Cedarville College
Yellow Jackets
1998 Baseball
Season Outlook
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| Senior co-captain Josh Lunney |
The Cedarville College baseball team will look to senior leadership coupled with the contribution of newcomers in hopes of putting together a successful 1998 campaign. Norris Smith enters his sixth year as head coach with a 16-man roster that contains six freshmen.
"It's hard to know what to expect with so many freshmen on the roster," Smith stated. "However, everyone has been working hard and I hope they get rewarded for their effort."
The top returning players are senior captains Josh Lunney and Mark Wood. Lunney, a third baseman from Clio, MI was an NCCAA All-America honorable mention performer last year and was also an All-Mid-Ohio Conference honorable mention selection. He batted .302 with three doubles, a team-best four triples, and a home run. He also ranked first on the squad in runs batted in (16), runs scored (21), walks (14), slugging percentage (.465), and stolen bases (6).
Wood, an infielder from Clarkston, WA, is the team's top returning hitter after posting a .318 average last spring. He had team-highs of 28 hits in 88 at bats with four doubles.
"Josh Lunney and Mark Wood will have to come through for us," declared Smith. "I've been impressed with several of our freshmen and we're certainly counting on them, too."
Sophomore second baseman Gabe Schlappi (Cedarville, OH), hit .268 in 1997 and joined Lunney as the only players to start all 28 games. Sophomore Dustin Crider (Pioneer, OH) appeared in all 28 games and tied Lunney with 14 walks.
The top returning pitcher is sophomore righthander Johnny Freese (West Liberty, OH). He was 1-3 last year with a 6.44 earned run average.
