Eleventh-year Ohio Wesleyan head coach Tyler Mott and the 2018 Battling Bishops look to make a run at the North Coast Athletic Conference championship and a return to the NCAA Division III tournament for the second time in 3 seasons.
"I think we have a hungry group which is ready to compete, and I like our work ethic," Mott said. "Our goal is to put ourselves in a position to compete for championships in May."
The Bishop outfield has senior Michael Blatchford (Shaker Heights), an honorable mention All-NCAC selection who led the Bishops with a .362 batting average last year, returning to centerfield after playing in rightfield for most of 2017. Freshman Nick Sala (Oviedo, Fla.) also will see time in center.
Sophomores Jon Erhard (Newark/Newark Catholic) and Tim Robinson (Washington Court House/Washington) are in leftfield. The versatile Robinson saw time both at catcher and in the outfield a year ago.
Sophomore Dakota Bollinger (DeGraff/Riverside) and freshmen Cole Antle (Grove City) and Xavier Sarver (Waynesburg/Sandy Valley) are vying for the rightfield spot. Antle was an honorable mention all-conference pick in high school, while Sarver was a first-team all-district selection.
The Bishop infield returns veterans up the middle, but at different positions from those they manned in 2017.
Senior Colin Stolly (Lima/Central Catholic), a first-team all-conference choice at second base in 2016, moves to shortstop this year. Freshmen Trevor Taus (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) and Matt Poole (Powell/Olentangy Orange), the latter an honorable mention all-district pick in high school, also should battle for playing time.
Senior Matthew Messick (Dublin/Scioto) and sophomore Carter Franklin (Wooster/Canton Central Catholic) move to second base this season. Messick saw action primarily at third base last year, while Franklin opened the 2017 season as the Bishops' starting shortstop.
At first base, sophomore Canyon McWilliams (Shaker Heights), a 4-time all-conference selection in high school who transferred from Florida Southern, could win the starting spot. Sophomore Mitchell Raley (Hamilton/Badin) also looks to make an impact.
The hot corner is up for grabs between freshman Austin Harper (Sycamore/Mohawk), a 3-time All-Ohio selection in high school, and junior Jared Mitchell (Lebanon), a transfer from University of the Cumberlands and a first-team all-conference choice in high school.
Behind the plate, junior Dalton Henderson (Bethel/New Richmond) is back. Freshman Zack Stiteler (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange), a first-team all-district choice in high school, freshman Matt Deskins (Mason), and freshman Ethan Douglas (Windsor, Conn.) also will contribute.
On the mound, senior righthander Kevin Zullo (Hudson), who led the team with 4 wins last year, and junior righthander Jackson Brownstein (Houston, Texas/Bellaire) return at the top of the Bishop starting rotation. Both ranked among the league's top 20 in earned run average last season.
Sophomore Justin Grubb (Pickerington/North), whose 8 starts tied for second on the team last year, also returns.
In long relief and spot starting roles are sophomore righthander Seth Pritchett (Centerville); sophomore righthander Chris Punka (Tallmadge/Cuyahoga Valley Christian), who started 6 games last year; McWilliams, the only southpaw among the potential starting pitchers; and Poole.
Middle relievers include senior lefthander Patrick Faley (Orange, Calif./Servite), who led the Bishops with 16 appearances and 2 saves last year; senior lefthander Trevor Ray (Strongsville/Walsh Jesuit), whose 2017 season was limited to 5 appearances and 2 starts; junior righthander Tom Ryan (Columbus/St. Charles), who made 12 appearances a year ago; and freshman righthander Alex Illitch (Akron/Archbishop Hoban).
In short relief, sophomore righthander Cody Brown (Lebanon) is back after making 12 appearances last season. Freshman lefthander Turner Johnson (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Dell Academy); freshman lefthander Jacob Paxson (Fremont/Ross), a second-team all-district pick in high school; freshman righthander Ethan Soderna (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep); and freshman righthander Joey Watts (Marysville) give Mott great flexibility in crafting situational matchups.
Ohio Wesleyan opens its season by facing regional foes Bluffton and Capital. The Bishops' spring trip includes games against Arcadia, Susquehanna, SUNY-Canton, Keystone, and Nichols. Regional opponents Baldwin Wallace, Otterbein, Case Reserve, Marietta, Defiance, Ohio Northern, Heidelberg, and Muskingum further highlight the non-conference slate.
The NCAC schedule moves to a round-robin format this season and kicks off on March 31 at Oberlin. Defending champion Wooster heads to Littick Field on April 7. The NCAC tournament retains its traditional double-elimination format and is scheduled to be played in Chillicothe May 10-12.
