Just one short season season ago, the Otterbein baseball team got off to its hottest start in recent history. The team took its traditional spring trip to Florida, and returned home after the week with a sparkling 9-1 record. Otterbein would ultimately push that start out to 11-1 before losing its final game heading into OAC play.
The first conference matchup featured the Cardinals and perennial conference power Marietta. Otterbein split with the Pioneers, before sweeping rival Capital, taking a 3-1 OAC record into the second week of conference play.
The Cardinals were swept by a tough John Carroll team and split with nationally ranked Ohio Northern. However, Otterbein then swept both Wilmington and Muskingum, for a 9-5 conference record, giving them a strong shot at the conference tournament. It was not meant to be though, as injuries and fatigue took their toll, while the Cards dropped their final four OAC games of the year, finishing at 9-9.
This year, Otterbein looks to build off of last year's strong start, hoping to duplicate the performance they showed in Florida. The Cardinals will have eight games on their spring trip before they head back to Ohio and get into the swing of OAC play.
Senior pitcher Justin Roberts is confident the team will have a strong showing "Our expectation is an OAC title. If we stay focused on that goal throughout the season, I don't see anyone that would be able to stop us."
Head Coach George Powell, who is in his 17th year as the coach of the Cardinals, was very straightforward about the team's overall goal for the season, which in his words is "to win the Ohio Athletic Conference."
On the topic of getting a strong start in Florida, Powell said, "The spring trip means everything, it sets the tone for the rest of the season. The camaraderie, the culture, it gets guys of the baseball field to see how they live together and how they mesh. The team that comes back from the spring trip is typically developed into who they're going to be."
Depth proved to be an issue for the Cardinals last year, as they had a number of injuries late in the season that led to the team's late slump, but Powell will be the first one to say that the team can't feel sorry for itself. "That's not an excuse, because you've got to plan for that. [Other teams] don't care if you've got guys hurt or anything, the expectations never change, its the next guy up mentality, but I think our depth is better now, and we can manage it better," Powell said.
The first game for the Cardinals will be Feb. 29 in Fort Meyers, Florida and their first game at home will be March 9th against Marian University in Wisconsin.
