Bob Wren Stadium was not even open the last time Ohio won a Mid-American Conference tournament in 1997. But now, the team is playing for the right to bring a title back home.
Ohio will participate in the tournament for the 13th time in program history this week. The Bobcats enter the tournament, which began in 1981, as the fourth seed and will play fifth-seeded Western Michigan in the first round Wednesday.
The transition from regular season play to a conference tournament brings a change in the mindset of the players.
Freshman left fielder Tyler Wells said winning every regular season game is a goal, but that losing will inevitably happen. The arrival of postseason creates a whole different story.
“When you get into tournament play, every game, every inning means something — you really have to focus on that first game because you don’t want to be in the loser’s bracket,” Wells said. “You want to try and win straight through to save the pitching. The more pitching you have, the better your chances.”
The Broncos and Bobcats did not meet during the regular season this year, but Western Michigan swept Ohio in three games last season. The Broncos touts a 14-12 conference record and the Bobcats come into the game with a 16-11 conference mark.
But regular-season records might as well be thrown out the door, because senior right fielder Jensen Painter said postseason play is a different season.
“Anybody can win on any given day, it is the game of baseball,” he said.
Although the tournament is different than the regular season, every game is not win or go home. Instead, it is a double-elimination format in which teams will face each other in round-robin play.
The Bobcats return to the tournament after surviving some adversity during the regular season. Injuries and sickness have been a consistent problem this season.
“We didn’t have (starting pitcher Seth) Streich for a month. He couldn’t hit, he couldn’t pitch for over a month,” Ohio coach Joe Carbone said. “He still can’t hit and he is one of our top hitters. He still isn’t back into the pitching shape where he was when he first got injured.”
Carbone added that he didn’t have his best reliever, Brett Barber. Both starting shortstop Garrett Black and reliever Tyler Stage have mononucleosis and will not be available to play in the tournament.
Black has started 44 games this season.
Overall he has been impressed with the way the team has handled missing some key players.
“We’ve just overcome a ton of adversity more so than we have in a long time,” Carbone said. “Kids hanging in there and being as young as they are to overcome this is very unique and gratifying to me … that’s the thing I’ll remember most (about this year).”
Carbone said he does not pay much attention to seeding in tournament settings, adding that if the team wants to win the tournament they will have to play top-seeded and defending-champions Kent State.
“It doesn’t matter if you play them early or play them late, eventually you are going to have to play everybody,” Carbone said. “I’ve never been real worried or concerned about the seed game.”
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