A special year
Published on September 21, 2004 under Northern League (NL)
Schaumburg Flyers News Release
SCHAUMBURG, IL- Although the disappointment lingers from the dramatic Game 5 events of September 19, the Schaumburg Flyers are now reflecting on a truly memorable 2004 season as the club finished as Northern League runner-up behind champion St. Paul.
A number of team and personal 'firsts' were established in the finest season in the franchise's six-year history. A list follows:
Team
Won a playoff series for the first time ever, defeating Kansas City 3-2 in the South Division series.
Won a division title for the first time since 1999, taking the South Division first half title on July 9 at St. Paul.
Highest regular season win total in team history (58).
Five players moved to affiliated baseball over five consecutive weeks in June & July, the highest number of in-season departures in team history.
Seven players were named to the Northern League All-Star Team for the July game at Joliet and three more made the post-season All-Star Team. Both are all-time highs for the franchise.
A Flyer was named both Manager of the Year and Player of the Year for the first time.
Individual
Andy McCauley: NL Manager of the Year
Mario Delgado: NL Player of the Year, set a Northern League record for RBI (104) and became the all-time Flyers leader in batting average, home runs and RBI with single season team marks in home runs and RBI also in the mix.
Geoff McCallum: Set a new Northern League hits record for a season (138) and batted .358, a single season Flyers record. Made the in-season and post-season All-Star teams along with Delgado.
Chris Weekly: Became the first Flyer to win MVP honors in an All-Star Game when he did so in July at Joliet.
Justin Hendrickson: Crushed three home runs in a game on July 5 vs. Lincoln, the highest Schaumburg game total since Harry Berrios hit four HR's in 2000.
Hank Woodman: Set a Flyers single-season record for ERA, compiling a 1.95 mark. Made a post-season All-Star team for the first time.
Matt Bailie: Led the staff in regular season wins (9) and went 3-0 in postseason play.
There are other accomplishments too numerous to mention in this space as the Flyers finished with a combined record of 63-43.
Several members of the Flyers are already at their off-season homes while others remain in the area for a few more days. What remains are the great memories of the summer of 2004.
Notes: Pitcher Brad Ziegler, a key to the South Division first half title before leaving for the Oakland organization on June 14, is currently recuperating in California after being struck in the head by a batted line drive in a September 15 California League playoff game...Ziegler has been released from the hospital, is fully alert, and expects to return to his Kansas home in the next few days...His teammates at Class A Modesto won the 'Cal League' title on Monday evening...Ziegler went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA at Schaumburg...
Northern League Stories from September 21, 2004
- A special year - Schaumburg Flyers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
