Baseball: Unproven talent looking to fill key roles
Looking Back: Last year, under new Head Coach Blake Allen, DePauw baseball put together one of the best seasons in its program history. The Tigers went 33-13 and advanced to the NCAA Mideast Regional for the first time since 2014.
Despite graduating a talent-heavy senior class last year, current senior pitcher Jonathan Azar believes the Tigers are due for another big year thanks to a balanced approach and a core of players ready to take over as regular starters.
“One thing that we’re focusing on is just bringing it back to the middle. We can kick a team’s behinds one day, but we know the next time we play them, if we’re not sharp, they can come and pound us into the ground too,” Azar said. “It’s just, never get too low or too high. Just keep it even keel.”
The offense will need to replace outfielder Jack Thompson and infielder/pitcher Mike Hammel’s production at the plate. The two graduates put up monster numbers last season, combining for 74 RBIs and tying for the school record in home runs with a combined total of 13.
Senior outfielder Collin Einertson (.353 AVG, 4 HR, 40 RBI) will be a key returning piece to the lineup, while the Tiger infield will be filled by sophomore CJ Yoannou, juniors Noah Salasky and Nolan Lavender, and senior Sam Comer. Even though the lineup may not replicate the home-run power, Azar is not worried about a lack of production.
“We’re going to find ways to score runs. It shouldn’t be an issue. We’ve got a lot of guys on the team who are hungry and ready to go out there and just play well,” Azar said. “We’ll let the scoreboard take care of itself,” said Azar.
DePauw will turn to Azar, Comer, and seniors Jack Norton and Tyler Holt to take on the workload of a pitching staff that included graduates Hammel, Andrew Quinn, and Riley Futterknecht who all threw an upward of 55 innings last season.
“We definitely have got some talent that was hidden underneath those seniors last year, so people are ready to go,” said Comer.
The Tigers officially open their season this weekend in Louisville, where they will play a trio of games against Anderson University, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and Spalding University. DePauw’s home opener is set for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 when the team will take on Trine University.
Game to Watch for: Saturday, March 31 double-header at the College of Wooster: The Tigers were out-slugged 43-9 by the Fighting Scots over two games in the NCAC tournament last May. Junior pitcher Grant Rademacher then turned in one of his best starts to help DePauw get the last laugh in the Midwest Regional with a 13-4 win. After only seeing the Fighting Scots in postseason play, the Tigers will look to make a statement early in the spring.
Softball: Returning core strengthens lineup and pitching staff
Looking Back: The Tigers struggled out of the gate last March, going 3-13 in their first 16 games. An eight-game win streak in April helped the team secure its 13 consecutive winning season.
DePauw’s slow start was in part due to a bit of bad luck, as the Tigers faced teams already 15-20 games into the season right off the bat. This season, DePauw is already off to a 2-0 start, returning a talented senior core that includes ace Emma Baldwin (8-9, 1.71 ERA) and outfielder Liz Getz (.318, 4 3B, 12 SB). After going to the World Series as first-years in 2015, the six seniors are looking to make another championship run to round out their careers at DePauw.
“Their ability to know what it takes to get through some adverse times or strong competition is going to be key to guiding some of the younger players who maybe haven’t quite gotten to that length,” said head coach Erica Hanrahan. “It takes a little bit of luck, but I think we’ve got some components that can really make it happen.
The Tigers’ only big losses on the roster are outfielder Andi Sarkisian and Gabby Smart, who hit .393 with ten stolen bases last year in a super-utility role.
Senior Megan Montgomery (.326 AVG, 19 RBI, 11 SB) could fill Smart’s shoes following a breakout season.
Smart will join the program as the team’s assistant coach this year, a move Hanrahan is especially excited about.
“She’s knowledgeable about so many positions within softball. She understands how hard to work to get the results,” Hanrahan said. “I don’t think everybody can be a coach directly after their senior year because it’s really hard to separate the friendships with being their coach. But she already was that person they didn’t want to disappoint when she was a player. It’s a natural progression.”
Game to Watch For: Sunday, April 15 double-header at Allegheny College: The Gators proved to be one of DePauw’s three conference losses last season. The Tigers shut out their NCAC rival 2-0 in the first game of a double header before dropping the second matchup 6-3 in extra innings.