With a 7-2 victory over Case Western Reserve University on Wednesday, the Oberlin College baseball team evened its record to 8-12 on the young season.
“While at any time four first-years could be in the lineup, the offense has propelled the team to a solid start.” Head coach Eric Lahetta commented on his team’s strong points.
“The strength of our team is offense,” he said. “We haven’t had anyone step up into the three-four spot [in terms of pitching rotation].”
Major league teams have scouted junior pitcher Troy Dewitt, who is 3-0 on the season with two saves. Junior John Damron has one of the strongest arms on the team and his honorable mention All-Conference nomination last season highlights his talents on the field. A host of candidates vying for the third starting pitching job have shown promise.
While it is seen as one of the top Division III baseball conferences in the nation, the North Coast Athletic Conference has been mediocre in early season games. The College of Wooster, a perennial national powerhouse, has fallen to rival Denison College, while underdog Hiram has beaten nationally ranked Allegheny.
Oberlin, with a great mixture of veterans and newcomers, is poised to make a run at the conference tournament. To begin their journey, the team traveled to Kenyon College over the weekend.
While the weather was chilly, the play by the Yeomen warmed up the afternoon. In game one of the series, junior captain Troy Dewitt took the mound. Dewitt allowed only three hits and struck out nine en route to a 6-0 victory.
Lahetta commented on Dewitt’s talents.
“Troy is one of the top pitchers in the conference,” he said.
First-year Derek Baker had three RBI in the winning effort.
The second game of the day got away from the Yeomen. Defensive struggles and poor pitching led to a 16-5 loss.
Much like Saturday, Oberlin won the opening game on Sunday but could not hold onto a three run lead in the second game. After a 12-11 victory in the opener, Oberlin fell 8-7 in the final game of the weekend.
Oberlin traveled to Denison last Wednesday to play a conference doubleheader. The Yeomen fell 2-0 and 7-6 in two games they could have won. Despite these losses, Denison is shaping up to be the frontrunner in the conference.
“We put ourselves in a situation to win both games,” Lahetta said. “We played well, but not well enough to win.”
After the game, Denison moved its record to 17-8 and Oberlin dropped its record to 6-8.
In what turned out to be a weekend to forget against one of the region’s top teams, the Yeomen failed to play to their potential against the Scots of Wooster April 13-14. Oberlin lost all four games 10-0, 14-3, 13-2 and 13-8.
“Wooster is a good team,” junior outfielder Ian Haynes said. “They took it to us this weekend.”
While the players were unhappy with the way they performed against Wooster, Lahetta took the caliber of their opponent into consideration.
“Wooster is a much better team that their record shows,” he said. “They are one of the best teams in the country.”
On April 16, Oberlin welcomed former conference opponent Case Western Reserve University. Since Oberlin had already played the Spartans earlier in the season, they knew what to expect from an average but capable baseball team.
In the first game, the Yeomen capitalized on some early errors by the visitors and gave Dewitt all the run support he needed.
Dewitt pitched a solid game in breezy conditions. Oberlin won the first game of the double header, 5-4 on Dewitt’s complete game.
“I wasn’t throwing very well,” DeWitt said. “I wasn’t hitting my spot with my fastball. I am happy to come out with the win.”
In the second contest, defense proved to be the name of the game. In what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel, sophomore Ryan Drews pitched his best game of the season en route to a 3-2 victory in eight innings.
Junior Chris Bamat had the game winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth.
With the doubleheader, Oberlin’s record stands at 8-12 on the season.
“I thought yesterday’s games were important for the team,” Lahetta said. “Hopefully we can carry over the enthusiasm to this weekend.”
This weekend Oberlin will face third place Allegheny in a critical two-day match-up. In order to move up in the conference standings, Oberlin will have to play well.
Lahetta believes these games to be huge for his team.
“This weekend is a good challenge for us,” he said. “They are a good team. They do all the little things to win. If we play like we are capable, we should compete with them every game.”