Baseball team weathers a tough preseason

The Oberlin baseball team is coping with the loss of key defensive players, a new coach, and uncooperative weather that has kept them cooped up in Jones Field House for weeks. It's no wonder the team is developing an attitude.

"This is the best attitude we've had in four years!" said team co-captain Noah Pressler.

The Yeomen are developing a mental toughness and positive attitude that they hope will lead to closer games, and perhaps more victories than last year when they had a record of 1-24.

"It's hard for me to imagine that these guys dedicated like this would only win one game," said new head coach Tom Mooney. "I feel good about them."

Improving the team's mental outlook has been Mooney's goal since he arrived from Urbana College in Springfield, Ohio. Mooney worked as an assistant baseball and football coach at Urbana for five years. "Coach Mooney and assistant coach Eric Lahetta know the game of baseball. They emphasize getting into good habits and doing the little things right," said Pressler.

Mooney counts running, conditioning, and not being afraid as good habits. Mooney said, "When you go up to the plate, you can't be afraid of striking out, or afraid of making a mistake in the field."

Senior leadership will come from co-captains Pressler and Ted Lytle. Lytle is a perennial all-conference player and will most likely start in center field. "Ted's the team leader. He's the guy that gets this team going," said junior Kwang Chin Kim.

Also expected to contribute greatly with veteran leadership are junior Kim, an outfielder who is recovering from a torn anterior-cruciate ligament suffered during football practice, and senior Oren Gradus, who will do some catching and pitching. A good group of returning sophomores will be counted on to perform well for the Yeomen.

With an impressive group of first-years also mixed into the bunch, the team expects an improvement on the poor defense of past years. "The defense looks a lot better this year, but the infield is gonna be very young," said Kim. The team lost key defensive help from last season in Will Marbury, who is taking the semester off, and graduated Jon Meyer, the team's catcher for the past few seasons.

The Yeomen also have good team chemistry, which is a carryover from past seasons. "The team is held together by a lot of common experiences and inside jokes. We're a close unit," explained Lytle.

Team unity, a winning attitude, and a concentration on the fundamentals are three things the Yeomen are hoping to bring to their first game Saturday afternoon at home against Penn State-Behrand. And they're hoping to put the bad weather behind them. Lytle said, "With baseball, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains."

Opening pitch: Baseball's season begins Saturday. (photo by Richard Hong)