TIFFIN, Ohio—The Heidelberg University baseball team will look to end its three-game losing streak Wednesday as it takes on Ohio Northern University in an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at Wander Field in Ada, Ohio. The first game is slated for 1 p.m.
Live stats for both games will be available here.
The Student Princes (14-11, 3-3 OAC) have lost three consecutive games following a doubleheader sweep Friday against Muskingum. Despite the pair of losses, senior shortstop Ricardo Lizcano (Toledo/Start) hit his league-leading sixth home run of the season and 32nd of his career, setting the new school career record, formerly held by Aaron Fischer (1996-2000).
The Berg has three hitters who rank in the OAC’s top-10 in batting average in freshman designated hitter Trevor Oldham (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) (.396, 10 RBI, 0 HR, 18 R), freshman first baseman Eric Monroe (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) (.393, 17, 2, 13), and senior left fielder Ross Pruitt (Elletsville, Ind./Edgewood) (.389, 23, 0, 20), who are fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively in the league. Oldham also leads the circuit in on-base percentage (.563), while Monroe is eighth in the conference with a .557 slugging percentage. Pruitt is tied for fourth in the OAC with 35 hits and tied for sixth in RBI.
Lizcano (.376, 33, 6, 22) leads the OAC in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage (.731), is tied with Pruitt with 35 hits, is fifth in OBP (.469) and tied for seventh in runs scored. In addition to his school-record 32 home runs, Lizcano also needs two triples, 18 total bases, 34 runs, 36 RBI and 56 hits to break other school career marks.
On the hill, freshman right hander Ryan Minteer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) (3.80 ERA, 12 K, 23.2 IP) returned from inactivity in Saturday’s second game, pitching 4.2 innings of relief and allowed just one run on two hits while striking out a pair. He is 1-1 in five appearances, including three starts. Freshman righty Bryan Peters (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) (8.66, 13, 17.2) is 0-2 in six appearances, including four starts.
Junior righty Teddy Lowe (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and senior righty Daniel Brannum (Jamestown/Greeneview) have combined by 30 appearances out of the bullpen. Brannum (4.00, 25, 27.0) is 4-0 with one save in 16 appearances and is tied for sixth in the OAC in wins. Lowe (6.45, 13, 22.1) is 3-2 in 16 outings.
In 565 career games, 13th-year head coach Matt Palm is 395-170 (.699) and is looking for five more victories to become just the fifth coach in OAC history with 400 career wins, behind only the legendary Don Schaly of Marietta College (1,442), Bob Fisher of Baldwin-Wallace College (700), Dick Fishbaugh of Otterbein University (617), and Herb Strayer of Ohio Northern University (592).
The Polar Bears (8-13, 2-3 OAC) split a doubleheader Friday at Otterbein University, in which it posted five runs in the final two innings to take the second game from the Cardinals. Matt Holstein anchored the ONU offense in the nightcap, going 4-for-4 with a double, home run and a pair of RBI.
Dan Belliveau (.356, 21, 3, 19) is tied for fourth in the league in home runs, is fifth in slugging percentage (.589) and tied for seventh in RBI. Cory Martin (.354, 12, 2, 13), Matt Hampshire (.318, 16, 2, 16) and Devin Kisor (.316, 5, 0, 8) are also hitting above the .300 mark.
Justin Good (2.60, 8, 17.1) is 1-0 in seven outings, including four starts, while Matt Magni (2.60, 17, 17.1) is 1-1 in five appearances, including three starts, with one complete game.
Following Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Berg continues its four-game road trip Saturday at Marietta College in a league doubleheader. The Student Princes and Pioneers have met in the championship of the OAC tournament the last four seasons.