05/27/2015 9:33 AM -
MONDAY'S’S GAME:
Northwest Indiana Oilmen (0-0)
at Joliet Admirals (0-0)
June 1, 2015 • 5 p.m. • Joliet, Ill.
Radio: None
Internet Broadcast: nwioilmen.com
Probable Pitchers
NWI’s Keith Mahler (Heartland / Cumerland / Highland, Ind.) v. Joliet’s Nick Allgeyer (Iowa)
For Starters
The Northwest Indiana Oilmen begin the season away from Oil City Stadium for the third time in four years. The Oilmen are 1-2 on Opening Day in their first three seasons with the lone victory coming 2-1 over the Snipes at home a year ago. Monday marks the first game in team history without former manager Justin Huisman at the helm. Adam Enright, who previously served as an assistant coach under Huisman, makes his managerial debut. The last time the Oilmen debuted a new manager was the first game in team history on June 1, 2012 against DuPage County. The Oilmen committed six errors – still the most in a single game in franchise history – and fell 7-4 despite two hits from Jack Cinoman.
Inside the Oilmen
Northwest Indiana begins the 2015 campaign seeking its fourth consecutive playoff appearance, fourth straight winning season and second Midwest Collegiate League championship. The Oilmen will again be comprised of mostly new faces with only two players back from last season. Keith Mahler (Heartland / Highland) returns to the pitching staff, while Zack Jones (Trinity Christian / Park Forest, Ill.) is the lone returning position player. This year’s team features graduates of Andrean, Hobart, Munster, Whiting, Clark, Highland and Lake Central.
Inside the Admirals
Enright is not the only person making his managerial debut on Monday, as Chicago State assistant coach Tom Barry occupies the top post in the Admirals dugout for the first time. Barry, who replaces Jorge Garza, will attempt to lead the Rockford/Joliet franchise to its first winning season since 2011. The Admirals finished 2014 with an 11-30 record, 12 games behind Lexington for the final playoff spot. Iowa’s JT Sole and Nick Allgeyer are among the most noteworthy newcomers, while starting pitcher Quinn Ahern headlines the list of returning players.
About the Matchup
The Oilmen hold a 16-3 lead in the all-time series with the Rockford/Joliet franchise. The Oilmen won six of the eight meetings against Joliet last season, the team’s first year since rebranding as the Admirals. The Oilmen are 3-5 all-time in games played at Wayne L. King Junior Field, with four of those games coming in 2012 against the Illinois Lincolns. Joliet Junior College was the site of the first home run in Oilmen history, a Billy Miller two-run blow against Illinois’ Eli Anderson in the third inning of an eventual 12-11 defeat to the Lincolns on June 12, 2012.
Around the League
The Midwest Collegiate League welcomes a new team for 2015, as the Michigan City Lakers are now official members. The Oilmen have played a series of nonleague games with the Lakers the last two seasons and hold 7-3 all-time record against the Lakers.
Click "download attachment" to view a PDF of full game notes.
