OWU Baseball Season Preview

The Ohio Wesleyan University baseball team enters the season with heightened  expectations following an 8–28 finish and last-place standing in the North Coast Athletic  Conference (NCAC) a year ago. With 48 players on the roster, including nine seniors, the  Bishops are aiming to turn experience into results. 

Senior pitcher Hank Holman said last season’s outcome has motivated the team  throughout the offseason. 

“There is a lot of unfinished business that we have to take care of this year,” Holman said. “Getting last in the NCAC is completely unacceptable, and we have some work to do this season.” 

On the mound there are many weapons who are expected to play significant roles in this year’s success. Senior Parker Tomlin led the team with 48 innings pitched last season  and anchors the pitching staff in his final year with the Bishops. Nathan Hurley is looking to  have another big year this season, recording 22 strikeouts in 34 innings and was a reliable  closer for the Bishops.  

Offensively, the Bishops bring back much of their production, including names such  as Luke Johnson, Alex Snyder, Zane Vitense, and Micheal Malone. 

• Junior Luke Johnson batted a strong .343 average with 35 hits, 21 RBIs, and 1  homerun.  

  
  

• Senior Alex Snyder had a hot bat last season with 4 homeruns; he also had a strong  batting average of .283 and is expected to be the leading bat for OWU. 

  
  

• Senior Zane Vitense is a man that is hard to keep off the basepaths with a .400 on  base percentage, as well as a batting average of .339. 

  
  

• Lastly, junior Micheal Malone is looking to have another big season after having multiple clutch hits and one of the most reliable gloves in the infield.  

  
  

After last season, OWU baseball knows that 8-28 and last place in the NCAC isn’t  the standard. This was the main focus of the offseason, and the team has taken it personally. With a strong senior class leading the way, experienced arms on the mound,  and strong bats throughout the lineup, there are high expectations for this season.

The focus has been simple for the team; work harder, be ready to compete every day, and be better teammates. If all of that can carry over into games, the Bishops will be a hard team to beat this year.