Season Preview: No. 24-ranked Baseball returns veteran squad with high hopes for 2016 campaign

January 29, 2016

By Caleb Scott

| 2016 Schedule |

ADA — The 2016 Ohio Northern baseball team returns a veteran squad and looks to build off of a successful 2015 campaign under fifth-year head coach Gene Stechschulte.

The Polar Bears finished last season with a 30-9 record, a 12-6 mark and a second place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference and a national ranking as high as No. 16.

Northern returns 19 lettermen to this year's unit, including 17 pitchers and nine position players.

The ONU faithful have reason to be optimistic as the Polar Bears are ranked No. 24 nationally in one preseason poll.

"The first thing we talked about this year was that the competition and work ethic needed to go to another level," Stechschulte said. "We are certainly proud of the work that has been done, but anyone that is satisfied needs to change their mindset."

Here is a breakdown of the 2016 squad, by position.

Pitching

The experienced and talented pitching staff will again look to carry the Polar Bears onto the national scene. There are plenty of arms that can be counted on, with the depth of the pitching being the strength of the team.

Right handed pitcher and 3-time letterman Nick Eltzroth leads the list after being named First Team All-OAC in 2015.

The senior was also named Second Team All-Mideast Region in 2015 and OAC Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 10th.

Eltzroth served as the ace for the Polar Bears and had a team-best seven wins and 51 Ks.

Eltzroth, senior Alex Crabtree, and Ben Glischinski lead the pitching staff. Juniors Zach Maier and Carr also have ample starting experience to add quality depth. Senior Ben Eckert will add valuable innings either starting or in long relief.

Crabtree was named Second Team All-OAC in 2015 and is a 3-time letterwinner. He posted a perfect 6-0 record last season with 44 strikeouts.

Sophomore T.J. Storer and junior Casey Mulcahy will be counted on to finish games, with juniors Zach Foster and Tyler Batt and sophomore Jason Burkett eating up innings in middle relief.

A handful of younger, talented pitchers will look to gain varsity experience when called upon.

Storer returns for the Polar Bears after leading the team with five saves in 2015 and ranking third on the team with 28 strikeouts.

Infield

The infield is full of experience as Northern returns eight letterwinners, led by sophomore 1B/3B Jordan Bostater, who was named Second Team All-OAC as a freshman in 2015.

Bostater ranked third on the team last season with a .361 batting average, second with 37 RBIs and third with 43 hits.

Eltzroth is also expected to see time in the infield after serving time at third base and first base in 2015.

He ranked second on the team with a .364 batting average, fourth on the team in hits (39) and RBIs (26) and fifth with 22 runs scored.

The Polar Bears will expect to see extended time from Lubonovic, senior Cody Meyer and sophomores Brandon Kasberg and Hayden Shenefield as they logged the bulk of the time in the middle infield, and will most likely do so again in 2016.

Burkett and freshman Luke Klinehoffer will push for playing time at many different positions. Junior Jacob Lochard, sophomores Braydon Focht and Storer and freshman Caleb Thomas all bring quality bats to first base or the DH position.

"Our lineup will be very versatile and fluid early in the season," said Stechschulte. "I will not hesitate to find a way to get our best players in the lineup, regardless of position. We have the type of players that are athletic enough to play multiple positions, and we will use that to our advantage."

Senior Clay Small brings a steady, experienced temperament to the field behind the plate. He has received the bulk of the catching time in his career at ONU, and this should continue to be the case in his final year.

Sophomore Dan McMullen is the No. 2 catcher, and will also play some outfield to get his bat in the middle of the lineup.

Outfield

The outfield will see a lot of new faces take the field in 2016 as all three starters from 2015 are gone. Competition will be the key word used early in the spring, with many talented and diverse options that have a chance to break into the every day lineup.

Senior Andy Lubonovic will likely make the transition from the infield to the outfield to get some added speed into the mix. Junior Devin Carr, sophomores Dan Barna, Ben Wake, and Joe Riehl and freshmen Austin Peterson and Adam Wilson will all challenge for playing time in 2016.

Schedule

Ohio Northern begins the 2016 season with its annual Spring Break Trip in Orlando, Fla., where ONU will play eight games in a seven-day span from February 28-March 5.

The Polar Bears will return home and open the home portion of their schedule at Wander Field with a doubleheader against Oberlin on March 12.

Other non-conference home games feature match ups with Trine (Ind.), Defiance, Denison, Wittenberg, Kalamazoo (Mich.), Thomas More (Ky.) and Ohio Wesleyan.

The Polar Bears will travel out of conference to face Bluffton, Denison and Kalamazoo (Mich.).

The OAC season begins on March 25, when ONU travels to Otterbein for a doubleheader.

Ohio Northern will host John Carroll, Wilmington, Baldwin Wallace, Heidelberg and Marietta in OAC doubleheaders.

Northern will close out its regular season with a home doubleheader featuring Marietta on May 7.

The OAC Tournament is set for May 12-14, at the home of the OAC Regular Season champion.