WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College baseball team continues Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play with a doubleheader at Capital University on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Capital. The Fightin' Quakers are 8-18 overall and looking for their first OAC victory over falling in two close games, 12-8 and 10-9, to Otterbein University last week. The Crusaders are 11-17 overall and 2-8 in the OAC after a pair of losses, 14-1 and 6-1, to Otterbein at home on Friday.
Coaches: Dan Cleaver is in his sixth season with the Quakers baseball team including the previous four seasons have been as head coach. Ryan Grice is in his ninth season as head coach at Capital and has led the Crusaders to consecutive campaigns of 15-plus victories.
Hitters to Watch: Nick Silvis leads the Quakers in batting average at a .320 clips to go along with a team-high 32 hits and 13 walks. Joshua Chua has a .312 batting average while leading the squad in doubles with 11. Jake Hyatt has provided the most power with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Zachary Ary has a .377 batting average for Capital including 40 hits and five stolen bases. Shayne Lyons carries a .330 batting average and also has 17 RBIs.
Pitchers to Watch: Jared Ferenchak and Joey Hollback have been Wilmington's two most effective starting pitchers. Ferenchak is 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched while Hollback has a team-high 24 strikeouts and a 5.08 ERA in 33.2 innings pitched. Alec Robinette has a 3-1 record with all three victories coming in relief. Capital features a pitching duo of Patrick Avellano and Ross Thompson who both have sub-3.00 ERAs and over 50 innings pitched. Avellano leads the Crusaders with 45 strikeouts.
Snapping Losing Skids: Both teams are looking to snap losing streaks as Wilmington has dropped 11 straight games and Capital has fallen in eight consecutive contests.
Pitching Woes: The Quakers have allowed eight or more runs in 10 straight games. Opponents have crossed the double-digit runs plateau in all but one of those contests.
Series History: Wilmington is 3-15 against Capital in the last decade including a pair of losses (7-4 and 5-0) in Bexley last season. The Quakers last victory was a 4-3 win on April 6, 2013. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live audio will be provided for both games – visit links above.
Up Next: Wilmington travels to the University of Mount Union for an OAC series beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday.