Wittenberg University 2002 Captains (from left) Lance Dill, Brad Cerovac and Bryan Burke. Nate Williams crouching.
Optimism pervades the Wittenberg University Tiger baseball team for the 2002 season. Although the Tigers lost three outstanding seniors, they have not lost a step and expect to challenge the top teams again in the always-tough North Coast Athletic Conference.
Again, Wittenberg returns a strong nucleus of upperclassmen to
lead the way while adding an excellent blend of young talent. Under
the direction of Head Coach Jay Lewis (Wittenberg '94), who has
compiled a 109-83-3 record in five years at the helm, the Tigers
will be known for their fundamental, aggressive and determined
style of play. The driving force behind this fine-tuned machine
will again be the Tigers' explosive offense. Despite losing
All-NCAC outfielder Ryan Peters, who was one of only two NCAA
Division III players in the country to participate in the NCAA Home
Run Challenge last June, the Tigers shouldn't miss a beat. The
team's .349 batting average in 2001 set a school record, and much
of the talent from that lineup returns in 2002 to create what is
potentially an even more formidable one.
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, and he will provide a solid anchor both
offensively and defensively for the Tiger infield. Dill hit at a
.394 clip in 2001 and was second on the team in RBIs.
But this offensive machine doesn't have just two players. Among
the other returning players:
• Senior Scott Hirsch (Cincinnati,
Ohio/Colerain), back after posting a .389 batting average
and an amazing .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 RBIs;
• Senior second baseman Karl Friedhoff (Sunman,
Ind./East Central), a defensive specialist;
• 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;
• Sophomore outfielder Shawn Jarecki (Parma Heights,
Ohio/Valley Forge), who hit .314 and was perfect in steal
attempts in 2001.
In addition, a slew of promising young players will provide the
Tigers plenty of depth.
Another important component for the Tiger baseball machine is it's
pitching staff. The staff, which held opponents to a .288 batting
average, in expected to contribute greatly to the Tigers' expected
success. Anchoring the rotation figures to be senior righthander
Brad Cerovac (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick), who led
the team with three complete games in 2001. 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.
Proven depth on the pitching staff will be supplied by junior
closer Brian Robinson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial),
who held the opposition to a .212 batting average, junior
Jay Nunn (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine),
senior Doug Farris (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) and
sophomore Jason Flick (Hamilton, Ohio/Middletown
Fenwick). Furthermore, look for freshmen Ryan
Goldschmidt (Ft. Loramie, Ohio/Ft. Loramie), Wayne
Massie (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) and Ron
Estepp (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby) to contribute.