Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Baseball	SIUE Baseball SIUE Athletics

February 16, 2005 Baseball Cougars Will Be Revived in '05         EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - With a revamped lineup and a stronger pitching staff, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball is eager to get back into the hunt in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.         SIUE did not qualify for the GLVC Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 1996 after finishing with a 20-32 record overall and a 17-22 mark in league play. SIUE Coach Gary Collins believes the Cougars have improved at nearly every position.         The Cougars get their first chance to show off this Saturday in Florence, Ala. SIUE faces North Alabama at 1 p.m. and Delta State at 4 p.m. On Sunday, the Cougars play a single game against Delta State at noon.         "Pitching is probably the area we have improved the most," said Collins.         The Cougars have eight pitchers back from a squad which had a combined earned run average of 4.14, which was third best in the GLVC.         Kyle Jones (New Baden) led the Cougars in strikeouts with 48 and posted a 3.34 ERA behind teammate Ron Jones (Kankakee), who hopes to return from breaking his throwing arm last summer. Ron Jones threw for a team-leading 6-1 record and a 1.24 ERA. Collins said he hopes to have Ron Jones back before league play begins.         "Kyle Jones is improving to the point where he’s the No. 1 starter," said Collins. "And Adam Tallman (Gillespie) is right behind him." Tallman was 2-2 last season with a 4.30 ERA.         Jarad Rettberg (Divernon) enters his senior season with the Cougars after leading the team in innings pitched last season with 66. He finished last season with a 4-5 record and a 3.41 ERA.         "A lot of this team’s success may be in how well he can regain his consistency," Collins said of the former GLVC Freshman of the Year.         The Cougars also return Ryan Spurgeon (Bethalto), David Briesacher (Waterloo), Chip Durland (Villa Grove), and Jameson Sheley (Lincoln). All four will begin the season working out of the bullpen.         SIUE added some strength to the pitching staff with its newcomers.         Clay Zavada (Streator), a transfer from Illinois Valley Community College, is a projected starter for the GLVC portion of the schedule. The left-hander throws in the upper 80s and has good movement on his fastball, Collins noted.         Cameron Cheek (Atlanta) was the conference Player of the Year last season at Illinois Central College. Collins said Cheek reminds him of former All-American Pete Delkus with command of his fastball and a good sinker.         Patrick Keller (Newton) may end up as a starter during the conference season, Collins said. The freshman from Newton is another left-hander that Collins said has the best curve ball on the team.         Collins said freshman Cody Litteken (St. Jacob) also is not too far behind. "He has good command of his pitches and good location," Collins said.         Derek Stratman (O’Fallon) comes to SIUE from Southwest Missouri State. "He has the opportunity to be this team’s closer," said Collins.         Jake Smith (East Peoria) will take over the catching duties this season. The transfer from Illinois Central is the team’s No. 1 catcher. "He’s got a great arm, and we expect him to control our opponents’ baserunners," Collins said.         Cory Bunner (Jacksonville), a freshman, figures to be the backup to Smith. Robert Rahn (Wood River) also could see catching duties, but the Cougars plan to use Rahn in a more offensive role as the team’s cleanup hitter. "Robert has looked better than he ever has because he has been attacking the ball at the plate," Collins said.         Half of the infield returns this season with Craig Ohlau (Chester) and Kyle Martin (Byron) playing first base and shortstop, respectively.         Ohlau will continue to hit third in the Cougar lineup after hitting .331 in each of his first two seasons with SIUE. "He’s proven he’s one of the better hitters in the conference," Collins said.         Martin batted .295 last season in GLVC play and surged at the end of last season. "He’s not a flashy player but rather a solid player with good hands and a good arm at shortstop," said Collins.         Jeremy Bond (Alton) will take over at second base. The transfer from Southwestern Illinois College will start the season as the leadoff hitter.         Tallman will be the team’s third baseman. And when he’s on the mound, a handful of players could fill in, including Cheek, Bryan Newby (Bartonville) and Michael DalPozzo (Livingston).         Left field also figures to have the same situation as third base. Collins foresees Rahn, Bunner or DalPozzo patrolling left field.         The rest of the outfield is more solid for the Cougars with Joe Wargo (Streator) in center and Jeff Darnall (Atlanta) in right.         Wargo batted .262 with a team-leading 16 stolen bases last season. Darnall, a transfer from Parkland College, is another left-handed hitter who Collins hopes will be driving in a lot of runs in the No. 5 slot in the lineup.         SIUE was picked to finish seventh in this year’s GLVC standings. The Cougars first goal is to return to the GLVC Tournament, which will be played at T.R. Hughes Park in O’Fallon, Mo., on May 12-15. The top six teams qualify.                 -siue cougars-