COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican baseball team is set to open its 2022 campaign with three games at Cal (Pa.) this week.

The Panthers and Vulcans originally scheduled series has been rearranged due to the Washington, Pa. impending forecast. ODU and Cal will play twice on Wednesday, Feb. 16, before squaring off for the finale this weekend.

2021 RECAP

• Ohio Dominican is coming off a 2021 campaign where it finished 28-11 overall and 19-9 in Great Midwest play.
• The Panthers earned the No. 3 seed in the G-MAC postseason tournament, but bowed out after three games.
• The 2021 campaign marked the fourth consecutive full season that ODU compiled a winning overall record.

SIMILAR STRONG START?

• The Black & Gold got off to a fast start last spring, winning its first eight games.
• ODU was one of the final 17 teams with an undefeated record in 2021, while the 8-0 start marked the program's longest winning streak to start a season in its Division II era (2011-present).

PRESEASON PROGNOSIS

• The Panthers were recently selected No. 4 in the preseason G-MAC Coaches Poll.
• ODU received 77 points and one first place vote in the conference poll, which had Trevecca (1, 4 first place), Ashland (82, 2 first place) and Tiffin (81, 4 first place) as the top three favorites.
• Ohio Dominican was also receiving votes in the national preseason poll conducted by Collegiate Baseball.
• The National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) placed the Panthers at No. 9 in its Midwest Region preseason poll. ODU was one of four G-MAC schools in the Midwest Region poll.

SWIPING BAGS

• Ohio Dominican ranked fourth nationally in 2021 in stolen bases, 107, and steals per game, 2.7.
• The 107 steals set a new Division II era program record.
• The Panthers had five players record 14-plus steals, including Thomas Staab (Bellville, Ohio) with 33, which ranked second nationally across Division II.

BEVY OF RETURNERS

• Ohio Dominican is scheduled to bring back 26 players from last spring that appeared in game action for the Panthers.
• An additional four players have previous playing time prior to transferring to ODU, giving the Panthers 30 players with in-game experience heading into the 2022 campaign.
• Four of ODU's six batters that hit over .300 last season are back, including G-MAC first team selections David Silva (Tonotgany, Ohio) and Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio).
• Silva hit .373 with 36 runs and 34 RBI last season, starting all 39 games at second base. As a sophomore, he added 18 extra-base hits and 17 stolen bases.
• Brill batted .321 while leading the Panthers in runs scored, 48, and RBI, 37. His first full collegiate campaign saw him launch a team-high nine home runs as well.
• Staab and Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) are back after hitting .303 and .302 last spring, respectively.
• ODU is also scheduled to return four starting pitchers who made five-plus starts last season.
• Scott Rouse (Hinckley, Ohio) spent his freshman season in 2021 as ODU's ace, producing a 5-3 record with a 4.07 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 66.1 innings of work. Rouse was a second team all-GMAC selection.
• 2021 all-GMAC second team honoree, Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio), headlines a strong group of returning relief pitchers. Bolander ranked second in the conference in saves with six, and logged a 2-0 record and 2.38 ERA over 12 appearances.

ABOUT CAL (PA)

• Cal is coming off a 25-16 campaign last spring, including a 16-12 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
• The Vulcans were picked ninth in the NCBWA Atlantic Region poll, and had four members selected to the preseason all-region team.
• The PSAC Preseason Poll has predicted a fourth place finish for Cal in the West Division.

UP NEXT

• Ohio Dominican will travel to Southern Ohio to face Notre Dame (Ohio) in a four-game set.
• The series will take place Feb. 26 and 27 in Chillicothe, Ohio at VA Memorial Stadium.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu