College Baseball 360 » Akron baseball

Akron Names Rembielak Head Baseball Coach

Sean Stires — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 21:02:59 +0000

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AKRON, Ohio – Rick Rembielak, a three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year who has compiled more than 500 career wins at Wake Forest University and Kent State University, has been hired as the head baseball coach at The University of Akron, UA Director of Athletics Tom Wistrcill announced Friday.

“Coach Rembielak is the perfect fit for our baseball program,” Wistrcill said. “He has extensive experience as a Division I head coach, is a proven winner in the MAC and has local ties to Northeast Ohio. We are pleased to hire someone of his caliber and welcome him and his family back to The University of Akron.”

Rembielak, a Cleveland native and 1988 graduate of UA, won four MAC regular season championships and three league tournament titles at KSU, where he remains the all-time winningest coach of any sport with a career record of 373-251-1 (.597).

Moreover, in 11 seasons as the Golden Flashes’ head coach, Rembielak was 200-100 (.667) against league members and led KSU to 11 consecutive MAC Tournament appearances. During that time, Rembielak produced seven MAC Pitchers of the Year and the MAC Player of the Year and MAC Freshman of the Year twice.

In his 16 seasons as a Division I head coach, Rembielak has had 35 players sign professional contracts, including pitcher John Van Benschoten, who was selected eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001.

“I feel very fortunate to be named the head coach at The University of Akron and to return to coaching in the MAC,” Rembielak said. “There are many people I owe a debt of gratitude, especially over the last two years. I also would like to thank everyone involved in the selection process, especially Tom Wistrcill and (Associate AD for Facilities and Operations and Baseball Sport Administrator) Paul Hammond, for their confidence in me. I am eager to hit the ground running as I feel there are many positive events occurring at Akron and within Zips Athletics in particular.”

In June of 2004, Rembielak became the 24th head baseball coach at Wake Forest, where he spent five seasons. His impact was immediate as the Demon Deacons showed remarkable improvement during his first season. Wake not only improved its win total from the previous campaign by 11 games, but also captured eight more victories in league play.

In 2007, Rembielak led Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. The Deacons’ postseason bid was due in large part to their strong showing at the 2008 ACC Championship, where they became only the second No. 8-seeded team in league history to play in the title game.

Rembielak’s Wake Forest teams also excelled in the classroom. During his tenure, his team’s Academic Progress Report (APR) improved each season from 965 in 2005 to 983 in 2009. Rembielak’s 2009 team received special recognition for their academic success.

In all, Rembielak, who spent the 2010-11 season as a volunteer assistant at Georgia Tech under head coach Danny Hall, owns a record of 515-393-1 (.567) over a 16-year career as a Division I head coach. Last spring, the Ramblin’ Wreck finished their season with an overall record of 42-21, including a mark of 22-8 in the ACC.

“Akron has made a great hire,” Hall said. “Rembielak is a great coach and one of the reasons we had such a good year. Part of our success on the field can be attributed to the hard work he put in, day-in and day-out, with all of our players. He will definitely elevate the Akron program.”

Rembielak was a three-year letterwinning shortstop at Miami (Ohio) from 1979-81 where he helped lead the ball club to a 36-13-1 MAC record and a league championship (1979). In 1981, Rembielak was drafted in the 13th round by the Baltimore Orioles and played with teams affiliated with the O’s, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers over five seasons.

A graduate of Central Catholic High School in Cleveland, Rembielak earned a bachelor’s degree in business education from UA in 1988 and a master’s degree in sports administration from Kent State in 1992. He is a member of the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame, the Stark County Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Central Catholic High School Hall of Fame. He was inducted in the Kent State Varsity “K” Hall of Fame in 2009.

Rembielak inherits an Akron club that went 16-37 in 2011, but was the victim of 15 one-run losses – including 11 one-run defeats in MAC play. The Zips will return in 2012 eight players who saw significant time in the field as well as all three starting pitchers from the weekend rotation.

(Release)

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MAC Baseball 2010 Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Sean Stires — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:30:14 +0000

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Ball State & Bowling Green Picked As Division Favorites

Cleveland, Ohio – Defending MAC Regular Season Champion Bowling Green and defending West Division Champion Ball State have been chosen by the league’s head coaches to win their respective divisions, released today by the league office. The Cardinals were also selected by six of the leagues head coaches to take home the 2010 MAC Tournament title.

The Falcons were followed by 2009 MAC Tournament Champion Kent State in the East, while Ohio was picked to finish third. Miami was selected to finish in fourth place, while Akron was tabbed to place fifth. Buffalo rounded out this year’s East Division predictions.

2009 MAC Tournament runner-up Toledo was picked to finish second in the West Division and was followed by Central Michigan in third place. Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan rounded out the remaining sports in the West.

Ball State returns 16 letterwinners, including six position starters and eight pitchers from its 2009 squad that went 26-26 (14-10 MAC). Among those returning are 2009 All-MAC first-team selections Zach Dygert and Kolbrin Vitek. Ian Nielsen will also return for the Cardinals after being named to the Freshman All-America team last season. Earlier this month Vitek was named to the 2010 Ping!Baseball Preseason All-America Third Team. Vitek finished second on the team and sixth in the MAC with a .389 batting average. He also led the MAC in doubles (25), was second in RBI (67), third in slugging percentage (.736), third in total bases (153) and was fourth on the mound in opponent batting average (.268).

The Falcons and 2009 MAC Coach of the Year Danny Schmitz welcome back 20 letterwinners, including 12 position starters and eight pitchers from last year’s MAC Regular Season Champion squad that finished with a 28-22 overall record (18-8 MAC). Among those returning are 2009 MAC Pitcher of the Year and All-MAC first-team selection Brennan Smith. Joining Smith are first-team selections Logan Meisler, Matt Malewitz and second-team honorees Tyler Elkins and Derek Spencer.

The MAC baseball season begins on February 19th, while conference play starts up March 26. The season will culminate with the MAC Baseball Tournament, which takes place May 26-29 at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

2010 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

East Division
1. Bowling Green – 64 points
2. Kent State – 61 points
3. Ohio – 49 points
4. Miami – 39 points
5. Akron – 25 points
6. Buffalo – 14 points

West Division
1. Ball State – 72 points
2. Toledo – 52 points
3. Central Michigan – 44 points
4. Eastern Michigan – 35 points
5. Northern Illinois – 29 points
6. Western Michigan – 21 points

Tournament Champion:
Ball State (5), Kent State (3), Bowling Green (2), Eastern Michigan (1), Miami (1)

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2010 MAC Baseball Preview – East Division

Sean Stires — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:01:11 +0000

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Top MAC Teams From 2009 Reside In The East

2009 Division Winners: Bowling Green won the East Division & Ball State won the West.

2009 Champion: Kent State defeated Toledo 5-3 to win their 7th MAC championship in school history.

East Side Rules: The top 4 teams in the East all had conference and overall records above .500, while only Ball State accomplished that in the West.

2010 MAC East Division Preview

CLICK HERE to see our MAC West Division with our picks for top player and pitcher in the division as well as division winner for 2010.

Akron

2009 Season: (19-33, 12-15)

Mascot: Zips

Head Coach: Pat Bangtson

Location: Akron, OH

Vitals: .302 BA, 57 HR, .384 OBP, .957 Fld. %…6.55 ERA, 10 SVs, 355 K, 188 BB, .311 Opp. BA

Big Returns: Akron welcomes back 4 of their top 5 hitter from a year ago. Sr. OF Jake Plata (.357 BA, 3 HR, .453 OBP), Sr. OF/1B Brian Kordal (.346 BA, 4 triples, 44 RBI), Sr. IF Kevin Haas (.324 BA, 9 HR, 21 RBI), and Jr. C/OF Brandon White (.309, 6 HR, 32 RBI) all return in 2010.

Mound Struggles: The Zips had a team ERA of 6.55 and opponents hit over .300, but two top arms return. Jr. RHP Ben Danzinger (3-4, 5.81 ERA, career-high 58 K) and closer Chris Bassitt (1-2, 3.52 ERA, 7 SVs, .184 Opp. BA) will look to lead an improved pitching staff.

Goin’ South: Akron begins its season with a three game series against Minnesota in Fort Myers, FL at the Twins’ spring training facility.

Bowling Green

2009 Season: (28-22, 18-8)

Mascot: Falcons

Head Coach: Danny Schmitz

Location: Bowling Green, OH

Vitals: .345 BA, 63 HR, .416 OBP, .958 Fld. %…7.62 ERA, 12 SVs, 325 K, 195 BB, .316 Opp. BA

Very Offensive: Bowling Green boasted one of the top offenses a year ago hitting .345 as a team with 11 players over

Brennan Smith

the .300 mark individually. This year’s team returns several top hitters, including 2nd team All-MAC selection Sr. C/IF Tyler Elkins (.406, 16 doubles, 31 RBI), slugger Sr. OF Derek Spencer (.385, 15 HR, 59 RBI), and 1st team All-MAC selection Sr. IF Logan Meisler (.361, 4 HR, 45 RBI).

Pitching Strength: The Falcons bring back several top pitchers including the 2009 MAC Pitcher of the Year Jr. RHP Brennan Smith (8-4, 4.41 ERA, 80K). Soph. closer Charles Wooten (5 SVs, 39 K) returns, while Frank Berry (7-1, 4.76 ERA in 2008) and Kevin Leady (3-4, 5.03 ERA in 2008) are back as well after missing 2009 with injuries.

Three-peat: Bowling Green is looking to win its 3rd consecutive MAC Regular Season Championship, having won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. They, however, haven’t won the MAC tournament title and appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1999.

Buffalo

2009 Season: (20-35, 6-20)

Mascot: Bulls

Head Coach: Ron Torgalski

Location: Buffalo, NY

Vitals: .306 BA, 35 HR, .398 OBP, .954 Fld. %…8.49 ERA, 6 SVs, 358 K, 294 BB, .325 Opp. BA

On the Rise: The 20 wins a year ago were the most for Buffalo since they won 20 games in 1983. The 50 wins over the past three seasons under Ron Torgalski are also the most wins for a Buffalo coach in his first three years in school history.

Key Losses: Buffalo will have to deal with the loss of P/DH Chris Ciesla (.372, 4 HR, 44 RBI), who set UB single-season records for hits and total bases in 2009, and OF Eric Flynn (.283, 4 HR, 13 SB).

Late Start: The Bulls start their season a week later than most teams when they begin a three game series February 26th at Charlotte.

Kent State

2009 Season: (43-17, 17-9)

Mascot: Golden Flashes

Head Coach: Scott Stricklin

Location: Kent, OH

Vitals: .324 BA, 80 HR, .410 OBP, .971 Fld. %…5.69 ERA, 20 SVs, 489 K, 239 BB, .287 Opp. BA

Challenges: Kent State plays Western Kentucky, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Indiana, and Kansas State in their non-conference slate. All but Wake Forest made it to an NCAA Regional last year.

Season of Success: Kent State’s 43 regular season wins were 13 more than any other MAC program last year, yet they finished one game behind Bowling Green for the MAC East championship. They went on to win the MAC Tournament and made their 8th NCAA Tournament appearance.

Key Losses: The Golden Flashes will have to replace sluggers Greg Rohan and Jason Patton who combined for 149 hits, 30 HRs, and 117 RBI.

Miami's Adam Eaton

Miami (OH)

2009 Season: (30-25, 15-12)

Mascot: Red Hawks

Head Coach: Dan Simonds

Location: Oxford, OH

Vitals: .310 BA, 67 HR, .397 OBP, .965 Fld. %…5.91 ERA, 10 SVs, 348 K, 205 BB, .303 Opp. BA

Offensive Loss: Miami loses its top 3 hitters from a season ago, including 2nd team All-MAC selection Tommy Nurre (.406, 18 doubles, 17 HR, 54 RBI). Also gone are Jordan Petraitis (.364, 8 HR, 54 RBI, and Chris Nadeau (.356, 19 doubles, 5 HR, 50 RBI).

Key Returns: Back in 2010 is 2009 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Mideast Region 2nd teamer OF Adam Eaton who hit .350 with 11 HR and 48 RBI. Eaton also was 28-of-29 in stolen bases. The RedHawks also return Jr. LHP Tyler Melling (6-3, 5.35 ERA, 1 CG) and So. RHP Jordan Jankowski (6-1, 4.95 ERA, 5 SVs).

Season Opener: Miami starts their season February 19th on the road at Clemson, before playing the next two days in Greenville, SC against Furman and Michigan State.

Ohio

2009 Season: (29-24, 18-9)

Mascot: Bobcats

Head Coach: Joe Carbone

Location: Athens, OH

Vitals: .314 BA, 102 HR, .404 OBP, .955 Fld. %…6.70 ERA, 10 SVs, 332 K, 191 BB, .328 Opp. BA

Packing Some Pop: Ohio’s offense in 2009 was one of the best in school history hitting .314 as a team with a .514 slugging percentage and crushing 102 HRs.

Gauntlett Eldemire

One of the Best: OF Marc Krauss had one of the most successful season in Bobcat history. Krauss was named a First-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association, and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award (nation’s top amateur player). In addition, Krauss became the first player in Ohio history to win MAC Player of the Year. He was selected 64th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2009 draft.

Stars of the Future: Even with the loss of Krauss, Ohio should still have a powerful lineup in 2010 with the return of Jr. Robert Maddox III (.320, 13 HR, 55 RBI) and Jr. (.313, 21 HR, 56 RBI, 11 SB).

2010 MAC East Predictions

MAC East Champion: Bowling Green with Kent State on their heels

Top East Player: Tyler Elkins—Bowling Green

Top East Pitcher: Brennan Smith—Bowling Green

Coming Soon: 2010 MAC West Divsion Preview with overall predictions for MAC Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and 2010 conference champion.