GLIAC Preview Released
Bay City, MI – The 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) preseason baseball preview has been released and has the Oilers picked 6th in the North Division.
In 2016, the Oilers baseball team hopes to use a combination of young talent and experience to improve on their 12-36 (7-25 GLIAC) record from a season ago. Findlay will return eight of the nine hitters from last year's lineup as well as some of the team's top pitchers. With many of the players on last season's team getting their first taste of college baseball, Coach Steve Parrill, now in his third year at the helm, expects that those young players can build off what they learned a season ago and improve in all aspects of the game.
Offensively, the Orange and Black return all 10 players that had 50 at-bats or more last season, including six that reached 100 at-bats. Those players are junior Peter Yorgen, sophomore Troy Merriman, junior Kevin Schrock, sophomore Josh Schwerer, sophomore Cameron Johnson, and sophomore Pete Burkett.
On the mound, the Oilers expect to throw pitchers that will keep them in ball games.
"When we talk about our pitching, we continue to say that it's the strength of our program. We do return quite a few guys so we have good experience there", said coach Parrill.
Leading the charge is sophomore Colin Gossard. The 6-4 righty from Lima, Ohio battled arm trouble last season but had a good summer with the Lima Locos of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL). He looks to improve on the seven starts he made last season where he compiled a 1-5 record. Also in the mix for a top of the rotation roll is junior Austin Rodesky, who has worked in the off season to add increased control to a firm fastball and sharp off-speed pitches. Rodesky finished last year with a 3.53 ERA in his first season with Findlay. He struck out 56 batters in 58.2 innings was fourth in the GLIAC with four complete games. Seniors Collin Parrill and Mason Mayberry expect improved seasons as well. Parrill and Mayberry combined for 16 starts last season and had ERA's of 4.03 and 5.51, respectively. Mayberry's 12 strikeout game vs. Felician last March was the most in a game by an Oilers starter last season.
The Oilers open their season on February 28 when they take on Notre Dame College in Auburndale, Florida.