With a 3-2 victory over Grove City College in the first game of the Yeomen’s final doubleheader, Oberlin gained its 10th win of the season. Oberlin’s baseball team had not been in double figures in the win column since 1988’s record-tying 15-win campaign.

The team had set a goal of matching those 15 wins, which made the end of the season “bittersweet,” the team’s lone senior, Bob Montag, said. “It’s somewhat disappointing, but it was successful in that it was six more wins than last year.” Last year’s team finished 4-35.
In the team’s final victory, sophomore Troy DeWitt again led the way for the Yeomen, throwing a complete game four-hitter against Grove City. He gave up just two runs, only one of which was earned, while walking only one.
Montag, sophomore Ian Haynes, and first-years Kyle Neumeier and Steve Willever provided the offense, combining to go four for 10 with three runs scored and an RBI.
Prior to getting blanked 13-0 in the Grove City nightcap, the Yeomen had played five consecutive games decided by two runs or less.

Oberlin dropped a doubleheader to Pennsylvania State-Behrend by scores of 6-4 and 5-3 on Sunday. The Yeomen were hurt by poor defense in the loss, committing five errors in the twin bill which led to a total of five unearned runs.
First-year Ryan Drews and sophomore Rob Smith pitched well in the games, going six innings each, while first-year Andrew Caprariello had a strong day at the plate, going four for seven with a run scored and a RBI in the pair.

The Yeomen played their last games against conference opponents with a doubleheader at Hiram on Saturday. Oberlin split, but won the “wrong” game; while they won the nightcap 5-3, the early game — a make up of a rainout one week before — was the only one that counted toward the conference standings. The second game was a seven-inning bonus game.
With the final conference loss, the Yeomen finished 2-10 in the conference, just a game behind Hiram, but one of those wins came against baseball giant Allegheny, who had been nationally ranked at the time.
“That’s something I’m going to take with me,” Montag said of the Allegheny victory. “Watching their coach and their players react.”

In the Hiram doubleheader sophomore John Damron gave up three runs in six and one-third innings to pick up the win, while DeWitt was solid in the 3-1 loss, pitching eight innings and striking out eight. Only one of the three runs he allowed was earned.
The Yeomen bats struggled in the series, managing only nine hits, but sophomore Adam Polisei went two for three with a homerun, while DeWitt went two for two with a pair of solo homers.
DeWitt finished the season with a team leading 3.39 ERA. He allowed only 14 walks in 74 1/3 innings and struck out a record 68 batters over the season. He and his teammates combined to strike out 171, breaking the school record for strikeouts set last year. By finishing 5-5, DeWitt tied the mark for most wins by an Oberlin pitcher since the NCAC’s inception.
Junior Zach Pretzer led the team offensively all season, posting a team-high .330 batting average and .409 on-base percentage on his way to tying the record for career steals with 59.
The team’s only foreseeable loss next year will be Montag, who struggled at the plate this year, but was solid in the field, posting a team-high .995 fielding percentage and breaking the career putouts record with 598 over his three seasons, including 197 this year.
“Somebody had to catch the ball,” Montag said of his record. “I guess it’s sort of like my punting record [for most career punts by on Oberlin football player]; somebody had to do it.”
The team will have a large leadership void to fill with the departure of Montag, who captained the team with DeWitt this season.
“I was the old man,” Montag said of his position as elder statesman. “I heard every old joke there was. That’s okay. They look up to you.”
Pretzer will take up the role as the team’s only senior next year, with the bulk of the team being made up of juniors and sophomores. A good-sized class of recruits is expected as well. In 2003 the Yeomen will take another run at the 15-win record. Building off of the best Oberlin season in 14 years, they’ll have a good start.