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Oct. 19, 1999

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- Year two of the Doug Schreiber era in Purdue baseball got off to a good start this summer when the Boilermakers landed seven players in prestigious summer leagues from Alaska to the coast of Massachusetts.

The Alaskan League turned out to be a good fit for the Boilermakers, as three players and a coach spent their summer in “The Final Frontier.” Assistant coach Gary Adcock, who joined the Purdue staff last season, was the head coach of the league champion Kenai Peninsula Oilers and also led his team to a second-place finish in the National Baseball Congress Tournament. Senior pitcher Russ Morgan played for the league runners-up in Anchorage and seniors Erik Frei and Andy Helmer spent their summers with the Alaska Goldpanners, who finished third. Junior pitcher Austin Bilke would have been a fourth Boilermaker in Alaska, but an injury kept him out of action this summer. Juniors Dave Gassner and David Blomberg played for the Hays (Kan.) Larks of the Jayhawk League and Harrisonburg (Va.) Turks of the Valley League, respectively. Rounding out the “Boys of Summer,” was two-time All-Big Ten infielder Daryl Hallada, who took his game to the Cape Cod League to play for the Cotuit (Massachusetts) Kettleers.

After leading the Boilermakers pitching staff in strikeouts (65) and innings pitched (81 1/3) last season, Morgan had the opportunity to sign professionally when he was selected in the 21st round by the Houston Astros in the major league draft. Instead of leaving West Lafayette, Ind., to play in the Astros’ organization, the 6-foot lefty chose to return for his senior season to accomplish goals he had set prior to beginning his career at Purdue three years ago.

“I like what the coaching staff is doing here (at Purdue). If I left after last season, that would leave me only one season with coach Schreiber,” Morgan says. “I also have personal reasons for staying. I want to get my degree and I also want to accomplish goals baseball wise, both team and individual goals that I set for myself when I first came here.”

After deciding to return to Purdue, Morgan knew he wanted to play in either the Alaskan League or the Cape Cod League, both recognized as the premier summer leagues. Morgan wound up in Anchorage after being referred to the Bucs by coach Adcock. The New Hartford, N.Y., native moved himself closer to reaching his goals after going 4-1 with an ERA of 4.17. He finished the season with 38 strikeouts in ten games with seven starts for the Bucs. He was also named the outstanding pitcher of the Anchorage Bucs Invitational Tournament, going 7 2/3 innings and only giving up one hit and one unearned run as he defeated coach Adcock’s Oilers in the championship game.

Helmer also had a successful season on the mound in Alaska, going 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 12 appearances for the Goldpanners. Frei was his battery-mate for much of the season after backup catcher Greg Sain suffered a broken bone in his arm during the middle of the season. The Goldpanners’ only other catcher also happened to be the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher, which left Frei virtually their only backstop. Frei capitalized upon the situation by being named First Team All-Alaskan catcher after leading the team with eight doubles, three triples and 26 walks while batting .271 for the 40-year-old franchise. Not a bad recognition considering over 165 Goldpanners have gone on to the major leagues including Hall of Famer Tom Seaver and future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Barry Bonds. The talent and tradition found in the wooden-bat summer leagues is one reason Schreiber likes to see his players participate in the competitive leagues.

“It does a couple of things,” the 36-year-old head coach says. “First, the players gain confidence playing in a competitive summer league. Second, the players are playing with the best guys in college. They play with players they see in Baseball America and USA Today Baseball Weekly and they realize that they can play with guys of that caliber.”

Schreiber already notices the increase in confidence among the several position players who worked on their game in the various leagues. “Daryl Hallada, Erik Frei and David Blomberg all played in very competitive leagues and they have done very well for us in pre-season workouts this fall,” Schreiber says.

Hallada, a senior and three-year starter from Janesville, Wisc., played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League this summer, the same team Schreiber played for alongside major-league all-star Gregg Vaughn in 1985. Among the top-five hitters in Purdue history with a .356 average, Hallada arrived on the East Coast with aspirations of proving himself in a wooden-bat league as well as improving his defense. He played 10 games at second base and rotated the rest of the games between third base and designated hitter. Overall, he felt the competition was not much different from Big Ten play, but the pitching was consistently at a higher level this summer. “You face a number one pitcher everyday, whereas, in the Big Ten you only face them once every few games,” Hallada says. “The pitching is a lot faster with pitches consistently in the 90’s (mph) and better curves and changeups.”

The switch-hitter felt he held his own against the Cape Cod League competition and gained confidence while batting .276 with 11 RBI’s in 40 games for the Kettleers. He collected the game-winning hit in the league championship game, as Cotuit won the Cape Cod League for the first time since 1995. Blomberg, another switch-hitting infielder from Wisconsin, posted similar numbers while playing in Harrisonburg. He hit .250 with four doubles and 15 RBI’s while playing 40 games for the Valley League team.

Dave Gassner was able to work on improving his performance as a sophomore in which he went 4-5 with a 5.47 ERA, the Boilermakers’ third lowest. He was the Larks’ number one starter going into the playoffs before being sidelined with tendonitis in his elbow the last half-month. The left-hander completed his season with a 4-7 mark and a 2.15 ERA in 11 starts while the Larks finished fourth in the 10-team Jayhawk League.

“Playing in Kansas should help a lot, it was a confidence booster because everyone there is a good quality player,” Gassner says. “You face a good hitter one through nine in the batting order, something you don’t always see in the Big Ten.”

Morgan also appreciated the opportunity to continue playing this summer. “It game me a chance to keep playing against good competition, meet different players, as well as gain exposure,” said Morgan. The New Hartford, N.Y. native was seen by as many as 30 major league scouts during the NBC tournament. He hopes his success and his teammates’ performances during the summer can carry over into the spring.

The Boilermakers are looking to improve on their 24-30 overall record and 10-17 Big Ten mark (seventh-place tie with Michigan State) from a year ago. With six Boilermakers gaining additional confidence with their performances this summer, Purdue baseball fans can expect a successful campaign in Schreiber’s second year in West Lafayette.