Hutchins, Stechschulte headline list of 6 Polar Bears named All-OAC in Baseball for 2023

By Wes Mayberry

| 2023 All-OAC Baseball Teams (.pdf) |

ADA — Ohio Northern senior Jack Hutchins (Bright, Ind./East Central) and sophomore Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay) headline a list of six Polar Bears earning All-Ohio Athletic Conference recognition in baseball for the 2023 season in voting conducted by the league's head coaches.

Hutchins and Stechschulte were named to the All-OAC First Team at pitcher and catcher, respectively.

Freshman first baseman Chase Armstrong (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) and sophomore pitcher Blake Altaffer (Montpelier) earned Second Team accolades, and senior pitcher Tim Knapschaefer (Maria Stein/Marion Local) and junior outfielder Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) were Honorable Mention selections.

This marks the second All-OAC honor for Knapschaefer, who earned Second Team recognition last season, and the first for Hutchins, Stechschulte, Armstrong, Altaffer and Stevens.

Hutchins finished the season with an OAC-best 1.73 ERA and tied for second in the conference in wins with an 8-2 record. In 72.2 innings spanning 13 appearances, including nine starts, Hutchins racked up 65 strikeouts, which ranked fifth in the OAC.

In four years at ONU, Hutchins has a career 4.25 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 27 appearances, including nine starts, spanning 84.2 innings.

Stechschulte closed 2023 with a .231 batting average, 30 hits, eight doubles, one triple, 13 RBIs, 16 runs and eight steals in 37 games, including 35 starts. Defensively, he posted a .979 fielding percentage and .471 caught-stealing percentage, throwing out 24 of 51 base-stealers.

In 45 career games at ONU, Stechschulte has a .233 batting average with 34 hits, including nine doubles, to go with 16 RBIs and 21 runs.

Armstrong made a significant impact as a freshman this season, playing in 34 games, including 31 starts, and posting a team-best .365 batting average, 36 runs, 11 doubles and 11 home runs to go with 42 hits, 29 RBIs and eight steals. He ranked third in the OAC in home runs, and the 11 homers are tied for fifth all-time at ONU for a single season. He had three multi-homer games on the season.

Altaffer finished the 2023 season with an 8-1 record and one save to go with a 2.19 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 11 appearances, including seven starts, spanning 53.1 innings. His season highlight was a complete-game five-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Cornell (Iowa) on March 15. He was tied for second in the OAC in wins and ranked third in ERA.

Knapschaefer tallied a team-high 71 strikeouts, which ranked fourth in the OAC, and was 3-3 with one save and a 4.60 ERA in 13 appearances, including 12 starts, spanning 60.2 innings this season.

In four seasons at ONU, Knapschaefer is 8-10 with three saves to go with a 4.44 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 33 appearances, including 25 starts, spanning 142 innings. He ranks 12th all-time at ONU in career strikeouts.

Stevens batted .313 this season and tallied 55 hits, seven doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 35 RBIs, 26 runs and three steals. He led the team in hits and RBIs and ranked second in home runs. He tied for eighth in the OAC in home runs.

Stevens became the 72nd member of ONU's 100-Hit Club with a pair of hits in an 11-4 win over Defiance on May 4.

In three seasons at ONU, Stevens has played in 103 games and tallied a .281 batting average with 105 hits, 17 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 79 RBIs and 63 runs.

Under 12th-year head coach Gene Stechschulte, the Polar Bears finished 27-15 overall in 2023, placing third in the OAC with a 12-6 league mark en route to earning their 20th all-time appearance in the OAC Tournament.