Baseball: Ohio Northern (17-14 Overall) at Wittenberg (15-12 Overall)
Tuesday, April 23, 2019, 6 p.m. — Carleton Davidson Stadium, Springfield, Ohio
Tuesday's Preview: The Ohio Northern baseball team steps away from Ohio Athletic Conference action Tuesday evening for a single nonconference contest against in-state foe Wittenberg ... First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Carleton Davidson Stadium in Springfield ... The Polar Bears enter Tuesday's affair sporting a 17-14 overall record and having won seven of their last eight contests ... ONU is coming off a critical 6-4, 7-1 sweep over conference foe Marietta on Monday afternoon ... Junior right-handers Jack Schaller and Nate Bye received the victories on the mound after tossing seven innings each in the starter roles ... At the plate, senior Luke Klinehoffer, junior Phil Buckingham, and sophomore Michael Rocco produced four hits each, helping lead ONU to a 26-13 hit advantage over the two-game series ... Meanwhile, sophomore Andy Mills generated a team-best three RBI with a three-for-five performance off the bench ... Through 31 games, Rocco leads the Polar Bears and stands third in the league with a .418 batting average ... The sophomore also paces the team with 46 hits, 22 RBI, and 11 stolen bases this season ... Sophomore Matthew Burkett and Buckingham are 2-3 in batting average with .343 and .339 clips, respectively ... Klinehoffer leads ONU with 26 runs scored and also ranks second in hits (45) and third in RBI (20) ... He currently sits second in school history with 44 career doubles, just two off the program record, and is third all-time with 179 career hits ... Schaller leads Ohio Northern and is tied for third in the league with five wins ... He also stands second in the OAC with a 2.16 ERA among qualifying pitchers ... Bye ranks second on the team with three victories and leads ONU with 35 strikeouts ... Wittenberg enters Tuesday's contest owning a 15-12 overall record ... The Tigers split two conference contests against Kenyon Monday evening, falling 6-1 before winning 11-1 in the nightcap ... Sophomore catcher Jack Hollinshead paces the WU offense with a .458 batting average, 31 RBI, 44 hits, and ties for the team lead with four home runs ... On the mound, junior right-handed pitcher Adam Mays tops the team with four wins, two saves, and a 3.33 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched.
Ohio Northern Batting Leaders:
| Batting Ave. | Hits | Runs | RBIs | |||||||||||
| 1. | Rocco | .418 | 1. | Rocco | 46 | 1. | Klinehoffer | 26 | 1. | Rocco | 22 | |||
| 2. | Burkett | .343 | 2. | Klinehoffer | 45 | 2. | P.Buckingham | 24 | 2. | Thomas | 21 | |||
| 3. | P. Buckingham | .339 | 3. | P. Buckingham | 37 | 3. | Rocco | 21 | 3. | Klinehoffer | 20 |
Ohio Northern Pitching Leaders:
| Wins | ERA (Min. 20 Inn.) | Strikeouts | Saves | |||||||||||
| 1. | Schaller | 5 | 1. | Buda | 1.33 | 1. | Bye | 35 | 1. | Fisher | 2 | |||
| 2. | Bye | 3 | 2. | Schaller | 2.16 | 2. | Mohr | 22 | 2. | Johnson | 1 | |||
| 3. | 4 Tied W/ | 2 | 3. | Fisher | 3.13 | Lester | 22 | Mohr | 1 | |||||
| Buda | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Wagner | 1 |
All-Time Series Notes: Ohio Northern owns a slim 24-22 all-time series advantage over Wittenberg ... The Polar Bears have won the last two meetings, including a 10-7 victory last season at home.
ONU Head Coach Gene Stechschulte: Stechschulte is in his eighth season leading the Ohio Northern baseball program with a 176-129 record, a .577 win percentage.