When the University of Southern Indiana men's golf team tees-off in 2003-04
it will be under the gaze of a new head coach Matt Scheessele.
Scheessele takes over for Jim Brown, who created the program and directed the
team since 1977.
A member of the USI squad from 1997-2001, Scheessele was a three-time
All-Great Lakes Valley Conference performer and had a career average of 77.4
over 78 rounds and 46 tournaments. He also helped the Eagles to three NCAA
Division II Great Lakes Regional appearances.
Scheessele will start his first season at the helm with a strong base of
returning players. Leading the way will be senior Ryan Overby (Providence,
Kentucky), who led the Eagles with a 78.3 average as a junior. Overby also was
USI's top player in four of the six spring tournaments.
Sophomore Michael Bradshaw (Boonville, Indiana) made a late season push
in the spring and has the potential to challenge for the top spot in the USI
line-up. Bradshaw's season average was 78.9, but he averaged 77.4 in the
final two tournaments. He also tied Overby for 14th at the GLVC Tournament.
Joining Bradshaw after a strong finish in 2002-03 are seniors Nathan Wolfe
(Henderson, Kentucky), and Tim Garner (Martinsville, Indiana). Wolfe,
who averaged 79.4 for the season, and Garner, who averaged 79.8 last year, posted
78.2 spr averages in the final two tournaments.
Wolfe also had the Eagles' top score for the year, a 70 in the USI
Invitational. Garner recorded the best round of the spring, a 72 at the NCAA
II District IV Regional in Auburn, Indiana.
USI and Scheessele also will look to senior Chad Horrell (Evansville,
Indiana) and junior Mike Heider (Anderson, Indiana) for more
production. Horrell competed in just three rounds in 2002-03 with an 82.3
average, while Heider averaged 84.7 in seven rounds last year.
For Scheessele, the key to success in his first season is to replace
graduating seniors Andy Skodinski, Brett Smith, and Charlie Lane. Skodinski, a
Golf Coaches Association Scholar All-American, led the seniors with a 78.8
season average, while Lane was close behind with a 79.5. Smith, who also was a
Scholar All-American, averaged 81.0 in his final year.
Scheessele is also counting on contributions from eight newcomers.
New to the team, but not the college scene are junior Craig Toler (Moweaqua, Illinois), sophomore Jason Pinkstaff (Huntingburg, Indiana) and freshman Adam Bolerjack (Carmi, Illinois). Toler transfers to the Eagles program from Parkland College, while Bolerjack comes to USI after redshirting last season at Rollins College in Florida.
Last year, Toler helped lead Parkland to a 14th place national finish and was named the Collegiate Conference of Central Illinois Player of the Year as a sophomore. He also was named first team All-Conference both seasons for Parkland and was named first team All-Region as a freshman.
Bolerjack, a transfer redshirt freshman from Rollins College in Florida, helped Carmi-White County High School to a third place finish in the Illinois State Tournament in 2001. Pinkstaff picks up the sticks again after sitting out two years at USI as just a student.
Beginning their collegiate careers in 2003-04 are freshmen Ryan Fisher (South Bend, Indiana), Court Hubbard (Williamsport, Indiana), and Justin Shuler (Terre Haute, Indiana).
Fisher, who attended USI last year, but did not participate in varsity athletics, lettered in golf and tennis at Niles High School in Niles, Michigan, and was ranked second in the Midwest Conference at NHS. Hubbard was a four-year letter winner at Seeger Memorial High School where he earned All-County and All-Conference honors, while Shuler earned letters in basketball and golf at South Vigo High School where he was named MIC All-Conference in 2001 and 2003 and was the country medalist in 2003.
