Preview (with video): New season means new beginning for Polar Bear Baseball

Ohio Northern baseball enters a new era heading into the 2012 season under first year head coach Gene Stechschulte.

The program has some rebuilding to do after a 19-19 season and a last place finish in the Ohio
Athletic Conference with its 4-14 record.

Coach Stechschulte knows the hard work in store for his squad and for his coaching staff, both this season and down the road.

"It's about changing mindsets and expectations of both the players and supporters of the baseball program," he said. "Average was looked at as good enough and that's not the case anymore."

"It's a process. Some of our players are ready to accept it and others aren't. But it'll all come together as the season progresses."

Stechschulte and his assistants Chad Ehrnsberger and Matt Rau, have a strong core of players returning. Not only are there 11 seniors on the team, this season's team also returns its entire pitching staff and adding a few new faces at nearly every position.

Pitching Staff

Stechschulte is optimistic about this pitching staff and the experience it has as a whole.

Cody Fisher, Justin Good and Ryan Damman all return their final season. Fisher finished with a 3.21 ERA in 42.0 innings of work along with his 2-4 overall record. Good had a 5-3 overall record with his 7.16 ERA in 49.0 innings and will also double as an outfielder this year.

Damman saw action in 35.2 innings, posting a 5.05 ERA and a 2-2 record.

Also returning from last year's starting lineup is junior Austin Price, who finished as one of the Polar Bears stronger throwers despite what his 3-6 record says. He led the team with his 2.90 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 71.1 innings of experience.

Closer Shane Parks is back for his third collegiate season. He sits fourth in the program's history in single-season ERA (0.88) he recorded in 2011. Additionally, his 1.90 career ERA also ranks him fourth all-time in that category.

The team will have plenty of hands in the bullpen to look to, including seniors Aaron Johnson and Eric Yunker (who will also play double duty as outfielder) and junior Jerry Beard.

With that kind of experience ahead of you, sophomores Chris Leiby, Matt Magni, Andrew Tople and Tyler Rue, as well as newcomers junior Bryce Sedio and sophomore Logan Schwerer, will have to work even harder to see time on the mound.

Infield

Senior first baseman Matt Hampshire retains his starting defensive role and brings some power to the lineup. He led the team last season with his .345 batting average, 12 doubles and three triples. He also finished tied for third in RBIs at 20.

Junior Kevin Obarski will also spend some time at first base but is the current frontrunner at designated hitter. He saw action in 35 games last season (starting in 33 of them) and finished the season with 25 hits, six doubles, one homer and 16 RBIs.

Second base will most likely be headed up by senior Mark Hayes. He started in 10 of his 22 game appearances last season, earned a .233 batting average and homered once.

Stechschulte says that the starting third baseman position is still up for grabs, as there's a group of players vying for the position. Deitering, Sedio, Leiby are all options for infield, in addition to junior Devin Kisor and freshman Mike Dinkeldein.

Holding down the shortstop position will be sophomore Brian Thomas, who started in all 31 of his game appearances last season.

Locking up the catching position this season is junior Cory Martin, who takes over for graduated senior Adam Yunker.

Martin saw his share of experience last year, starting in all 38 games as well as earning two OAC Hitter of the Week nods. He finished fourth on the team in batting average at. 289, second in RBIs (22) and had an on-base percentage of .407.

Backing him up will be sophomores Daniel Rodriguez and Ben Heskett.

Outfield

One of the starting outfield positions will go to Eric Yunker. Offensively, he finished third on the team in batting average at .321 and led the team with 31 RBIs.

Senior Josh Murphy has earned a starting spot in outfield and brings last season's experience (.303 batting average, 20 RBIs in 37 games) to the lineup.

Though Murphy has experience, he'll have to work to maintain that starting spot as seniors Chad Coward and Matt Holstein, juniors Tom Walton and Kevin Blessinger, and freshman Dan Belliveau have all been working hard a chance to start at outfield.

Stechschulte says that the spring trip may be when one of them sets himself apart and takes up the role.

Schedule

Northern starts with its annual spring trip, March 4-10, and opens with Muhlenberg (Pa.) and wrapping up the trip against Thiel (Pa.).

Ohio Northern has one scheduled home contest March 13 against Albion (Mich.); other non-conference opponents include DePauw (Ind.), Bluffton, Manchester (Ind.), Urbana, Salem International (W.V.), Adrian (Mich.) and Wittenberg.

The Polar Bears kick off the OAC schedule on the road against baseball powerhouse Marietta, before traveling to Capital and Otterbein.

The next scheduled home contest is against Heidelberg on April 11, almost a full month after its first schedule home contest.

"From what I can foresee, it's going to be a tough schedule. We're going to be challenged early but we'll have to rely on our senior class to set the tone of this season and lead us to where we want to be."