Delaware, OH – For the first time since 2011, the Wittenberg Tiger baseball team has earned their way into the North Coast Athletic Conference postseason. The Tigers wrapped up their regular-season run with a sweep on the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, taking game one, 9-2 and moving on to secure the sweep with an 8-1 victory.
The Tigers had more to celebrate than just the sweep of the Battling Bishops, during game one Head Coach Brian McGee earned his 100th win as the manager of Wittenberg ball club. This is the second consecutive second-place finish for the Tigers in NCAC action, missing tournament action due to the COVID-19 adjusted bracket in 2021. McGee's Tigers have achieved milestones which include, earning the fist NCAC Tournament bid since 2011. His Tigers have put together the first back-to-back 20+ win season since 2012 and 2013. Compiling a 27-10 overall record on the season and 14-4 in conference play, McGee has led the Tigers to their first 25+ win season since 1997 and their best conference record since 1995.
The Tigers tallied 25 hits on the afternoon, with five separate Tigers tallying multiple hits in game one. Luke Thomas tallied a pair of extra-base hits to get the day started with a double and a triple in game one. Seven different Tigers drove in a run for the Wittenberg offense to get the series started. Matt Moore lead the effort with a two-RBI single in the fifth, making it a 4-0 ballgame.
On the mound, Nick Cunningham put in four innings of work with only two hits allowed against 18 batters faced while fanning one. Charlie Schafer picked up his fourth win of his career in a Wittenberg uniform, tossing 4.1 innings, allowing four hits with four strikeouts.
Austin Morrow, Conor O'Malley and Parker Gryskevich swung the hot bats in game two for the Tigers each recording multiple hits to close out the series. Wittenberg posed runs in all but three innings of the final game against the Battling Bishops. Austin Luther secured his fifth win of the season, allowing three hits and no runs, with three innings on the hill for Wittenberg. The Tigers saw appearances from Matt Shanor, Tyler Defibaugh, Josh Moore and Cole Weaver on their way to securing the victory.
Wittenberg enters the 2022 NCAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed where they will take on the No. 3 seed College of Wooster. The Tigers will play game two of the day with first pitch set for 8:00 pm, following the conclusion of the No. 1 Denison vs. No. 4 DePauw game.