Baseball: Thomas More (Ky.) (7-9 Overall) at Ohio Northern (7-7 Overall)
Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 4 p.m. — Wander Field, Ada, Ohio
Wednesday's Game Preview: The Ohio Northern baseball program opens its 2019 home slate Wednesday afternoon with a visit from the Thomas More (Ky.) Saints for a single nonconference affair ... Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Wander Field ... The Polar Bears enter the contest sporting a 7-7 overall record this season ... ONU is coming off a tight-knit, 2-1 loss to Trine (Ind.) on the road Sunday afternoon ... Junior lefty Josh Mohr tossed six strong innings at Jannen Field, striking out six batters and conceding just five hits and an unearned run during his third start in 2019 ... Classmate Scott Beaton also had an exceptional outing on the mound, retiring all six batters he faced in relief ... Freshman Corey McMann led the offensive effort after finishing two-for-two at the plate with a double, two walks, and a run scored ... Through 14 games, sophomore infielder Michael Rocco paces the team and ranks fourth in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a .435 batting average and sits second on the team with 20 hits and 12 runs scored ... Senior Luke Klinehoffer tops the team with 23 hits, 14 runs scored, and stands second with 12 RBI ... His 38 career doubles rank third all-time at ONU while his .357 career batting average sits ninth ... Meanwhile, classmate Caleb Thomas leads ONU with 13 RBI and two home runs ... On the mound, junior right-hander Jack Schaller leads the team and ranks fifth among qualifying pitchers in the OAC with a 1.93 ERA ... In addition, he bests the team with two wins while classmate Nate Bye tops the pitching staff with 21 strikeouts ... Thomas More enters Wednesday's contest after claiming two victories in a three-game series with Transylvania (Ky.) over the weekend, moving the team to 7-9 overall ... Infielder Brett Benzinger currently paces the team with a .365 batting average while adding 13 runs scored, 13 RBI, and three steals ... Meanwhile, senior Joshua Boeckmann tops the team with 16 RBI on a .328 batting average ... On the mound, Jordan Houze and Bailey Martin each own two wins this season ... The former also leads the team with 19 strikeouts in a team-high 28.2 innings pitched.
Ohio Northern Batting Leaders:
| Batting Ave. | Hits | Runs | RBIs | |||||||||||
| 1. | Rocco | .435 | 1. | Klinehoffer | 23 | 1. | Klinehoffer | 14 | 1. | Thomas | 13 | |||
| 2. | Klinehoffer | .404 | 2. | Rocco | 20 | 2. | Rocco | 12 | 2. | Klinehoffer | 12 | |||
| 3. | Burkett | .372 | 3. | Burkett | 16 | 3. | Thwaits | 10 | 3. | Rocco | 9 |
Ohio Northern Pitching Leaders:
| Wins | ERA (Min. 5 Inn.) | Strikeouts | Saves | |||||||||||
| 1. | Schaller | 2 | 1. | Schaller | 1.93 | 1. | Bye | 21 | 1. | Wagner | 1 | |||
| 2. | 5 Tied w/ | 1 | 2. | Mohr | 3.21 | 2. | Mohr | 10 | Johnson | 1 | ||||
| 3. | Fisher | 3.52 | 3. | Fleser | 9 |
Series Notes: The Polar Bears lead the all-time series 8-1 over the Saints ... Last season, ONU swept a three-game series at Thomas More with 10-9, 2-1, and 13-7 victories.
ONU Head Coach Gene Stechschulte: Stechschulte is in his eighth season leading the Ohio Northern baseball program with a 166-122 record, a .576 win percentage.
