With something close to 100 feet of snow around and finals approaching quickly, it seems nothing can lift the spirits of Otterbein students. Ah, but don't worry. Spring is just around the corner and that means two things: warmer weather and Otterbein baseball.
The Otterbein baseball team heads into the 2008 season ranked 20th in the nation by D3baseball.com and 22nd by Collegiate Baseball. The Cardinals, who went 32-13 overall in their 2007 campaign, won their third consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament championship and also advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third consecutive season.
"It's been a four-year goal to get to and win the Division III World Series, and I think our team is the hungriest it's ever been," said senior right-handed pitcher Dan Remenowsky.
Experience will be a big factor in the success of this year's team as a majority of last year's starters return. The current senior class has won at least 31 games in each of their previous three seasons.
On the mound, the Cardinals return a pair of All-OAC picks in seniors Remenowsky and Doug Stevens. Remenowsky, a two-time OAC Pitcher of the Year, looks to continue his success from 2007, which saw him go 9-0 while striking out a conference-best 76 batters and posting a 2.71 ERA. Stevens, who went 5-6 with a 3.33 ERA last season, looks to get back to his 2006 form which saw him go a perfect 10-0.
Also looking to make an impact in the pitching rotation will be junior Jeremy Williams and senior J.J. Matthews. Williams went 5-1 last year with a 3.31 ERA and Matthews made three starts and went 3-0 in his nine appearances.
The infield looks to be strong with seniors Ben Titus and Ben Mauck returning at shortstop and third base and junior Tyler Rudman returning at second base.
Titus, a three-time All-OAC selection, batted .364 last season and ranked toward the top of the conference in many statistical categories. Mauck batted .305 last season and Rudman also had success at the plate, batting .327.
Junior Dan Lassak and sophomore Brian Hiscox saw some time last year as designated hitter and at first base. Both will be looked upon to fill to shoes of Bobby Wright, who graduated.
The outfield returns a trio of All-Conference performers in seniors Chris Kovanda, Pat Connor, and Aaron Hutchison.
Kovanda, a two-time All-OAC performer, batted .356 last season while driving in 30 runs on a team-leading 64 hits.
Connor, an honorable mention All-OAC player last season, led the conference in sacrifice flies (seven) and led the team in stolen bases. Hutchison, who will primarily play catcher this season, was an honorable mention All-OAC performer and led the team in batting average at .375.
After the game against Ohio Wesleyan was cancelled last week, the team is now headed to Florida to take part in the Port Charlotte Invitational.
Many players look for this trip to be a stepping stone for this season.
"Obviously, we want to answer any question marks that we may have going into our spring trip," said Stevens. "Other than that we just want to play well and make a statement."
"In Florida, we need to hit the ground running because we play a lot of really good teams down there," said Connor. "Florida is going to be key in building momentum for the rest of the season, especially for the conference games."
The Cardinals won't play at home until April 1st when they will face off against Wooster. The Cardinals were knocked out of the Regional tournament last season by the Scots.
This season has brought a whole new attitude for the team.
"As seniors we have one goal this year and that's getting to the World Series," said Hutchison. "Anything else would be a let down." t&c;
