The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
Northwest Indiana Oilmen (6-3)
at Crestwood Panthers (3-7)

July 15, 2020 • 2 p.m. • Lansing, Ill. • Lansing Old Timer’s Field
Broadcast: Oilmen Broadcasting Network (Facebook Live)

The Northwest Indiana Oilmen will head back to Lansing Old Timers Field and look to repeat the success they had at that location on Monday when they battle the Crestwood Panthers in a Wednesday afternoon affair.

Pitching Matchup – Northwest Indiana RHP Jack Guzek (Iowa / Manhattan, Ill.) vs. Crestwood RHP Ryan McGrath (South Suburban College / Oak Lawn, Ill.)

Game Notes

• The Oilmen exploded for eight runs in the sixth on their way to their fourth double-figure run total in the first nine games of the season, an 11-1 seven-inning victory over the Minutemen on Monday. The Oilmen have already scored six runs or more in an inning on five occasions this season. Costa Sirounis had the second grand slam by an Oilman during the young season.
• The Panthers are the only team the Oilmen do not have a victory against yet this season. Crestwood edged the Oilmen 3-2 behind a go-ahead run in the sixth on Friday, July 10 in Whiting. Max Engstrom allowed two runs on five hits over five innings before Ayden Head struck out seven and allowed no hits or walks in four frames of relief.
• Last week’s loss to the Panthers was just the fourth in 27 all-time meetings between the two teams. The Oilmen were 22-1 in their last 23 matchups and had won six straight. The Oilmen carry an eight-game road head-to-head winning streak against the Panthers into Wednesday’s contest.
• Right-hander Jack Guzek will look to continue his strong start to the season on Wednesday. He has permitted four hits and walked two while striking out eight over seven innings without allowing an earned run. Guzek worked three innings of one-hit ball on July 4 vs. the Minutemen and four shutout innings on July 9 vs. DuPage County.
• Crestwood starter Ryan McGrath has a 4.26 ERA with six strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings over two outings this season, both against Southland.
• The Oilmen are second in the MCL in batting average at .277, just a percentage point behind league-leading DuPage County. Tyler Nelson’s .452 average has him second in the league in hitting, looking up at only DuPage County’s Jackson Dvorak at .484.
• Angelo Cantelo has hit safely in all seven games he’s played with the Oilmen.
• The Oilmen have a 2.46 ERA to by far lead the MCL with DuPage County second at 4.44.

Season Notes

• The 2020 Oilmen roster features representatives from numerous Division-I institutions including the following conferences: Big 10, American, Ohio Valley Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Horizon League, Mid-American Conference, Summit League and the ACC.
• The Big Ten is well represented on this year’s roster, with players from five different conference members on the squad – Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa.
• This marks the Oilmen’s first season under the direction of Chris Cunningham, who is the fourth manager in team history. Cunningham is no stranger to the MCL, as the former professional ballplayer in the Tampa Bay Rays organization managed the Southland Vikings from 2011-2014. In his final two seasons, the Vikings won back-to-back MCL championships.
• Oilmen legend Matt Pobereyko is serving as the team’s pitching coach this season. He racked up an MCL-record 18 career saves in 2013 and 2014 including a single-season MCL record 13 in his final campaign with the Oilmen. Pobereyko is an active professional pitcher and has reached as high as Triple-A.
• As usual, the Oilmen are loaded with local talent. Three Oilmen players graduated from Andrean High School, one from Highland, three from Griffith, one from Valparaiso, two from Munster and two from Lake Central. Expanding to Illinois high schools, two Oilmen competed at Brother Rice, one at Oak Forest, one at Marist, one at Marian Catholic, three at Homewood-Flossmoor, one at Carl Sandburg, one at St. Rita and one at St. Laurence.