Oakland City (Ind.) University won more baseball games in 2023 than in 2022 and that team set the single-season school record. The power blue-clad Mighty Oaks got off to an 8-0 start, mixed in another seven-game win streak and went 34-24 this spring after posting a mark of 31-23. “We did a really good job of the mound all year,” says third-year OCU head coach Andy Lasher. “We threw a lot of strikes.” The staff was bolstered by sophomore right-handers Gehrig Tenhumberg, Christian Burgrabe, Ben Simmons, Hunter Callahan, Owen Spears, Milan van der Breggen and freshman lefty Evan Price. Tenhumberg (Evansville Reitz Class of 2019) made 16 mound appearances (14 starts) and went 7-3 with 4.54 earned run average, 68 strikeouts and 18 walks, 83 1/3 innings. Burgrabe (Marion, Ill.) made 18 appearances (11 starts) and was 5-5 with one save, a 4.50 ERA, 36 strikeouts and nine walks in 64 innings. Simmons (Evansville Harrison Class of 2021) was in 15 games (all starts) and went 4-8 with a 4.72, 56 strikeouts and 26 walks in 74 1/3 innings. Callahan (Cisne, Ill.) made 16 appearances (10 in relief) and went 4-1 with a 3.58 ERA, 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 37 2/3 innings. Spears (North Posey Class of 2021) was in 20 contests (17 in relief) and went 4-0 with a 3.91 ERA, 47 strikeouts and 14 walks in 48 1/3 innings. van der Breggen (Netherlands) made 13 appearances (all in relief) and went 3-0 with a 5.40, 10 strikeouts and three walks in 25 innings. Price (Rossville Class of 2021) was in 17 games (all in relief) and went 3-0 with five saves, a 3.00 ERA, 24 K’s and seven free passes in 21 innings. “We had an entirely new infield from last year,” says Lasher, who had senior Jared Kirkman at third base, sophomore Xander Willis at shortstop, junior Sam Pinckert at second base and senior Treven Madden at first base in 2023. “There was new faces. We were athletic. We were able to score runs without having to hit the ball over the wall every inning.” The Mighty Oaks stole 100 bases in 117 attempts. “We had some guys step up and play really well for us down the stretch,” says Lasher, whose club qualified for the River States Conference tournament and then turned attention to the National Christian College Athletic Association tourney. Oakland City went 3-1 in winning the NCCAA Mideast Regional in Wilmore, Ky. The ’23 season came to a close Monday, May 22 at the NCCAA World Series in Kansas City, Mo. Pinckert (Heritage Hills Class of 2018) hit .337 (70-of-208) with seven home runs, 38 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. Freshman right fielder Garrett Causey (Evansville Central Class of 2021) posted marks of .309-5-37 with 36 runs. Junior left fielder Noah Baugher (Louisville, Ky.) went .302-1-33 with seven triples, 35 runs and 15 steals. Senior outfielder Victor Alvarez (Venezuela) chipped in .302-1-13 with 21 runs and 15 steals. Willis (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) produced a .289-7-45 line with 44 runs and 18 steals. Junior center fielder and lead-off man Aron Busick (Paoli Class of 2020) went .285-2-19 with 39 runs and 10 steals. Kirkman (Memphis, Tenn.) contributed .272-0-17 with 24 runs. Freshman catcher Oliver Hamilton (Gibson Southern Class of 2022) hit .265-2-18. Madden (Vincennes Lincoln Class of 2017) added .260-4-26 with 30 runs. Junior designated hitter/first baseman Conner Oxley (Southridge Class of 2020) tossed .214-2-28 with 26 runs into the offensive mix. There were a number of transfers on the 2023 Mighty Oaks. “We had to get them from anywhere and everywhere,” says Lasher. “It’s hard to win right away when you’re only freshmen though we have some younger guys who do play.” Alvarez came from Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill., and van der Breggen from Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, Iowa. A private school with less than 1,000 students, OCU’s recruiting base is generally southern Indiana, southern Illinois and western Kentucky. A 2009 graduate of Castle High School (Newburgh, Ind.) who played at Olney (Ill.) Central College and the University of Evansville, Lasher was an assistant at Olney Central, Eastern Illinois University and the University of Southern Indiana (Evansville) as well as manager of the summer wood-bat Dubois County Bombers at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind., before taking over at Oakland City. Lasher, 32, took over the program in April 2020 as T-Ray Fletcher ended his 26-year run as head coach and became athletic director and the team went from NCAA D-II to NAIA. The 2020 season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic and that contributed to Lasher inheriting a roster of 18 players. True seniors Kirkman and Madden have used up their eligibility, but most of the teams is expected back in 2023-24. With renovations to Oakland City’s baseball stadium (formerly Pinnick Field), the Mighty Oaks played and practiced most of this spring at League Stadium, working around the needs of the Gene Mattingly-coached Southridge Raiders. Groundbreaking for Mathew and Lindsey Konkler Stadium took place in November 2022. When completed, the facility will have turf infield with dugouts, backstop, press box, lights, scoreboard and outfield fence. “We should be able to practice on it in the fall,” says Lasher. His 2023 coaching staff included second-year assistants Joey Drury, Jack Murphy and first-time coach Ben Wilcoxson. Drury (Center Grove Class of 2016) played for Lasher at Olney Central and then Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich.). Murphy is from the Chicago area and played at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and was an assistant at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill., before coming to Oakland City. Lexington, Ky., native Wilcoxson played at Kentucky Wesleyan University in Owensboro, Ky., and for Lasher’s Bombers. He was with OCU from August to May before going to play in the United Shore Professional Baseball League in Utica, Mich.
Oakland City (Ind.) University’s 2023 National Christian College Athletic Association Mideast Regional baseball champions. (Oakland City U. Photo)
Indiana college baseball teams have combined to score nearly 5,800 runs so far in 2023. Based on posted numbers, NAIA Taylor averages 9.5 runs per game. Other leaders in the division are Indiana Tech (8.6), Huntington (8.3), IU-Kokomo (8.2) and Indiana Wesleyan (8.1). Ball State (8.3), Indiana (7.8), Purdue (7.5), Evansville (7.4 are at the top of the NCAA Division I list. NCAA Division II Indianapolis scores 8.5 runs per contest. NCAA D-III leaders are Wabash (9.0), Anderson (8.7), Earlham (7.8), Franklin (7.7), Manchester (7.5) and Hanover (7.2.) Pacing junior colleges is Vincennes (7.7).
Through March 26 NCAA D-I Monday, March 20 Butler 3, Northwestern 2
Tuesday, March 21 Butler 9, Eastern Michigan 7 Indiana 15, Indiana State 5 Notre Dame 8, Valparaiso 4 Illinois-Chicago 6, Purdue 4 Bowling Green 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 6 Belmont 6, Southern Indiana 3
Wednesday, March 22 Ball State 19, Butler 2 Evansville 11, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 7
Friday, March 24 Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan 1 Notre Dame 4, Louisville 3 Purdue 5, Michigan State 4 Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Northern Kentucky 5
Saturday, March 25 Ball State at 16, Eastern Michigan 5 Cincinnati 15, Butler 5 Evansville 12, Missouri State 7 Evansville 7, Missouri State 3 Indiana 14, Ohio State 6 Indiana State 10, Valparaiso 1 Morehead State 3, Southern Indiana 2
Sunday, March 26 Ball State 7, Eastern Michigan 3 Butler 8, Cincinnati 5 Cincinnati 13, Butler 3 Evansville 7, Missouri State 4 Indiana 9, Ohio State 6 Indiana 7, Ohio State 5 Indiana State 7, Valparaiso 2 Indiana State 4, Valparaiso 2 Notre Dame 5, Louisville 4 Louisville 2, Notre Dame 1 Michigan State 5, Purdue 4 Michigan State 12, Purdue 6 Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5 Northern Kentucky 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 1 Morehead State 11, Southern Indiana 4 Morehead State 5, Southern Indiana 1
NCAA D-II Tuesday, March 21 Findlay 10, Indianapolis 7
Friday, March 24 Saginaw Valley State 7, Purdue Northwest 1 Saginaw Valley State 3, Purdue Northwest 2
Saturday, March 25 Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 10 Illinois-Springfield 5, Indianapolis 3
Sunday, March 26 Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield
NCAA D-III Monday, March 20 Franklin 18, Trine 8 Franklin 14, Trine 1 Heidelberg 11, Manchester 10 Heidelberg 11, Manchester 3 Wisconsin-Osh Kosh 16, Rose-Hulman 5
Tuesday, March 21 Anderson 16, Alma 14 Anderson 16, Alma 6 Earlham 15, Principia 2 Spalding 14, Hanover 13 Trine 13, Manchester 10
Wednesday, March 22 Calvin 6, Manchester 0
Saturday, March 25 Manchester 9, Earlham 6 Transylvania 11, Franklin 0 Mount St. Joseph 6, Hanover 5
Sunday, March 26 Bluffton 10, Anderson 9 Anderson 19, Bluffton 3 DePauw 11, Houston-Victoria 9 Earlham 7, Manchester 6 Earlham 5, Manchester 4 Franklin 6, Transylvania 4 Franklin 14, Transylvania 7 Hanover 3, Mount St. Joseph 0 Mount St. Joseph 19, Hanover 9 Rose-Hulman 10, Defiance 2 Rose-Hulman 5, Defiance 3 Trine 5, Wright State Lake Campus 2 Trine 3, Wright State Lake Campus 2 Wabash 8, Illinois Wesleyan 7 (10 inn.) Wabash 12, Illinois Wesleyan 9
NAIA Monday, March 20 Saint Francis 12, Bethel 4 Saint Francis 10, Bethel 4 Olivet Nazarene 18, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Goshen 3 Indiana Wesleyan 20, Goshen 2 Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Grace 8 Mount Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 3 Saint Xavier 8, IU South Bend 4 Saint Xavier 13, IU South Bend 3 Lourdes 9, Indiana Tech 8 Lourdes 15, Indiana Tech 5 Oakland City 2, Rio Grande 1
Tuesday, March 21 Indiana Southeast 20, IUPU-Columbus 2 Indiana Southeast 14, IUPU-Columbus 6 Indiana Tech 7, Siena Heights 3 Indiana Tech 9, Siena Heights 3 Spring Arbor 10, Marian 9 Spring Arbor 11, Marian 5
Wednesday, March 22 Taylor 10, Mount Vernon Nazarene 7 Taylor 14, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2
Friday, March 24 Bethel 6, Huntington 2 Huntington 12, Bethel 2 Calumet of St. Joseph 4, Saint Francis (Ill.) 0 Saint Francis (Ill.) 3, Calumet of St. Joseph 2 Spring Arbor 8, Goshen 0 Spring Arbor 10, Goshen 2 Grace 10, Marian 3 Grace 6, Marian 1 IU South Bend 11, Trinity International 1 Saint Francis 8, Indiana Wesleyan 4 Indiana Wesleyan 4, Saint Francis 1 Taylor 6, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3 Taylor 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2
Saturday, March 25 IU Southeast 5, Alice Lloyd 3 West Virginia Tech 13, Oakland City 5
Sunday, March 26 Saint Francis (Ill.) at Calumet of St. Joseph IU-Kokomo 12, Ohio Christian 2 Ohio Christian 9, IU-Kokomo 7 IU South Bend 12, Trinity International 4 IU South Bend 8, Trinity International 1 IU Southeast 7, Alice Lloyd 2 IU Southeast 18, Alice Lloyd 0 Indiana Tech 3, Lawrence Tech 2 Indiana Tech 15, Lawrence Tech 0 Oakland City 9, West Virginia Tech 3 Oakland City 10, West Virginia Tech 2
Junior College Monday, March 20 Ivy Tech Northeast 7, Muskegon 5 Muskegon 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 4 Vincennes 12, Danville Area 2 Vincennes 7, Danville Area 4
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