Led by a veteran pitching staff and a deep, talented collection of position players, the Wittenberg University baseball team enters the 2010 season with high hopes of reaching North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and NCAA Division III postseason play for the first time in more than a decade.
Offense makes headlines, but pitching and defense win games. At the top of a deep, talented rotation are seniors Bobby Ciucki (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and Joel Assenheimer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and juniors Zach Spring (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) and Jordan Kegler (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby). Those four hurlers combined for 38 appearances and 22 starts in 2009, with Kegler emerging as the most consistent amongst them as the season went along, finishing with a 2-1 record to go along with a 4.06 earned run average. Assenheimer pitched more in relief in 2009 after posting a 4.08 ERA and 4-2 record in seven starts in 2008, while Ciucki led the Tigers with nine starts each of the last two years.
Lewis has plenty of other quality pitching options, starting with one of the most effective relievers in school history in senior Darrin Mumaw (Fort Loramie, Ohio/Fort Loramie), who led the team in appearances with 16 in 2009 after also making 16 appearances in 2008 while posting a 1.63 ERA. Among the other returning letterwinning pitchers are senior Chris Green (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) and juniors Jim Clement and Sam Clement (Chicago, Ill/Whitney Young). The coaching staff also has high hopes for hard-throwing sophomore Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy), sophomores Brad Prewitt (Westerville, Ohio/South) and Matt Rupert (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) and junior Chris Tabler (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua), in addition to several freshmen.
A pair of 2009 all-conference honorees lead a host of returning letterwinners expected to battle for playing time in the field. Junior honorable mention All-NCAC honoree Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) will again split his time between first base and the outfield in 2010 after finishing last season with a .317 batting average to go along with 32 runs scored and 33 runs batted in, both among the best on the team, and a team-leading 10 stolen bases. Junior Stefan Kegler (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) held things down at third base a year ago, earning first-team All-NCAC honors after finishing with a .338 average to go along with team-highs of 34 RBI and seven home runs.
When Spring isn't pitching, he is a regular in the field — splitting his time between first base and the outfield. He batted .356 — second-best on the team in 2009 — while scoring 24 runs, driving in 21 others and making just two errors in more than 200 official fielding chances.
Junior Mike Yednock (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) also figures prominently in the teams plan's for 2010 after starting 25 games, primarily at second base. He contributed 21 runs scored and 19 RBI while making just three errors in more than 100 official fielding chances in 2009.
Behind the plate, junior Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and senior A.J. Bush (Troy, Ohio/Troy) will split time this year. In 2009, Haunty started 19 games, hitting .297 with two homers and 14 RBI and 15 runs scored. Bush saw action at a variety of positions in 24 starting assignments, batting .280 with 12 runs and 10 RBI.
A host of other returning letterwinners also return, including Sam Clement, also an outfielder, junior outfielder Tyler James (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater), sophomore utilityman Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and senior outfielder Kory Winter (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto). An outstanding recruiting netted multiple student-athletes who figure to compete for playing time as well.
Written By: Tom Fisher '11