Preview

Written May 7, 2006

Twinsburg, OH—Otterbein will host the 38th annual Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Baseball Tournament for the first time since the tournament went to a four-team format in 1985. The tournament will be held at Fishbaugh Field in Westerville, Thursday-Saturday, May 11-13. Otterbein captured the 2006 OAC regular-season title with a 16-2 conference record, its first since the OAC began recognizing the regular-season champion in 2000.

The tournament kicks off with No. 3 Heidelberg facing No. 2 Marietta, 1 p.m., Thursday. Marietta swept Heidelberg during the regular season with 3-2 and 6-3 victories. The Pioneers and Student Princes have met eight times in tournament play since 1985, including the past three years with Marietta holding a 5-3 advantage. A year ago, Marietta defeated Heidelberg 6-3 in game two of the OAC Tournament and again, 10-5, in 10 innings of game five to advance to the tournament title game.

Game two will pit No. 4 Mount Union at No. 1 Otterbein with a 4 p.m. start time. The Cardinals swept the Purple Raiders, 4-0 and 14-3, during the regular season. Mount Union holds a 3-0 edge in three OAC Tournament match-ups. In 2002, Mount defeated Otterbein 8-2 in game one and 5-3 in game five. In 1993, the Raiders defeated the Cardinals, 14-1, in game one.

Otterbein, the top seed for the first time, is making its 16th stop in the tournament where it has captured 19 wins, three OAC titles, and six runner-up finishes. The Cardinals have won two of the last three OAC Tournament championships (2005, 2003). On the year, Otterbein is led offensively by junior Jerry Tulga (Reynoldsburg) with a .429 batting average, sophomores Chris Kovanda (Worthington/Kilbourne) and Ben Titus (Bowling Green) at .398 and .387, respectively, and freshman Charlie Edwards (Springfield/South) at .387. Titus leads the team in hits (48) and is tied for the team lead with three home runs. Sophomore Pat Connor (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) leads the team with 31 RBI and 12 doubles. On the mound, sophomores Doug Stevens (Newark/Newark Catholic) and Dan Remenowsky (Cincinnati/Moeller) lead the pitching corps with a combined 15 wins. Stevens posts a 2.85 ERA with eight wins, while Remenowsky is 7-2 with a 0.93 ERA.

Marietta is making its 34th overall appearance and will be looking for its 28th OAC Tournament title. The Pioneers, the number two seed, have an 81-22-1 record in tournament games with five runner-up finishes and a third place finish. At the plate, senior Jarrod Klausman (Altoona, PA) and junior Joe Litke (Windsor, CN) are batting over .400 on the year. Klausman is hitting .415 with a team-best 59 hits, while Litke is hitting .402. The Pioneers have four hurlers with five or more wins on the year, led by junior Mike Eisenberg (Coral Gables, FL/Bullis) with a 9-1 record and 1.31 ERA. Freshman Jason Baumler (Crownsville, MD/Old Mill) posts a 7-2 record, while classmate Ryan Dennick (North Olmsted) and senior Mike DeMark (Jeanette, PA/Penn-Tafford) carry 6-1 marks. The Pioneers will be going for their first OAC Tournament title since 2002.

Heidelberg, the 2004 OAC Tournament champions, will be the third seed in this year's tournament. Making their fourth straight stop and seventh overall appearance in the OAC Tournament, the 'Berg have five batters with 40 or more hits. Senior A.J. Schlea (Gibsonburg/Woodmore) leads the way with a .430 batting average on 61 hits, 15 home runs, 14 doubles, four triples and 56 RBI. Freshmen Tony Pawlowicz (Montpelier) and Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown/St. Charles) have 49 hits apiece, while juniors Alex Rutter (Bowling Green) and Matt Decker (Maumee/Springfield) each have 41 hits. On the mound, senior Ben Thorpe (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) leads the squad with seven wins and junior hurler Travis Fox (Mansfield/Madison) has five wins.

The Purple Raiders of Mount Union are the number four seed and are making their first stop in the OAC Tournament since 2002. The Raiders are led at the plate by sophomore Andy Warner (North Canton/Hoover) and seniors Jason Evans (Canton/McKinley) and Thomas Pfaus (Massillon/Perry). Warner leads the way with a .386 average, 36 RBI and is tied for the team-lead in hits (49). Evans bats .368 and is tied with Warner with 49 hits and has a team-best 11 doubles. Pfaus is batting .361 with 39 hits, seven doubles and a team-high five home runs. The Raider pitching corps is led by senior Nic Carucci (Macedonia/Nordonia) and juniors Shawn Kerek (Stow) and Mike Reynolds (Akron/Hoban). Carucci is 8-2 on the year with a 3.86 ERA. Kerek is 5-3 with a team-leading 2.65 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 71.1 innings pitched. Reynolds is 5-2 with a 4.35 ERA.