Bobcats will face Sienna close to home for first series in Ohio this season.
After playing a stretch of 13 games across three states, Ohio is coming home — to some extent.
V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, is where the Ohio will face Sienna (1-10) for a three-game series beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday. Connor Sitz will start on the mound in Ohio’s first game, followed by Jake Rudnicki in the second game of the doubleheader and then Evan Geist on Sunday.
The move to Chillicothe comes because of expected rain and an effort to keep Bob Wren Stadium in better condition for the rest of the season.
“I’m just glad we’re playing and it’s within an hour of Athens,” coach Rob Smith said. “It’s totally fine by me.”
Smith said the team has dealt with schedule changes and weather-related adjustments throughout the season so far and he believes his players have handled it well.
The Bobcats (9-4), whose Tuesday game against the Eagles of Morehead State was cancelled because of rain, enter the weekend with a chance to eclipse last season’s win total of 11. Ohio swept University of Illinois-Chicago last weekend to snap a four-game losing streak.
Smith spoke of health and mentality as the biggest differences between last year’s team and this year’s. The Bobcats have sophomore utility man Nate Squires and catchers Cody Gaertner and Kyle Dean back after all three missed last year’s entire season.
“I think there’s a much more positive vibe about this year and we’ve spent a lot of time working on that given the struggles we had the previous two,” Smith said.
One of the leaders of Ohio’s strong start is sophomore third baseman Ty Black, who was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Wednesday. Black is fourth on Ohio with a .390 average through 11 games.
“I’m seeing the ball really well right now and knowing that people are talking about me, it just adds a little bit more (to my confidence),” said Black, who is looking forward to being close to home when Ohio faces Sienna.
The Saints have managed just one win in their first 11 matchups and have been outscored 52-12 in their current six-game losing skid. The 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament champions, however, are a team of which Smith expects a lot.
“Not for two seconds am I thinking they’re just gonna roll in here and lay down for us,” Smith said. “They’ve got guys with quality experience and they’ve played in big time environments, so I don’t think Chillicothe, Ohio, is gonna phase them at all.”
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