Baseball set to open 2017 campaign with annual Spring Break trip in Florida
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern baseball team will open its 2017 campaign under sixth-year head coach Gene Stechschulte with the annual spring break trip in Florida. The destination has yet to be determined.
The Polar Bears posted their third consecutive winning season and third consecutive finish in the upper half of the Ohio Athletic Conference in 2016.
ONU will open the northern part of the schedule on Mar. 15 as they welcome area-rival Bluffton to Wander Field at 4 pm.
After its home opener with Bluffton, Northern will travel to Thomas More (Ky.) for a 3-game series Mar. 17-18.
The remainder of the non-conference schedule will feature home stints with Anderson (Ind.) on Mar. 22, Denison on Mar. 28, Wittenberg on Apr. 5, a double header with Kalamazoo (Mich.) on Apr. 25 and Ohio Wesleyan on May 3.
ONU will also travel to non-conference foes Trine (Ind.) on Mar. 21, and Defiance on Mar. 29.
Northern will open OAC competition on Mar. 25 as it welcomes Otterbein to Wander Field for a double header.
The Polar Bears will also host Mount Union on Apr. 8, Muskingum on Apr. 14 and Capital on Apr. 29 in OAC double header action in 2017.
The remainder of the conference schedule will feature double headers at John Carroll on Apr. 1, Wilmington on Apr. 11, Baldwin Wallace on Apr. 19, Heidelberg on Apr. 22, and Marietta on May 6.
The Polar Bears finished the 2016 campaign 21-16 overall and 9-9 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.