March 27, 2012 – The Concordia University Chicago baseball team moved up three places in the latest poll released today by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The Cougars are ranked 19th nationally in the NCAA Division III.
           
The Cougars played a three-game series March 24-25 against the team that was ranked #19 last week, Illinois Wesleyan University. Concordia lost the first game of the series 8-6 but came back to win 9-6 and 8-0. The latter win was achieved behind the combined shutout pitching of five hurlers including starter Ryan Thorsen (Lake Villa, IL/Grant) and a 4-5 hitting performance by centerfielder Shawn Miller (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper) who was named this week's Northern Athletics Conference Baseball (position player) Student-Athlete of the Week.
           
Concordia is 11-3 overall heading into today's 3 p.m. home opener versus Elmhurst College. Four of the Cougars' wins are against teams that are among the ABCA's top 35 – Illinois Wesleyan (two), Rose-Hulman Institute and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.  

“We're happy to move into the top 20 this week,” said Adam Smith, Concordia University Chicago head baseball coach. “We start conference play next weekend, and we are using these non-conference games to try and get better with each day and each game. I hope that by the time we face Benedictine University (March 31), we will be on a roll.”
           
The complete ABCA poll can be viewed at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/pdf/main/athletics/abcapoll_032712.pdf.