Sports – Page 12 – The Transcript

OWU baseball leads NCAC West, looks to pennant

Freshman outfielder Michael Blatchford stares down the Ohio Northern pitcher. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

While professional baseball just started their season last week, the Ohio Wesleyan baseball team has been playing for more than a month – and playing very well.

They have a 16-7 record, including a streak of 11 consecutive wins that began March 13 and ended April 6.

Last year the team finished 13-26, second to last in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) West with a 6-13 conference record.

Right now they’re at the top of the West at 6-2.

“Most of the team is back, and a lot of the same guys we tried out there last year we’re trying out there this year,” said head coach Tyler Mott. “They’re a year older, a year bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced and all of that helps.”

“I think our mindset is a little different…especially new things that coach has taught us that have really paid off,” said junior catcher/third baseman Aaron Caputo.

“Our senior leadership has really stepped up, juniors have even stepped up and even the returning sophomores,” said junior outfielder C.J. Tosino. “The freshmen that have come in have really seen that and fueled off of that and I feel like as a group we really just came together and decided that we want to do big things this year.”

Junior outfielder C.J. Tosino tries to steal third base during a game against Ohio Northern on April 6. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

The team started out shaky, going 4-4 in their spring break games in Florida, but they have been dominant ever since with a 23-3 win over Wabash College and a 22-7 game against Heidelberg University.

Now they are about halfway through their full season and a quarter of the way through conference play, which so far has been four sets of doubleheaders against Wabash and DePauw University.

The Bishops swept Wabash in four games on March 29 and 30, and finished 2-2 against DePauw April 11 and 12.

“I think as long as we keep our game plan and just play the game that we’ve been playing this whole year…there’s no way that we can’t have a good chance at winning the championship this year,” Tosino said.

Making a run for the championship was a goal of coach Mott’s, according to OWU athletics’ preview article, but now he’s focused on winning one game at a time.

“(Our NCAC West position) means nothing right now, you really got to just take it one week at a time,” he said.

The team has had to deal with several games postponed due to bad weather, including snow during their scheduled March 24 home game against Wilmington.

Caputo, an Ohio native, hasn’t been bothered much by this though.

“Every time that we don’t have a game, we usually end up having a practice,” he said.

“…We take practices just as seriously as games, we try to get as much done as we can and you got to practice like you play.”

The team has three more weeks of regular season play, with upcoming games against Muskingum and Wilmington this week and two doubleheaders against Denison on Saturday and Sunday.

During their April 18 rivalry game, they’ll honor OWU Athletics Hall of Famer Ryan Missler (‘98), who died in a car accident last summer.

Softball continues mental and physical preparation

By: Holly Krampitz, Transcript correspondent

After a challenging preseason and a successful Florida trip, the Ohio Wesleyan softball team starts their spring season with chemistry that could possibly make them more successful than in the past.

The softball team has been training all year long, a preseason filled with exercises designed to prepare them for the regular season.

“It got us in shape so we won’t be tired in the games, we got to prepare plays and learn more about the game,” freshman softball player Erin Ferguson said.

But preseason was not just about conditioning the players physically, it also helped the team mentally.

“Preseason is a lot of mental preparation right off the bat, it prepares us to push when there is only a little bit of fuel left,” sophomore Kayla Pelham said.

During spring break the team traveled to Florida where they played two games a day, coming out with a record of 7-3. The trip consisted of constant softball, but was a bonding experience for the players.

“We were constantly with each other so we bonded and had better chemistry,” Ferguson said. This was the first time the team got to play together in actual games and found that they work very well together.

“Florida is really where we became a family, playing with everyone was so natural,” Pelham said. The team improved from last year’s record in Florida which was 5-5.

Senior lefthander Sarah Flint throws the ball from the pitcher's mound. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com. — Senior lefthander Sarah Flint throws the ball from the pitcher’s mound. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

The team is hopeful that this season will go successfully. Their record is currently 8-6 and have games almost every week and practice every day.

“We lost some games that we shouldn’t have but we are learning and growing from our mistakes,” Ferguson said. Even with the losses, some players are confident that with the right attitude they can win.

“We have a lot of talent and are very close, so as long as we keep having fun we should be pretty successful,” Pelham said. Some players say that this season is different because of the connection the players have with one another.

“It is more like a family, and that makes us play better because we are so close,” Ferguson said. Another reason that this season is seemingly different from the past ones is because of the amount of flexibility the players have.

“From what I’ve heard, this team is really different because we have a lot of depth,” freshman Phoebe Bush said. “You can put the 18th man out on the field and they will do a really good job, so I feel like we are going to go a lot farther than previous seasons.”

With the addition of six new freshman to the team this year, the team has had to make adjustments. Although the time to get acclimated can sometimes be difficult, Bush and Ferguson said they were welcomed and treated equally.

“The upperclassman are there to help us whenever we need and since we are new to the program they really helped us learn,” Ferguson said. Along with Ferguson, Ashley Day and Kayla Richard are freshman starters this year.

Because of their family-like attitude, the team is always there to motivate each other. The softball coach, Cassie Cunningham, has been coaching for 15 years and puts a strong emphasis on remaining positive.

“Everything is a learning experience with our coach. She is a really positive person and wants us to learn from our mistakes,” Ferguson said. Ohio Wesleyan softball is a tight-knit group of girls who are dedicated to the sport.

Confidence leads to success on field

Confidence is one of the reasons the Ohio Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team is seeing more wins this season compared to last season.

This season, the team has been ranked number seven in the nation among other division three schools, coach Mike Plantholt said.

Three of the team’s ten seniors are scoring a high amount of goals compared to last season.

Senior Kyle Foster said another reason the team has been so successful is the addition of assistant coach Trey Keeley.

“Coach Keeley’s main suggestion is to play fast,” said Foster. “But a lot of our success has been building off last year’s success.”

Plantholt said the team only lost three seniors at the end of last season, so mostly everyone returned.

“With such a huge senior class, we have a highly experienced team that has been here all four years,” senior Brenden Bouchard said. “When you have the majority of your starting offense, it’s kind of easy to just build off what you’ve already got.”

Bouchard and Foster said they think the team has been so successful this season is because of the new coaching staff, combined with a large amount of seniors on the team.

“We were a very talented team last year,” Bouchard said. “But we weren’t having the success that we are having this season. If you look at our record and the teams that we were playing, we were losing by one goal. We were losing to these very competitive top ten teams that we’ve had, but I think now you will see that we are just winning those games.”

Senior attacker Tommy Winkler seizes up his opponents. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

Winning games translates to confidence on the field, which then results in more wins.

“Once you start to see success, you can feel it in the locker room now, you can feel the energy, people are excited to be at practice, people want to get better,” Foster said.

Senior John Umbach said this confidence stems from the team’s first big game of the season.

“After that first big game of the season, the [Franklin and Marshal] game, what we did there in third quarter,” Umbach said. “When we saw we had eight goals in one quarter, I mean, John had five goals in the span of two minutes, that’s when people started realizing what we had and what we were capable of doing.”

“The confidence started to build off of that, and in the Roanoke game we saw what we could do in four quarters of lacrosse, and that’s when we started to realize that when we put in four quarters of good lacrosse then we could start doing some damage to these other teams,” Umbach added.

“Psychologically, I think it’s nice to see yourself beating those teams cause then you know you can beat them, as opposed to trying to convince yourself in your head that you can beat them,” Foster said.

Bouchard said the team isn’t always confident.

“You definitely get nervous before those big games, because there is nothing like playing a top ranked opponent,” Bouchard said. “But it’s a number that gets put on their back, it’s a giant, all of a sudden, so it’s natural for an athlete to get nervous before those games, but after winning that game, I think everybody is excited at the opportunity to maybe just demoralize or smash another opponent. Now you are on the other side of it. You know, you are now no longer the underdog.”

Women’s tennis scores points in the sun

Freshman Brooke Butterworth. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

After winning four out of five matches in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the Ohio Wesleyan women’s tennis team looks to bring more than warm weather back from the adventure.

The spring break trip built a strong bond and prepared the players for the rest of the season of competition.

“It was a really good way to get to know the team,” freshman Adrienne D’Alewyn said. “We have a lot of new freshman playing high up, and with a van ride that long you’ll get to know everyone. It was good for us.”

It’s especially important as a doubles team to know the strengths and weaknesses of your partner. The team and coach Tom Drabczyk were able to try out some new partnerships during their time off.

“As a doubles team it is so important to be able to work with your partner as one. What balls to take and to move to the net together is important,” D’Alewyn said.

Coach Drabczyk helps with his players and the strategy behind the game, but in a different way than usual. Including 6am practices twice a week to keep the team going.

“He always makes us laugh and cheery on the court,” D’Alewyn said. “He’s a character and a fun coach to have.”

The team is led by four seniors and crop of freshman scattered in the lineup. Senior leadership is key for the team moving forward and keeping the attitude positive according to Sophomore Harriet Watson.

“They have so much experience and know how to handle other players, motivate and bring us up when we’re down,” Watson said. “They’re all very talented and can step up for us.”

The team has a streak of nine matches at OWU coming up next on their schedule before the end of the season NCAC tournament in Gambier, Ohio.

Coach Drabczyk was unavailable for comment at press time.

Indoor track team competes at NCAA championship

The Ohio Wesleyan indoor track and field team may not have finished first in the NCAA division III championship, but they did come away with experience and a new determination.

A total of five OWU athletes (three men and two women) took part in the Division III championship in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on March 13 and 14.

“It was a great experience going down to North Carolina and it was just nice to get some good competition and experience on a national level,” said junior Abbey Wrath who finished 15th in the mile. “The race didn’t play out how I wanted it to but it was a good learning experience.”

Three OWU men – senior Matt Hunter, junior Aaron Port and freshman Nate Newman – all competed in the heptathlon.

The men’s heptathlon, as the name suggests, is made up of seven events – 60 meter sprint, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 meter hurdles, pole vault and 1000 meters.

“Just to make it my freshman year was pretty cool because everyone else there was a junior or senior,” Newman said. “The first day we had high jump, long jump, 60 dash and shot put… the second day I started doing a little better; we had the 60 hurdles, pole vault and then the 1000 meter run which is the killer.”

Newman went on to say that he is optimistic about his future with the sport because of his freshman status and that he looks forward to returning to the DIII championship.

Another OWU track and field athlete optimistic about their future is junior Sara Johnson, who finished 17th in the 60 meter hurdles.

This was Johnson’s second time participating in the DIII championship but her first for indoor track and field. Her first time was last summer when the championship was held at Selby Stadium.

“Last year for outdoor we hosted and it really was like a blessing because we hosted it at home and a lot of my family and friends came to support me,” Johnson said. “It was much different in North Carolina for indoor, it was more subtle, less dramatic, less people but there was a lot of pressure still.”

Johnson suffered a leg injury while running in this year’s championship which she feels slowed her down. However, going forward, she spoke about the confidence she gained.

“I was super upset afterwards,” Johnson said. “I’m just happy I made it that far. Next year I am definitely going for it.”

Senior spotlight: 3-point sharp-shooter

Senior Nick Felhaber. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

Coming from a family of college basketball players, an Ohio Wesleyan senior was destined to continue on the tradition.

Nick Felhaber, the only senior on the team, has been through a lot in his time wearing the black and red jersey, including injuries, conference championships and NCAA tournament runs.

However, he did not have OWU on his college radar until an assistant coach saw him play at one of his high school games at Toledo St. Johns.

“I had a pretty good game the day he was there and afterwards we talked,” Felhaber said. “I ended up applying, liking the school and wanted to play basketball four more years.”

Halfway through his sophomore year, Felhaber broke his foot. And just two weeks after his junior season ended, he broke it again.

During that time, he chose to focus on improving different aspects of his game he could control.

“I had to be a little smarter and focus on things I knew I could do. Like ball handling, watching film and shooting,” said Felhaber.

Shooting cannot be emphasized enough. Felhaber made 95 three pointers this season, including breaking a single-game OWU record of nine against Calvin on November 22. However, the record would not stand for long. He increased it to 10 two months later against Oberlin College.

To put 95 three pointers in perspective, that’s only 12 shy of the amount made by the whole Kenyon squad this season.

As Felhaber enjoyed individual success, the team also prospered. Although being picked to finish fourth in the pre-season poll and were thought to be not much of a threat, the Bishops, led by Felhaber, started the season 7-0.

“It was one of those years where we came out of nowhere,” Felhaber said. “Everyone said we were going to be rebuilding and we came out in the first week of the season and beat the sixth ranked team in the country.”

The team won the NCAC regular season, finishing with a 21-5 record entering postseason play. After fighting back from injuries and leading the team during his last year, the title will always stick out for Felhaber.

“That was a huge moment for us. And that was one of the big ones for me personally.”

“It was just a great year and a lot of fun. I was very fortunate to have some great teammates and coaches.”

His teammates were fortunate to have him as well. Junior Joey Kinsely has been a part of the team the last three years with Felhaber.

“We all look toward (Felhaber) during practice, in games and in the classroom, and he’s always giving it his all and going 100 percent,” Kinsley said. “Everyone wants to be on a team with people like that, he’s a great guy and will be missed.”

Track and field head to conferences with stellar record

Coach Kris Boey. Photo courtesy of the Connect2OWU website.

Men’s and women’s track teams conquer their fifth first place victory at the Kenyon College Classic and prepare for conferences.

Seven teams competed at Kenyon on Feb 21. Both the men’s and women’s teams came in first.

Although they have had a very successful season so far, coach Kris Boey said, “They look at every meet as an opportunity to improve.”

“Usually after a big meet, we give athletes some time off. They also work on their secondary event verses their primary,” said Boey. The NCAC championship will take place on March 6 and 7. “The women’s team is hoping to win their ninth straight title,” said Boey.

Junior Aaron Port. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

Junior Aaron Port said, “There have been lots of personal bests early in the season and we are really stepping things up in time for the conference and national meets.” Port competes in the heptathlon and the decathlon events.

Boey explained, “The very special team dynamic is a large part of our teams success. Each athlete believes that they are a part of something bigger than their selves.”

“Morale is extremely high as both teams are having great success early in the year and are both looking to take home the conference titles,” said Port. “We have a lot of young talent this year and they are contributing in a big way.”

Junior Abbey Warth. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

As for the remainder of the season, junior Abbey Warth said “I am hoping to keep seeing big improvements from everyone on the team, and a big showing at the NCAC conference meet. It would be great if we could see quite a few of us at the national meet and represent OWU well but, we are more of an outdoor based program, and will probably see a much bigger showing at the outdoor NCAA meet.”

Boey said throughout the past five years, their “recruiting style really hasn’t changed. We are at a point that we recruit very aggressively. It is a competitive market and we are building personal relationships. Although our past record helps recruit, we cannot completely rely on it.”

Men’s lacrosse takes on opposition and weather

Freezing temperatures and several inches of snow could not stop the Ohio Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team; however, it did cause them some trouble.

Because of bad weather, the team had their Feb. 14 season opener against Augustana College moved to the Woody Hayes Center indoor facility on the campus of The Ohio State University.

Senior Tommy Minkler. Photo courtesy of the battling bishops website.

“It’s one of the nicest facilities in the country,” said senior attacker Tommy Minkler. “It was one of the coolest playing experiences I’ve ever had.”

Minkler scored two goals in OWU’s 17-4 win over Augustana.

The second game, which was going to take place on Feb. 21 in Salem, Va., against Roanoke College, was postponed. Weather was once again the determining factor.

“We were all looking forward to the matchup against a good Roanoke team,” said senior midfielder Brendan Bouchard. “Thankfully our coaching staff and administration were able to get the game rescheduled in March when it will be a little nicer out.”

The rescheduled game will take place on March 21.

With the weather gradually warming up the Battling Bishops were able to have games against Otterbein University and Franklin & Marshall College. Both games resulted in OWU wins.

However the men’s lacrosse team, now at 3-0, is still having trouble practicing at Selby Stadium.

Minkler says that the team has to remove snow and ice before each practice using nothing but a single snow blower and a few shovels.

Senior Brendan Bouchard. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

“The snow blower removes most of it but there is still always a thin layer of snow we have to use shovels on,” Minkler said. “It kind of brings us all closer together when we are out there shoveling the field.”

Sometimes the snow is too much and the team is forced to move inside to practice in Gordon Field House.

“With the way the weather has been recently we have been taking it day by day as far as practice goes,” Bouchard said. “We have gone inside for a couple walk arounds but it’s difficult to get a high quality practice inside, so we try to get outside as much as we can for as long as we can.”

OWU’s next game is March 4 when they take on Hanover College at home. They will then go on the road to face Salisbury University on March 8.

Empty bleachers despite success

Update:

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team received one of the 19 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament Monday.

The team will face St. Olaf in the first round on Friday in Whitewater, Wisconsin. If victorious, a matchup with the defending champions, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is likely for Saturday.

Last week the Duke University vs. Syracuse University game recorded the largest on-campus crowd in college basketball history at 35,446.

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team has a 20-4 record and captured the NCAC crown after being picked to finish fourth in the pre-season poll. The team is ready to host the conference tournament at Branch Rickey Arena.

But sometimes home court advantage doesn’t mean a packed house of yelling and screaming fans. OWU has averaged just over 600 people in attendance this season at their games, not quite 35,446.

Students are involved in all aspects of the OWU campus, and with classwork on top of it, they often don’t make it to sporting events, despite free admission and conference championships.

“The students here have so much going on,” Athletic Director Roger Ingles said. “Wednesday nights are tough. Just the other night we had a speaker with about 200 people at it. Students have classes and a lot of responsibilities on weekdays.”

The student section in Branch Rickey Arena has the potential to make OWU’s court a very difficult place for opponents to play, and has in some cases.

“Some of the bigger games against Wooster or Wittenberg, we can put about 100 students in there and it doesn’t look like a lot, but it’s about 5 percent of the student body,” Ingles said. “That same 5 percent at Ohio State University is 3,000 people.”

He’s right. OSU’s enrollment is 57,466 and 5 percent is about 2,800. OWU’s enrollment is 1,850 and 5 percent is about 90.

It’s not just students that are busy. Some faculty members are consistently seen at sporting events throughout the year, but it is very rare to see a large number in attendance.

“Faculty have so much going on too, especially the ones that don’t live right in town. It’s hard for them to go home and then go through traffic to try to get back for the games,” Ingles said.

The men's basketball team plays below mostly empty bleachers. Photo courtesy of Alex Gross. — The men’s basketball team plays below mostly empty bleachers. Photo courtesy of Alex Gross.

The Student Homecoming Organization (SHO) is in charge of promoting the games to the OWU community. They have created “Red Alert” games, which are usually reserved for rivalries, to attract more people.

“For every sport team we host a red alert game that we promote on social media and with flyers,” SHO Vice President Brittany Spicer said. “We also try to either have a tailgate or theme for at least a few games each year to try to bring out the community and get them more involved.”

With crucial games approaching, the team is getting ready to make a deep run into post-season play. They certainly have the potential based on their record and success this season. Large crowds and support among the OWU community would make this tournament journey that much more successful.

“We have worked really hard to put ourselves in this moment,” junior forward Joey Kinsley said. “We feed off the energy of our students and to pack Branch Rickey would be special.”

Men’s basketball beats Oberlin 83-66

Junior wing Zak Davis passes the ball under the basket. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

It was a matchup that had been played twice before, and this time wasn’t very different from the others.

But this round was worth more – after their third win against Oberlin College, the Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team will advance to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s tournament semifinals against DePauw University.

The women’s basketball team was also playing at Oberlin during this game, and won 75 to 58 with a career-high 24 points from junior Emily Julius.

Like the men’s team, they’ll face DePauw next, but the OWU women’s team lost against them 74-69 in their previous matchup.

The men’s game will be this week on Feb. 27 at 8:30 in Branch Rickey Arena.

In the regular season, DePauw took on the OWU men’s team twice, and lost both times – first on January 17, 76-64, and again on February 21, 86-77.

“We know we’re playing a really good team, we’re going to enjoy this one tonight and start getting ready for DePauw tomorrow,” said men’s team head coach Mike DeWitt.

Coach Mike DeWitt watches the play. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey

“…Being the regular season champions is, you know, obviously a good thing. We’re on to our next goal now, which is to try to win the conference tournament.”

The men’s team has three consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament as well, and DeWitt said he hopes for a fourth, which they’ll automatically get if they win the conference tournament.

If they don’t win, they find out if they get an at-large spot March 2.

DeWitt said the team relies greatly from having a wide range of talent; in the regular season four of their five starters averaged more than 12 points a game. Junior post Claude Gray led with 19.8 per game; in this game he had 31 points.

“We have a lot of different weapons, we have a lot of different guys that can do a lot of different things,” DeWitt said. “That’s our biggest strength as a team.”

“I think the best way to describe this group is they are really a true team,” said athletic director Roger Ingles. “You had four different kids this year that were player of the week in the conference – you can’t just shut down one guy.”

What they don’t have a lot of, though, are seniors – there’s one on the whole roster, senior starter Nick Felhaber.

The team reacts to junior post Claude Gray's fast break score. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey. — The team reacts to junior post Claude Gray’s fast break score. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

“It’s been interesting, really we’ve got a lot of guys who play like seniors so it doesn’t feel like I’m the only senior,” Felhaber said.

“He’s a great senior, he’s a great leader and we’re going to miss him once he graduates,” DeWitt said about Felhaber.

At the start of the year, Felhaber said, OWU was predicted to finish fourth, so finishing first has been a great experience.

On the other end is starting guard Nate Axelrod, a freshman, but he said the team’s welcomed him into the ranks.

“To be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking…coming into college, new teammates, new players I’m playing against.”

Looking toward the Friday night game, Axelrod said it’d be a “great feeling” to be at home with fellow students behind him and the team.

Ingles added he hopes “a lot of folks from the university” support them, including students. The current Weather Channel forecast puts the Friday night temperature at -7℉, with a 10 percent chance of snow.