newark Mavericks, and Otterbein Boys of Summer.
The Pandas and Capitals were qualifiers to last year’s College World Series, and the Pandas are the defending national champions. The Pandas were College World Series runner-ups in 2005, losing in the final to the Michigan Bulls of the Livonia Collegiate League.
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