Ohio’s transition from quarters to semesters forced many students to adjust their schedules to accommodate a summer vacation that arrived a month earlier than it did in years past.
Whether it was getting another month of pay at a summer job or altering the fest schedule in the spring, students had to make adjustments when semesters took over.
But don’t tell that to Ohio’s baseball team. The Bobcats remained in Athens until the end of May, playing through their Mid-American Conference schedule that extended until a May 18 season finale on the road against Miami.
Normally, school is still on the mind of the Bobcats even after the season ends, but with the summer coming sooner for Ohio students, it allowed the team more time to focus on baseball and less time to worry about academics.
“I think it’s helped us because we’re a little shorthanded everywhere,” senior third baseman Ben Otto said. “Just being able to go out and play without having to worry about school is a lot more fun.”
But coach Rob Smith didn’t initially see any immediate positive effects to the team finishing school before season’s end, as the team dropped its first game after finals to Buffalo 6-1.
He said the team repeated mistakes that it had made consistently in a season when the Bobcats finished at the bottom of the MAC.
“You hope that them being out of class allows them to focus a little more, but again, it’s going to require us to be more competitive,” Smith said. “The issue isn’t focus as much as it is competitiveness in situations.”
Pitcher Marck Paliotto was the normal Saturday starter for the Bobcats, but one of his starts, an 8-0 defeat on the road to Buffalo, fell on the same day as commencement ceremonies at The Convo.
Being a graduating senior, he acknowledged the importance of the day, but wasn’t disappointed that he missed out on the festivities.
“(Missing it) is completely fine with me,” Paliotto said. “I didn’t really want to sit through a two-and-a-half-hour ceremony anyways. I’d rather play baseball than sit through that.”
Along with losing Paliotto and Otto, the Bobcats also saw the departure of shortstop Dan Schmidt and reliever Brett Barber.
The loss of two dependable pitching arms and the starting left side of the infield will leave Ohio looking for capable replacements, but the Bobcats return six starters in the infield along with freshman starting pitchers Jake Miller and Connor Sitz.
With more than 10 new pitchers arriving in the next recruiting class, the lack of depth on the mound for Ohio will be erased. The Bobcats could avoid the growing pains first-year coach Smith experienced with a depleted pitching staff that ranked last in the MAC for team ERA this season.
ch203310@ohiou.edu
