With his everyday lineup returning virtually intact and an improved pitching staff, ninth-year Ohio Wesleyan head coach Tyler Mott looks for the Battling Bishops to build upon last year's 28-13 season and make a run at the North Coast Athletic Conference championship.
"We're looking to improve upon last year," Mott said. "Our goal is to put ourselves in a position to compete for championships in May."
Senior Aaron Caputo (Strongsville) returns behind the plate. He earned second-team all-region and first-team All-NCAC laurels in 2015 after ranking in the league's top 10 in 5 different offensive categories.
Also back is senior Colin Pratt (Vandalia/Vandalia-Butler), with freshman Dalton Henderson (Bethel/New Richmond), a 2-time all-league pick in high school, and freshman David Van Hove (Ashland), an All-Ohio selection in high school, also contending for playing time.
Junior Devin Van Winkle (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) is back at first base after a breakout season in which he ranked in the NCAC's top 5 in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage and was a second-team all-region and first-team all-conference choice.
Junior Trey Gluth (Port Clinton) and sophomore Matthew Messick (Dublin/Scioto) also return.
Sophomore Colin Stolly (Lima/Central Catholic) and junior Aaron Strasbaugh (Dublin/Scioto) return at second base, with freshmen Matt Houck (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine Township South) and Chuck Kuhn (Reminderville/Twinsburg) also in the mix.
Senior Tyler Flaherty (Dublin/Scioto) took over the hot corner last season, batting .333. Freshmen Cole Carey (Gahanna/Lincoln) and Anthony Crow (Morrow/Bishop Fenwick), a first-team all-league selection in high school, also will be heard from.
Senior Justin Dages (Green/Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) returns at shortstop after winning honorable mention All-NCAC recognition in 2015.
Sophomore Conner Brown (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian) will fill in, and Strausbaugh could see time here as well.
Senior Steven Moore (Hamilton) is back for his fourth season as a starter in leftfield. Moore was a first-team All-NCAC selection after leading the league in stolen bases last season.
Freshmen Nick Adams (Lexington), a first-team all-district choice in high school, and John Rings (Centerburg), a first-team All-Ohio pick in high school, also look to make an impact.
Sophomore Michael Blatchford (Shaker Heights) won the centerfield spot and went on to receive second-team all-conference accolades after ranking third in the league in batting. Sophomore Mitchell Johnson (Columbus/Hamilton Township) also will contribute.
Senior C.J. Tosino (Hudson), an honorable mention All-NCAC pick in 2015, returns in rightfield, with freshman Ian Waddell (Perrysburg/Toledo St. John's) also in the picture.
On the mound, sophomore righthander Kevin Zullo (Hudson) returns at the top of the rotation. Zullo was a second-team all-region choice and was named NCAC Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer of the Year after ranking second in the league with 7 wins.
Senior righthander Pete Munger (Perrysburg), who ranked among the league's top 10 in earned run average, also is back. Sophomore lefthander Trevor Ray (Strongsville/Walsh Jesuit), who emerged late last season, and senior righthander Jake Wright (Delaware/Hayes) look to complete the rotation.
Junior righthander Will Clyne (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame), junior righthander Brett Kiser (Avon Lake), sophomore lefthander Patrick Faley (Orange, Calif./Servite), and freshman lefthander Brady Roesch (Worthington/Thomas Worthington), an all-conference pick in high school, are slated to open the season as midweek starters and long relievers.
Short relievers include senior lefthander Ryan Moss (Beachwood), sophomore righthander Colin Pietron (Plymouth, Mich./Salem), freshman righthander Tom Ryan (Columbus/St. Charles), and Rings. Freshman righthander Jackson Brownstein (Houston, Texas/Bellaire), a first-team all-district choice in high school, and freshman lefthander Travis DeArment (Canton/Massillon Perry), an all-league selection in high school, also look to get in some innings.
Ohio Wesleyan opens its season with a trip to Florida, during which the Bishops will face Alvernia, which finished as an NCAA Division III regional runner-up in 2015. Three more 2015 NCAA playoff teams dot the schedule in Baldwin Wallace, Marietta, and Heidelberg, along with a 30-win team in Ohio Northern. The NCAC schedule kicks off on April 2 against Wabash, and the NCAC tournament begins with a crossover weekend May 7-8 at home sites before the remaining 4 teams head to Chillicothe for the traditional double-elimination event May 12-14.
