Turning the page on a trying 2013 season is at the top of the minds of this season’s Ohio squad, as the Bobcats open the 2014 campaign at Western Carolina on Saturday.
The series was set to begin on Friday, but Winter Storm Pax — the same storm that was severe enough to move back a Duke vs. North Carolina basketball matchup — pushed the game to become part of a Saturday doubleheader.
Ohio will be taking on a Catamount squad that finished 2013 with a 39-20 record, including wins against NCAA Tournament participant Elon as well as major conference teams such as Washington State, Wake Forest and Georgia.
Western Carolina was also the Southern Conference regular-season champion with a 23-7 record in conference, while tallying league highs in hits, home runs and strikeouts.
Three Catamounts made Baseball America’s Top 10 draftable prospects for 2014, with right-handed pitcher Jeremy Null ranking at No. 3, averaging 1.2 strikeouts per nine innings last season. He was the highest ranked of the Western Carolina players.
For the Bobcats, the challenge of playing such a strong opponent like Western Carolina early in the season helps prepare the team for the conference slate, where the goal is to bring home a Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship.
“When you go down and play good teams, if you play poorly, you’re going to lose the game,” coach Rob Smith said. “But if you play well, you’ll have a chance to win that game. And having to do that over the first two or three weeks, that elevation of your play I think you have to have prepares you a little bit and forces you to play cleaner baseball.”
Simply getting back on the diamond, fielding live ground balls and playing a live game is something the Bobcats can’t wait to do, especially after last season’s lack of depth resulted in a 14-39 record and no series victories all season.
“Last year we had a rough year and battled some adversity that most teams wouldn’t have to do,” sophomore pitcher Connor Sitz said. “But we have a lot of energy. … We think it’ll be quite different. We have a good group of guys (who are) very good and very talented.”
Freshman pitcher Jake Roehn will get the ball in the season-opener, with sophomore Jake Miller starting the second half of the doubleheader.
Up next:
What: Ohio at Western Carolina
Where: Childress Field - Hennon Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
When: Saturday 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.
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