Palos Heights, Ill. – Paced by a pair of great pitching performances by sophomore right-hander Scott Vachon (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and freshman righty Andy Kovarik (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), the Saint Xavier University baseball team managed a split with Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) foe Trinity Christian College (Ill.) Saturday afternoon in Palos Heights, Ill.  The Cougars (32-18 overall/18-7 CCAC) lost a tough pitching duel in the opener, 2-1, but bounced back with a strong offensive performance in the late game for an 8-0 victory.  With the split and its 14-10 win Friday at home against the Trolls, SXU takes the key conference series with just five games remaining, all CCAC affairs, left on the 2012 regular season slate.

CHICAGO – Behind five hits and four runs scored by senior shortstop Adam Koglin (Henderson, Nev./UNLV/Silverado), the Saint Xavier University baseball team won the first game of its three-game Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) series with Trinity Christian College (Ill.), 14-10, on a cold Friday afternoon at Richard R. Ferrell Memorial Field in Chicago. The Cougars (31-17 overall/17-6 CCAC) belted out 16 hits over the nine-inning affair, including a big two-run blast over the right field wall by freshman left fielder Brad Myjak (Tinley Park, Ill./Mount Carmel) in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freshman right-hander Dan Wetzel (Tinley Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) threw well in relief and got the win (4-2) Friday for SXU going the final 4.1 innings and allowing just four hits, no runs and no walks with a pair of strikeouts.

CHICAGO – Managing just 10 total hits and one run on the day, the Saint Xavier University baseball team dropped a non-conference doubleheader to Indiana Institute of Technology (Ind.) Thursday afternoon at Richard R. Ferrell Memorial Field in Chicago.  The Cougars (30-17 overall) lost the opener, 3-0, despite outhitting the Warriors, 7-6, in the game.  SXU then posted just three hits in the nightcap and fell by a 2-1 score.  Saint Xavier did get two solid complete game performances from senior left-hander Michael Gaffigan (Orland Park, Ill./Western Carolina/Triton CC/Sandburg) and junior righty Lucas Fritsch (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg).

Milwaukee, Wis. – Led by solid efforts from junior Mike Stirling (Thornton, Ill./Mount Carmel) and senior second baseman Tom Simek (New Lenox, Ill./St. Laurence), the Saint Xavier University baseball team split a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) doubleheader with Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.) Tuesday afternoon at WCTC Field in Milwaukee, Wis.  The Cougars (30-15 overall/16-6 CCAC) got a five-hit shutout from Stirling and three runs scored from Simek en route to a 14-0 victory in game one.  Unfortunately for SXU, the bats did not stay hot in the nightcap as the team totaled just seven hits in a 6-3 loss.  On the day, Simek combined for four hits, three runs scored and two RBI.

CHICAGO – Saint Xavier University sophomore left fielder Brad Myjak (Tinley Park, Ill./Mount Carmel) and freshman right-hander Andy Kovarik (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) not only swept the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Player and Pitcher of the Week honors Tuesday, but claimed the NAIA's weekly national recognitions as well for their impressive individual performances on the field last week.  It is the first time this season that a SXU player has claimed either honor at the conference or national level.  Both players were instrumental in helping the Cougars go 5-3 on the week, including a big 9-3 road win over NCAA Division I Northwestern University (Ill.) as well as key conference victories over Trinity International University (Ill.) and Purdue University-North Central (Ind.).

CHICAGO – Sophomore left fielder Brad Myjak (Tinley Park, Ill./Mount Carmel) went 4-for-6 at the plate with a pair of doubles and seven RBI as Saint Xavier University took the final game of its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) baseball series with Purdue University-North Central (Ind.), 17-9, Sunday afternoon at Richard R. Ferrell Memorial Field in Chicago.  The Cougars (29-14 overall/15-5 CCAC) also played a seven-inning, non-conference game against the Panthers Sunday and fell, 15-14, in eight innings.  Over the two games Sunday, the SXU offense posted a combined 33 hits, including eight doubles and a home run.