Bryan Burke

Lance Dill

Although the Tiger baseball program lost three outstanding seniors, they do not appear to have lost a step and expect to challenge the top teams NCAC. Wittenberg was selected fourth in a preseason coaches poll, behind perennial national powers Allegheny, Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster. 

Wittenberg returns a strong nucleus of upperclassmen to lead the way in 2002. The driving force will again be the Tigers' explosive offense. The team's .349 batting average in 2001 set a school record, and much of the talent from that lineup returns in 2002. Leading the way will be first-team All-NCAC senior shortstop Bryan Burke (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) and second-team All-NCAC senior centerfielder Lance Dill (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork). Burke batted a scorching .418 a year ago, while Dill hit at a .394 clip in 2001 and was second on the team in RBI.

Joining them in the lineup will be seniorScott Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain), back after posting a .389 batting average and a .509 on-base percentage, senior catcher Nate Williams (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), a stellar defensive performer who batted .304 last year, senior third baseman/catcher Jeff Buelow (Oakland, Mich./Rochester), coming off a season in which he hit .333 and ranked third on the team in RBI, junior second baseman Shane Thomas (Columbus, Ohio/South), who came on strong in the late-going of the 2001 season to post a batting average of .337 and lead the squad in steals, and sophomore outfielder Shawn Jarecki (Parma Heights, Ohio/Valley Forge), who hit .314 and was perfect in steal attempts in 2001.

Senior righthander Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), who led the team with three complete games in 2001, anchors the pitching staff. He is joined as a starter in 2002 by senior Nick Allen (Dayton, Ohio/Vandalia Butler), junior Adam Abraham (Granville, Ohio/Granville), who led the team a year ago with an impressive 1.71 earned run average, sophomore Tom Fox (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana)and sophomore Kurt Hartfelder (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who was tops on the staff in victories last season and was named Honorable Mention All-NCAC.

The Tigers get things started with five doubleheaders scheduled for next week in Ft. Myers, Fla. The home opener is Tuesday, March 19 against Wilmington.