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| Ryan Ostendorf |
Outlook: The ninth-ranked College of Wooster baseball team (32-8, 17-2 North Coast Athletic Conference East Division), in search of its first back-to-back NCAC Championships since the 2012-13 seasons, opens play at this week's NCAC Tournament against Denison University (29-10, 13-6 NCAC West Division) at 3 p.m. on Thursday at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio. DePauw University (29-9, 12-5 NCAC West) hosts Oberlin College (22-18, 12-7 NCAC East) at 8 p.m. in the other opening-day game. On Friday, the winners of Thursday's games kickoff the three-game slate at noon ahead of the first elimination game that's set for a 4 p.m. start. The winner of Friday's noon game advances to the championship round, while the non-advancing team plays the winner of the 4 p.m. game in an elimination game at 7 p.m. on Friday. The championship round is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, unless Denison is one of the two advancing teams in the championship round. Please note per conference policy, should Denison be one of the two teams advancing to the championship round, that would take place on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start as Denison's commencement is on Saturday.
Ticket Info: The prices for admission to the 2017 NCAC Baseball Tournament are $7 for adults and $3 for students and children. Each ticket is good for one day of admission at the tournament.
On the Air: All of the NCAC Tournament games will have live stats and live video. As the tournament is co-hosted by the four participating teams, official scoring and webcast responsibilities are determined on a game-by-game basis. Check woosterathletics.com for the links as they'll be posted when available.
Head Coach Tim Pettorini: Wooster is home to the active leader in NCAA Div. III coaching wins – the one and only Tim Pettorini, who owns a 1,169-434-6 record (.729) in 36 seasons, all with the Scots. Pettorini's guided the team to 23 NCAA regional appearances, and Wooster's in search of its 17th NCAC championship. Pettorini, who became the seventh Div. III coach to reach 1,000 wins on May 4, 2012, is a 12-time NCAC Coach of the Year.
NCAC Tournament Success: Wooster's won a league-best 12 NCAC Tournaments, and a conference-best 16 NCAC titles overall, as prior to 1991, the NCAC champion was determined by the highest regular-season winning percentage. Wooster's 16 NCAC championships are six-better than Ohio Wesleyan University's 10, while Allegheny College (4), DePauw (1), Oberlin (1), and Wabash College (1) have each won conference crowns.
Home Away From Home: Senior Jamie Lackner (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) has elevated his game at VA Memorial Stadium time-in and time-out. In 16 career games in Chillicothe, Lackner's 32-for-48 (.667) with 25 RBI, 20 runs, 14 walks, five round-trippers, and eight doubles. Last year, Lackner went 10-for-16 during the NCAC Tournament with nine walks, eight RBI, six runs, two home runs, and a double en route to tournament MVP honors.
The 60-60 Man: Sophomore Michael Wielansky (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins) touched home for the 60th time this season during Saturday's 10-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan, making Wielansky the second player in Wooster's tradition-rich history to score 60 or more runs in back-to-back seasons. Wielansky, who scored 61 runs last year - a total fifth in Div. III - joins W Association Hall of Famer Trevor Urban as the only greats in program history to accomplish this feat. Urban scored 79 runs during Wooster's 1997 run to the Div. III National Championships, and followed that up with 74 runs in 1998.
Jockeying Back-and-Forth: Many are familiar with what happens the first Saturday of May each year in Louisville, Ky., and that would be the Kentucky Derby, so it was only fitting that junior Jake Fling (Norton, Ohio/Norton) and Lackner entered the NCAC Crossover Series just outside of the top 10 in program history in career runs, and the two could jockey back-and-forth for that 10th spot all tournament long as the duo enters the week in 10th-place with 160 career runs each, with Shane Flinner occupying the ninth spot in the program annals at 169.
Mr. Stat Sheet: Lackner, one of the premier hitters in Div. III, joined an exclusive club during Wooster's 19-3 win at Denison back on April 19. In that game, Lackner scored his 150th career run, making him the third player in program history to have at least 200 hits, 150 runs, 150 RBI, and 100 walks. Lackner joined W Association Hall of Famers Jake Frank and Rick Sforzo in that exclusive club. Lackner's 200th hit came during the Kenyon College series, and he's the 12th player in program history to surpass 200 career hits.
Chasing 200: Fling enters play at the NCAC Tournament with 189 career hits, and his next base knock will be the center fielder's 60th of the season, meaning Fling will have at least 60 hits in all three of his seasons in a Scots' jersey. Fling recorded 65 hits in each of his first two years on the hill.
Slick Fielding: Wooster again is one of the national leaders in fielding percentage in Div. III with the Scots' .977 clip ranking third as of May 7. In fact, Wooster's played in six more games (40) than it has errors (34) on the season. Wooster's middle infield duo of sophomore Jacob Stuursma (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and Wielansky play a big role in that percentage as the duo has six errors in a combined 351 chances (.983).
Academic Success: Senior Michael Houdek (Cleveland Hts., Ohio/Cleveland Hts.) and Wielansky were voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, it was announced on Thursday, May 4. Wooster was one of three teams in the district (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio) with multiple honorees, and the Scots were one of two NCAC teams with an honoree. Houdek and Wielansky now advance to the Academic All-America ballot.
25-Win Club: Speaking of Houdek, the lanky left-hander picked up his 25th win during Wooster's 10-5 triumph over Case Western Reserve University on April 25, with the win making Houdek the 13th 25-game winner in program history. Coincidentally, Houdek's 25th win came against a team coached by another former Wooster 25-game winner in W Association Hall of Famer Matt Englander, who won 32 games between 1999 and 2002. In his next start, Houdek picked up his 26th career win during an 11-1 victory over Hiram College, and that win moved Houdek into the top 10 in program history.
Hello Top 10: Senior Michael Whitaker (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance), who set both the NCAC and Wooster's all-time records for appearances last year during the Mideast Regional, recently moved into the top 10 in Div. III career relief appearances, and Whitaker's currently tied for eighth at 91. Additionally, the right-hander is tied for the most relief appearances among active student-athletes with Emory University's Kyle Monk.
Blazing Hot: Junior Nanak Saran (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) was on fire during both of his starts last week. Against Ohio Wesleyan, Saran turned in a three-hit, complete-game shutout while striking out seven. Saran didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning, and in fact that's when all three Battling Bishop hits were recorded. Saran's defense had the right-hander's back though as Wooster spun a 5-2-3 double play to get the first two outs of the sixth, before Saran recorded a punch out after falling behind in the count 3-0. Earlier in the week, Saran worked six scoreless innings against Hiram while allowing five hits to pair with six strikeouts. Also of note, Wooster and Oberlin could meet up against in the NCAC Tournament, and in his last two starts against the Yeomen, Saran's scattered seven hits in 16 innings for work while striking out 13.
Stranded: Junior James Usher (New York, N.Y./Trinity School) has been Wooster's go-to guy in a jam out of the bullpen. On the season, Usher's logged a team-high 22 appearances, a total tied for 10th in program history. In those 22 outings, Usher's 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 29 2/3 innings of work. Of note, Usher's inherited 28 runners on the year, and only five have come in to score.