Coming off a 2013 campaign that ended with a 23-16 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the final North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings, Wittenberg University Head Coach Jay Lewis welcomes 15 letterwinners back to the roster.
Leading the way are the members of a talented and experienced senior class, including catcher Alex Lochard (Sidney, Ohio/Sidney), first baseman Tyler Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller), third baseman David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe), right fielder Brandon Jordan (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca), designated hitter Tyler Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio/Cincinnati Moeller) and pitcher Jonathan Long (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby).
Hutchinson will anchor the lineup after a dynamic inaugural season in the Red & White. An All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) selection in 2013, Hutchinson batted .382 while starting all 39 games. He led the Tigers with five home runs and 34 runs batted in, in addition to ranking among the team leaders in hits (47), runs scored (27) and doubles (11).
Lochard returns to the catching rotation for a fourth straight year. He batted .257 in 27 games a year ago, in addition to providing stellar leadership and defense behind the plate. Lochard was charged with just one error and four passed balls all season. He will be joined at the position by sophomore Will Cousins (Medfield, Mass./Medfield), who hit .241 in 11 games, including eight starting assignments.
Moore will lead the infield as he enters his fourth season as a starter. He batted .272, scored 24 runs and drove in 22 more as a junior in 2013. His target at first base most nights will be Grau, who batted .321 in 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury a year ago. Grau will share time at first base with junior Mike Burgher (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm), who batted. 345 in 14 games in 2013, and junior Aaron Patrick (Eldorado, Ohio/Tri-County).
Moore has split his time in the Red & White between second base and third base. He will start the 2014 season back at second base, with freshman Josh Kaplan (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) earning his shot at the third base position.
Also returning to the infield is junior shortstop Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton), who made the move to from the outfield midway through the 2013 season and continued to excel with the bat. Wilson batted .307 while ranking among the team leaders in hits (46) and runs scored (40), thanks in no small part to his record-setting performance on the base paths, where he was successful stealing 26 bases without being caught all season.
In the outfield, Jordan is the lone returning starter. He hit a career-best .317 a year ago while starting 36 games. The top candidates to join Jordan in the outfield are sophomore Brian Raymond (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest), who collected four hits and stole two bases in limited opportunities in 2013, and freshmen Dalton Boucher (Granville, Ohio/Granville) and Ben Dobrowolski (Milford, Ohio/Milford).
On the mound, the starting rotation will be led by sophomores Jordan Hitt (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and Luke Black (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham). Both excelled in their inaugural collegiate season in 2013, with Hitt winning three games in 10 starts and posting a 5.68 earned run average and Black seeing action in 15 games out of the bullpen. He posted an outstanding 2.74 ERA in 23 innings.
Boucher, Burgher and freshman Tyler Powell (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) are also penciled into a very young but talented rotation. The bullpen will include Long, junior Frank Sullivan (Milford, Ohio/Milford), sophomore Ryan King (Rockville Center, NY/Cushing Academy) and freshmen Keith Orzen (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls), Trent Champlin (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) and Danny Callahan (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome), while sophomore Seth Parrish (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) and freshman Jon Ellerbrock (Tipp City, Ohio/Bethel) will share closer duties.