Baseball: Capital (4-13 Overall, 0-2 OAC) at Ohio Northern (8-8 Overall, 0-2 OAC)
Monday, April 1, 2019, 1 p.m. — Wander Field, Ada, Ohio
Monday's Game Preview: The Ohio Northern baseball program begins its Ohio Athletic Conference home slate at Wander Field this afternoon with a daytime doubleheader against Capital ... Game one is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch ... The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but the contests were postponed due to rain ... The Polar Bears enter the contests with an 8-8 overall record and an 0-2 mark in league action ... ONU dropped a 14-2 decision to No. 27-ranked Denison on Thursday in the team's last outing ... Freshman Corey McMann helped guide the offensive attack, smashing a two-run home run in the contest ... Meanwhile, sophomore Tyler Randick added an RBI with a team-best three hits in four at-bats ... Through 16 games, sophomore infielder Michael Rocco leads the Polar Bears and the OAC with a .453 batting average ... In addition, he leads the team with six stolen bases, is tied for first with 14 runs scored, and sits tied for second with 12 RBI ... Senior Luke Klinehoffer tops the team with 26 hits on a .388 batting average ... His 40 career doubles ties for second all-time at ONU while his .356 career batting ties for ninth-best ... Classmate Caleb Thomas leads ONU with 13 RBI and two home runs ... On the mound, junior right-handers Jack Schaller and Troy Wagner lead the team with two wins each ... Meanwhile, junior Nate Bye paces the team with 21 strikeouts in a team-high 19.0 innings ... The Crusaders enter today's contests sporting a 4-13 overall record and an 0-2 record in the OAC ... Capital is coming off an 8-4 loss to HCAC foe Mt. St. Joseph last Wednesday in a single contest ... Junior Shayne Lyons currently leads the offense with a .400 batting average and 26 total hits while also sitting second with 11 RBI ... Meanwhile, classmate Connor Richardson paces the team with 14 RBI and is tied for second with 19 hits ... Four different pitchers have recorded wins on the mound, including freshman Ryan Metcalf, who tops the quartet with a 4.02 ERA in 15.2 innings.
Ohio Northern Batting Leaders:
| Batting Ave. | Hits | Runs | RBIs | |||||||||||
| 1. | Rocco | .453 | 1. | Klinehoffer | 26 | 1. | Klinehoffer | 14 | 1. | Thomas | 13 | |||
| 2. | Klinehoffer | .388 | 2. | Rocco | 24 | Rocco | 14 | 2. | Klinehoffer | 12 | ||||
| 3. | Randick | .368 | 3. | 3 Tied W/ | 18 | 3. | Thwaits | 11 | Rocco | 12 | ||||
| P. Buckingham | 11 |
Ohio Northern Pitching Leaders:
| Wins | ERA (Min. 5 Inn.) | Strikeouts | Saves | |||||||||||
| 1. | Schaller | 2 | 1. | Schaller | 1.93 | 1. | Bye | 21 | 1. | Wagner | 1 | |||
| Wagner | 2 | 2. | Wagner | 2.45 | 2. | Mohr | 10 | Johnson | 1 | |||||
| 3. | 4 Tied W/ | 1 | 3. | Mohr | 3.21 | Wagner | 10 |
All-Time Series Notes: Ohio Northern currently leads the all-time series 56-25 over the Crusaders ... Last season, ONU swept Capital 2-1 and 6-0 on the road ... The Polar Bears have won the past five consecutive meetings.
ONU Head Coach Gene Stechschulte: Stechschulte is in his eighth season leading the Ohio Northern baseball program with a 167-123 record, a .576 win percentage.
