The Wittenberg University baseball team welcomes 17 letterwinners, including seven starting position players, back in 2011 in hopes of building upon the momentum gained by winning seven of the last 10 games in 2010.
The strong finish to the 2010 season not only gave the Tigers a 16-20 overall record, but it also raised hopes that some important pieces were in place for improvement in 2011. Key to those hopes is the return of the team's defensive core, led by sophomore shortstop Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson). All he did in his first year as a collegian is start all 36 games, batting .352, scoring 17 runs while driving in 21 and committing a relatively modest 11 errors en route to second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors.
His partner in the middle infield for most of the 2010 season was high school teammate Zac Daniels (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), who hit a modest .247 but was spectacular defensively at second base. He is likely to share the position again in 2011 with sophomore Graham Wolff (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), who batted .350 in nine games a year ago.
Two seniors make-up the rest of team's middle core, starting with centerfielder Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome). He has ranked among the team leaders in multiple offensive categories each of the last three years, including a 2010 season in which he batted .296, scored 21 runs, drove in 18 and stole a team-high 15 bases. Behind the plate, senior Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) made 24 starts in 2010, finishing fourth on the team with a .333 batting average to go along with a team-best three home runs, 12 runs scored and 16 RBI. He will share the backstop duties in 2011 with junior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), who batted .255 in 17 games a year ago while playing several different positions.
Jason Haunty
The corner outfield positions will be manned primarily by senior Zach Spring (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty), when he isn't pitching or playing first base, and sophomore Nick Van Dyne (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), who batted .311 and scored 23 runs a year ago. Spring has batted .300 or better each of the last two seasons. They will be joined in the line-up by senior Mike Yednock (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), an honorable mention all-conference choice in 2010 after batting .341 with team-highs of 24 runs scored and 11 doubles in 2010, primarily as the team's designated hitter.
The offense would benefit from a return to form by senior Stefan Kegler (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington), who earned first-team All-NCAC honors as a third baseman in 2009 after finishing with a .338 average to go along with team-highs of 34 RBI and seven home runs. He will primarily play first base in 2011, while senior Tyler James (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater) also figures prominently in the mix for playing time after making more than 30 starts the last two seasons at multiple positions.
The pitching staff offers numerous options, including six of the Tigers' top eight pitchers in terms of ERA from the 2010 season. Junior Ted Skalla (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) is tops among that group after he posted a sparkling 0.87 ERA in eight relief appearances a year ago.
Seniors Sam Clement (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and Jim Clement (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), juniors Brad Prewitt (Westerville, Ohio/South), Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) and Matt Rupert (Evanston, Ill./Evanston), and sophomores Kevin Tolle (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) and Zach Finke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) are all contenders for mound time in 2011 with extensive varsity pitching experience already on the resumes. In addition, Spring has been among the team's top starters each of the last two years.
Another strong recruiting class includes several potential standouts, led by David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe), Alex Lochard (Sidney, Ohio/Sidney), Jonathan Long (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), Tyler Grau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) and J.C. Birr (Dayton, Ohio/Carroll).
Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Erin Pence