Oilmen will feature plenty of local collegiate talent

Updated: May 31, 2012 11:08PM

Three months after the press conference to announce the team’s formation, the Northwest Indiana Oilmen are set to begin their first season of baseball with a road contest Friday against the DuPage County Hounds.

The Oilmen belong to the Midwest Collegiate League (MCL), a summer wooden bat league in its third year of existence. The MCL serves as a pre-minor league for collegiate baseball players, giving them an opportunity to play the game during their usual offseason and audition their talents in front of scouts.

But winning is also a part of the plan, according to Oilmen GM Jim Taipalus.

“We expect to be a competitive baseball team,” he said. “Winning always brings in fans. We have expectations set that the players will play to the best of their abilities, especially at home.”

Leading the newly-formed team in the dugout will be manager Justin Huisman, who’s also the head baseball coach at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill. A former pitcher, Huisman’s career included 14 appearances with the Kansas City Royals in 2004.

He’s no stranger to summer collegiate baseball leagues, having spent two seasons in similar leagues during his playing days.

“The biggest challenge is getting to know all of the players as quickly as possible and catering to what they need to make them successful as a team,” said Huisman. “This is an avenue for the guys to challenge themselves and to grow as baseball players.”

Plenty of local talent is featured on the 25-man roster, which was quickly assembled by Huisman, the rest of his coaching staff and the Oilmen front office.

Said Huisman: “With it being our first year, it’s a bit more difficult to establish things like host families so we were looking for as many local players as possible to generate interest in the community.”

One of those local athletes is infielder Cody Dykema, a Lake Central graduate who was added to the roster on Tuesday. Dykema comes to the Oilmen after spending his freshman year of college at University of Illinois-Chicago.

“I’m trying to have more success this summer than I did in my spring season,” he said. “It’s going to be nice to play close to home, too.”

Ryan Wilkinson, a Munster alum, joins the Oilmen after a solid freshman season at Toledo. The southpaw posted a 2.20 ERA with a 4-1 record for the Rockets.

“I want to keep improving on the things that I was working on during the season,” he said. “We noticed some of my weaknesses during the college season and I want to improve on those so I’m ready for the next season at Toledo.”

Six players will be late joining the Oilmen, thanks to their involvement in postseason tournaments. Five of those players will be just down the road at the NCAA Regional in Gary: Purdue’s Brandon Krieg, Bennett Oliver, Kyle Wood and Joey Eichmann and Valparaiso’s John Loeffler. The other late arrival will be pitcher Joshua Negele, a Crown Point graduate. He’s currently with Indiana State’s team in the Eugene, Oreg. Regional.

The Oilmen’s home games will be played at Whiting’s Oil City Stadium. Following Friday’s season opener on the road, the Oilmen will return home for a six-day, six-game homestand beginning with a Sunday matinee against the Southland Vikings at 4:10.

Roster

C Tyler Hansen St. Joseph’s College

C Alex Lincoln Illinois

C Kevin Fanchetti Ball State

IF Craig Austgen South Suburban College

IF Brandon Krieg Purdue

IF Elliot Bajda Judson University

IF Bennett Oliver Purdue

1B John Loeffler Valparaiso

IF Cody Dykema UIC

IF John Livingston South Suburban College

IF Hunter Pruitt Robert Morris University

OF Jack Cinoman University of Chicago

OF Chris Rudenga Grand Valley State

OF Nick Mar Macalester College

OF Billy Miller Trinity Christian College

P Kyle Wood Purdue

P Adam Dennis University of Southern

P Kale Popp Trine University

P Danny Britt Trinity Christian College

P Joey Eichmann Purdue

P Joshua Negele Indiana State

P Josh Stowe Robert Morris University

P Tait Rauen Kishwaukee College

P Nik Mason Quincy University

P Ryan Wilkinson University of Toledo

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