COLUMBUS, Ohio – After opening its season with 11 games in Central Florida, Ohio Dominican's baseball team returns to the friendly confines of Panther Valley to open up its GLIAC schedule with a four-game series against Grand Valley State this weekend.
A 1 p.m. doubleheader will start the action on Saturday, while first pitch is slated for noon on Sunday. The first game of each day will be a seven inning contest, followed by a nine inning nightcap.
The Panthers enter the weekend with a record of 7-4 overall, while the Lakers come into play with an 8-5 mark.
ODU's pitching staff had several notable performances in Florida as the staff finished with a 3.56 ERA and held the opposition to a .250 batting average in the 11 games. That ERA ranks third best in the conference.
Senior Ryan Bidwell (Syracuse, N.Y.) was named the GLIAC South Division Pitcher of the Week after tossing a two-hitter against Northwood. Junior Ryan Colegate (Centerville, Ohio) is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12.0 innings pitched.
Freshman Joe Filosa (Fort Wayne, Ind.) made four appearances with one start in Florida and compiled a 0.77 ERA in 11.2 innings, allowing just five hits. Senior closer Vince Bartolone (Broadview Heights, Ohio) made six appearances and whiffed 14 batters in 8.2 innings, and has a 1.04 ERA.
The offense also did its part in helping the Panthers to a winning record. Freshman Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) batted .429 in the first 11 games and has four doubles and seven RBI. He was named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week for his efforts.
Junior Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio) batted .362 with a team-best 11 RBI, and he also has four doubles, as does senior Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio), to go along with seven RBI and a .489 on-base percentage.
Sophomore Kyle Burson (Brecksville, Ohio) batted .364 and freshman Jacob Tisevich (North Canton, Ohio) and sophomore Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) each scored 10 runs on the trip.
ODU ranks third in the GLIAC in doubles with 21, despite having played the third-fewest games to this point.
Grand Valley enters the weekend batting .314 as a team, which is third in the conference. The Lakers lead the GLIAC in doubles (35), home runs (eight) and extra base hits (45). Kevin Zak is batting .500 with two homers, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored, Mike Nadratowski is hitting .383 with 14 runs scored, and Josh Griffith is batting .415 with 15 RBI.
The pitching staff ranks 10th with a 6.02 ERA, and opponents are hitting .291 against the Lakers. Kevin Hallberg is 2-0 and has yet to allow a run in 10.2 innings to lead the staff.
Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu
