June 10, 2003

INF JOE MAZZUCA AND LHP MARK SKRUKRUD TAKE HOME TOP TEAM HONORS FOR NIU BASEBALL
DeKALB, IL - Off the field Joe Mazzuca and Mark Skrukrud couldn't be more different. But when they cross the white line onto the ball diamond, both players are fierce competitors. The duo took home the top two team honors for the Northern Illinois University baseball squad as the shortstop Mazzuca was named Most Valuable Player with the left-hander Skrukrud recognized with his second Pitcher of the Year accolade.

A recent pick up by the Rockford RiverHawks in the independent Frontier League, Dan Urban's (Matteson / Richton Park Rich South) leadership earned him the Top Dawg award. Switching from pitcher to center fielder, Jeremy Busch (Genoa / Genoa-Kingston) made the biggest jump this year as he was named Most Improved. A Collegiate Baseball First-Team Freshman All-America pick and a Second-Team All-MAC selection, Scott Simon (Algonquin / Woodstock Marian Central Catholic) collected the Freshman of the Year honor.

For Mazzuca (Elmwood Park / Holy Cross), the MVP honor comes on the heals of a big week for the junior. Last Tuesday (June 3), he was drafted in the 12th round by the Florida Marlins. Over the weekend, Mazzua signed with the organization and will report to the club's short-season single A team, the Jamestown Jammers in Jamestown, NY. He is the first Huskie to be drafted since 1997.

After sitting out 2002 in compliance with NCAA transfer rules-Mazzuca came to NIU from Creighton following a year at St. Joseph's-Mazzuca made an immediate impact, finishing second on the squad with a .357 average. He set a school record with 57 runs batted in while equaling Noel Danielson's mark with 76 hits. He also ranks in the top three on the NIU single-season charts with 213 at-bats and 133 assists.

"We had a great year on the field and players like Joe made that possible," NIU head coach Ed Mathey said. "Joe brings a lot of tools to the next level, first and foremost is his athleticism. He has some natural instincts for the game that really aren't things you can coach."

Among the league leaders, Mazzuca's averaged placed him 14th in the final tallies. He also rated in hits (9th), RBI (9th) and stolen bases (6th - 20). During the postseason Mazzuca stepped up his game, hitting .545 with a .667 on-base percentage as he was named to the all-tournament team. Earlier in the year he earned his first award from the conference when he was named MAC West Division Player of the Week on March 10.

Playing baseball beyond college recently became a reality for Skrukrud (Rochester, MN / Dover-Eyota) on Monday (June 9). The senior signed to play with the Chillicothe Paints of the independent Frontier League. A Second-Team All-MAC selection, Skrukrud led the league with his single-season school record 101.0 innings pitched. Recently he added Academic All-MAC accolades for his work in the classroom.

The ace of the pitching staff the last two years, he posted a 6-4 record this season with a 4.01 ERA while striking out 77 batters. Skrukrud ranked among the conference leaders in several statistical categories. He topped the league in innings pitched and games started (14) while rating among the MAC's best in ERA, strikeouts and complete games (five).
"Every day that Mark pitched he gave us an opportunity to win," Mathey added.

"Unfortunately he could have a few more wins on his personal record, but he's pitched in a lot of tough games. The success that we had this year is a directly related to our senior leadership and Mark was a big component of that. He did everything we asked of him and did it at a high level."

When the Huskies needed him the most, Skrukrud was at his best. With six league games in a six-day span, he picked up two victories, including one on the final day of the regular season to get NIU into the tournament. In his two starts, Skrukrud threw 15 innings, giving up just one earned run, with nine strikeouts and no walks. One of the best control pitchers in the country, he surrendered just ten walks the entire year and gave up 24 free passes in 189.2 career innings.

Taking over a new team this year, Mathey had the advantage of basically having a player-coach in Urban. A former quarterback for the NIU football team, the senior had plenty of experience as a leader. Urban finished his tenure ranked in five career categories, including second in doubles (46) and runs batted in (125). Within the single-season ratings he places in two divisions with his school-record 22 doubles in 2001 topping the list.

As his final days in an NIU uniform were number, and his team needed him the most, Urban played his best. In the final week of the regular season and in the MAC Tournament he raised his average by 29 points. During the final six league games Urban hit .522 with seven RBI. His 211 at-bats is the second-highest single-season total. For his career Urban rates third in Northern Illinois lore with 564 at-bats. He is also third for runs (113) and hits (181).

"Dan did a lot for our ball club this year beyond the statistics," Mathey noted. "He set the tone for this team. He was the leader and he carried the weight of being the leader very well. Day in and day out he came to play the game and played it the right way."

Last season Busch only pitched in six contests, in 2003 he made the switch to the outfield and became a big part of the Huskies' success. As Northern Illinois' lead off hitter, the 6-foot sophomore ranked 15th in the league and third on the team with his .353 average. Busch added a little bit of pop at the top of the order, hitting five home runs while driving in 30 runners. He added a .439 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.

"Jeremy came to us in the fall wanting an opportunity to earn some time in the outfield," Mathey noted. "We gave him that chance and he ended up winning the starting centerfield position early in the year. He worked hard day in and day out and brought a lot of enthusiasm to the park every day. Jeremy set the tone at the top of our line and the energy and aggressiveness that he brought was a big part of our success this year."

This season Simon had one of the best campaigns of any freshmen in the league. All he did was top every MAC rookies with his .370 batting average and 40 RBI. His team-high norm at he plate is the best by a Huskie since Danielson hit .374 during the 2001 campaign. Standing in at 6-foot-3, the left-handed hitting Simon played in 51 games with 47 starts between first base and designated hitter. His best game of the year was a 4-for-5 day, including a pair of home runs, with three RBI and two runs at Miami.

"Scott had an opportunity to contribute early in the year and he took advantage of that," Mathey added. "He was a guy in the middle of the line-up who could drive the ball. Scott really helped minimize the damage when Mike Hochhauser went down. Six home runs, 40 RBI and a .370 average is not too bad for a freshman in this league."

In Mathey's first year with the team, Northern Illinois set a school record with 34 victories. Included in that win total was a trio of triumphs over the Big Ten-Michigan, Illinois and Iowa-along with an upset of top-seeded Kent State in the MAC Tournament, the school's first postseason action since 2000. The Huskies bring back 22 letterwinners next year, including seven position starters and three starting pitchers.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS BASEBALL 2003 TEAM AWARDS
Mid-American Conference Awards:
Second Team All-MAC: Mark Skrukrud, SP (Rochester, MN / Dover-Eyota)
Second Team All-MAC: Scott Simon, DH (Algonquin / Woodstock Marian Central Catholic)
MAC All-Tournament Team: Joe Mazzuca, SS (Elmwood Park / Holy Cross)
Academic All-MAC: Mark Skrukrud, P (Rochester, MN / Dover-Eyota)
MAC West Division Player of the Week: Mike Santoro, RF (River Forest / Fenwick), March 4
MAC West Division Player of the Week: Joe Mazzuca, SS (Elmwood Park / Holy Cross), March 10
MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week: Zach Minor, LHP (Moline), April 14
MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week: Mark Skrukrud, LHP (Rochester, MN / Dover-Eyota), May 19

Team Awards:
MVP: Joe Mazzuca, SS (Elmwood Park / Holy Cross)
Pitcher of the Year: Mark Skrukrud, LHP (Rochester, MN / Dover-Eyota)
Most Improved: Jeremy Busch, CF (Genoa / Genoa-Kingston)
Top Dawg Award: Dan Urban, LF (Matteson / Richton Park Rich South)
Freshman of the Year: Scott Simon, DH/1B (Algonquin / Woodstock Marian Central Catholic)

Northern Illinois University 2003 Baseball Letterwinners (# -- indicates number of letters won):
#-Mark Badgley (McHenry), ##-Derek Barrone (Rockford / Boylan), ##-Mike Brown (Chicago / DeLaSalle), ##-Jeremy Busch (Genoa / Genoa-Kingston), #-Jim Caine (St. Charles), #-Nick Hall (Crystal Lake / Prairie Ridge), ##-Jeff Hall (Clear Lake, IA), ###-Mike Hochhauser (Darien / Hinsdale South), #-Mike Kukla (Darien / Hinsdale South), ##-Greg Larsen (Morris), ###-Mark Mallo (Wayne / Elgin), ###-Rob Marconi (LaGrange / Lyons), #-Joe Mazzuca (Elmwood Park / Holy Cross), ###-Zach Minor (Moline), ##-Josh Owens (Stevens Point, WI / Pacelli), #-Kyle Pettengell (DeKalb), #-Joe Piekarz (Streamwood), #-Terry Rauk (Clear Lake, IA), #-Josh Reid (Galesburg), ##-Mike Santoro (River Forest / Fenwick), #-Scott Simon (Algonquin / Woodstock Marian Central Catholic), ##-Mark Skrukrud (Rochester, MN / Dover-Eyota), ##-Matt Steiger (Park Ridge / Niles Notre Dame), ###-Nathan Stillwell (Lisle / Naperville North), ###-Dan Urban (Matteson / Richton Park Rich South), #-Anthony Venetucci (Bartlett).
-Copy by Michael Smoose -30-