The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

Although the 2014 Northwest Indiana Oilmen will not take the field together for the first time until May 27, the players have begun their individual 2014 seasons at their respective colleges.  Let us check in on how Oilmen players have fared in their early-season collegiate games.

Central Michigan University is off to a 3-8 start through the first 11 games of the season.  Catcher Alec Ornelas has appeared in three games, made one start and lashed one hit in three at bats.  Jimmy McNamara, who is entering his second summer with the Oilmen, has posted a 1.59 earned run average in three relief appearances.  He has yielded six hits and four walks but just one run in five and two-thirds innings of work. 

Craig Dedelow has appeared in six games and started four at Indiana University, which holds a 4-5 record.  Dedelow is 3-for-18 with a double, triple, run scored and two RBIs for a team that qualified for the College World Series a season ago. 

Michigan State hurler Zak Wilkerson has yet to surrender an earned run this season.  He has worked two innings and given up three runs on three hits and two walks, but all three tallies were unearned.  The Spartans are 5-5 entering matchups with Louisiana-Monroe and TCU.

Northern Illinois University stands at 1-8-1 this season.  The Huskies have two Oilmen on their current roster in Jason Gasser and Andrew Ray.  Gasser has seen action in six games and made four starts, but is still seeking his first hit of the season.

Kevin DeFilippis has made three starts on the infield at Notre Dame this spring.  The Fighting Irish have a 4-6 record through 10 games.  DeFilippis is 1-for-8 with one run scored, one walk and two RBIs. 

Freshman infielder James Meeker has seen significant playing time for Akron early in the season, appearing in all eight Zips games so far this year.  He holds a .276 batting average and three runs batted in in eight games.   Akron stands at 3-5 with trips to Austin Peay, Cincinnati and Ohio State on the horizon.  Myles McVeigh, who will join Meeker with the Oilmen this summer, has allowed one earned run in one inning of work this spring.