MARIETTA, Ohio — Baldwin Wallace University won the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship and will host the 2023 OAC Tournament Thursday-Saturday (May 11-13) at Fisher Field.
The tournament opens at noon on Thursday with No. 1 seed Baldwin Wallace, which finished with a 15-3 conference record and is 31-8 overall, playing No. 4 seed John Carroll (25-13, 11-7 OAC). The No. 2 seeded Etta Express (31-9, 14-4 OAC) plays the No. 3 seed Ohio Northern (26-13, 12-6 OAC) in the second game scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Marietta swept the Polar Bears during the regular season with a pair of 11-2 win in Ada back in early April.
The Pioneers enter this weekend's tournament on a seven-game winning streak. Marietta, winners of the last two OAC Tournaments, will be going for its league-leading 34th tournament crown. Ohio Northern has won four OAC Tournament titles claiming the trophy in 1974, 1976, 1982, and 1983. Baldwin Wallace has two tournament titles having won in 1985 and 2018. John Carroll won their lone championship in 2014.
Marietta currently leads the OAC with a .342 team batting average. Baldwin Wallace is close behind with a .340 team average, while John Carroll ranks fifth at .306 and Ohio Northern is ninth with a .284 team batting average. On the mound, the Polar Bears lead the OAC with a 3.69 team earned run average. Marietta is second in ERA with a 3.82 team mark, Baldwin Wallace is fourth at 4.51 and John Carroll ranks fifth at 4.91. Baldwin Wallace and Marietta are the top two teams defensively with .969 and .961 fielding percentages, respectively. John Carroll ranks fourth at .955 and Ohio Northern is sixth with a .953 fielding percentage.
Senior outfielder/pitcher
Brett Carson (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley) leads the Pioneer offensive attack. Carson is third in the OAC with a .414 batting average. He leads the conference with 53 runs batted in and 53 runs scored. Carson also ranks second in home runs (12), doubles (20), and hits (70). On the mound, Carson is 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA and two saves. He has struck out 51 hitters in 38.2 innings pitched.
Sophomore second baseman
Alex Richter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) is batting .398 with 5 home runs and 39 RBI. Richter leads the OAC with 6 triples. Junior third baseman
Nick Bonnizzio (Hudson, Ohio/Twinsburg) is batting .384 with 11 doubles and 36 RBI in his first season as a starter. Sophomore catcher
Ty Davis (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) is close behind with a .383 batting average and is second on the team behind Carson with 17 doubles and 44 RBI.
In addition to Carson, the Pioneers look to a trio of seniors on the mound.
Kail Hill (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) is 9-2 with 4 saves and a 2.40 earned run average. He leads the conference in wins and ranks fourth in ERA and strikeouts with 62.
Trent Valentine (Byesville, Ohio/Cambridge) is 6-0 with 1 save and a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts, while
Gino Sabatine (Alliance, Ohio/West Branch) is 2-2 with 1 save and a 5.76 ERA. Sophomore
Zach Marzetz (Blacklick, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) has seen increased time on the mound the second half of the season and is 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA.
Ohio Northern is led offensively by freshman first baseman Chase Armstrong. Armstrong leads the Polar Bears with a .380 batting average, 11 doubles, 9 home runs and 34 runs scored. Junior outfielder Logan Stevens is batting .306 with 7 home runs and a team-leading 34 RBI.
Ohio Northern's strength is on the mound. Sophomore righthander Blake Altaffer is 8-0 with a lowly 1.33 ERA. He leads the conference in ERA and is second in wins. Senior righthander Jack Hutchins is 6-2 with a 2.12 ERA. Sophomore Vaughn Duncan handles the closer role for the Polar Bears. Duncan is 0-2 with a league-leading 7 saves.
Baldwin Wallace features a potent offense led by sophomore shortstop Sean Kolenich. Kolenich leads BW with a .404 batting average to go along with 14 doubles, 37 RBI and 43 runs scored. Senior designated hitter Alexis Castillo is batting .395 and leads the team with 7 home runs and 42 RBI. Senior outfielders Ryan Guggenheim and Vincent Capolupo are batting .372 and .346, respectively.
Three seniors headline the Yellow Jacket pitching staff. Lefthander Nik Baldis is 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA. Righty Garrett Miller is 8-0 with a 3.49 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 56.2 innings, while righthander Dawson Gabe is 5-0 with a 4.07 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 48.2 innings of work.
Junior shortstop Joe Olsavsky leads John Carroll and the OAC with a .478 batting average. He also leads the Blue Streaks with 19 stolen bases and is second on the team with 13 doubles and 38 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Sean Connolly is batting .373 with 14 doubles and 18 stolen bases, while junior third baseman Connor Mayle is hitting .320 and leads the Blue Streaks with 9 home runs.
On the mound, senior righthander Matthew Aukerman is 7-0 and ranks second in the OAC with a 1.98 ERA. He has struck out 69 opposing batters in 72.2 innings pitched. Righty Jon Ambro is 4-3 with a 7.79 ERA in 11 starts. Senior lefthander Henry Darrow is 2-3 with 2 saves and a 3.78 ERA in a team-leading 12 appearances.
Fans can follow the Etta Express all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
