Scots baseball, softball soaking up ‘normalcy’
- Tom Rife: Livin' the Team
- April 22, 2021
- 620
Over the course of the past 13 months, few things at The College of Wooster have risen to the level of “routine.” This is especially true in the athletics department, where normalcy has routinely taken a back seat to such things as cancellations, inactivity and disappointment.
The arrival of spring, however, has provided cause for optimism. The Fighting Scots find themselves in the “throws” of promise at Art Murray Field and Galpin Park, where the 2021 baseball and softball teams are enjoying action that approaches business as usual.
Baseball head coach Barry Craddock — his debut season at the helm last spring was a coronavirus casualty — has the Black and Old Gold in line to host the North Coast Athletic Conference championship series in May.
Victoria Rumph’s diamond disciples are sparkling as well. They will need a few twists and turns, however, in order to make a date with NCAC softball destiny.
It is important to note the college’s COVID-19 protocols remain in place. Specific restrictions on attendance aside, the atmosphere at both ballparks has been similar to what it was back in pre-COVID times.
The COW glovemen are on pace to play nearly a full schedule. Normally, they would be allowed 40 regular-season games. The 2021 slate that is well underway features 36 contests.
Wooster entered the weekend with an overall record of 13-5 and a conference mark of 8-2. Craddock’s crew has won eight of its last nine outings, including the last five in a row. The Scots are at Hiram for a twinbill on Saturday, with a home double-dip set for Sunday, also against Hiram.
The NCAC plans to conduct a best-of-three championship series, with the top seed in the East Division to host the top seed from the West Division. Wooster, thanks to its recent sweep of the Allegheny Gators, is in the driver’s seat of the East at 8-2. Allegheny follows at 4-4. Third-place Kenyon (3-3) has played only six games total — all in the conference. Hiram is just 3-9 in NCAC action and 8-22 overall. Oberlin is a nonfactor in the East.
At present, Denison (14-6, 7-1) is the West frontrunner, followed by Wittenberg and Wabash. As far as Wooster vs. Denison goes thus far this spring, the Scots won the first two meetings of the season (11-6 and 14-0) at Denison, only to have the Big Red come to Wooster the following day to return the favor (11-9, 13-8). Denison is 7-3 in its last 10 games.
Compared to the Scots, Denison is the more veteran ball club. The majority of Craddock’s men are in their first season as “everyday” players. Infielder Tyler Chumita and outfielder/pitcher Ben Gbur are juniors who did see considerable action in 2019, and their experience has made them COW statistical leaders. Chumita is batting .500 (28-of-56) with a team-best eight doubles. Gbur, meanwhile, is batting .333 with seven homers and 28 RBIs.
In the conference, Chumita is currently second to Oberlin’s Jake Freed (.571). Gbur’s RBI surge is second in the league to Wittenberg’s Jack Hollinshead (37), who has 12 roundtrippers compared to Gbur’s seven.
Two of the Scots’ would-be stalwarts moved on to Div. I action this spring.
Dan Harwood is now at Butler and is that team’s top hitter with a .370 batting average. Harwood has seen action in 60% of the Bulldogs’ games. Harry Witwer-Dukes now starts at Ohio University, and through 26 games he’s second best among Bobcat batters at .344.
Baseball’s best-of-three NCAC championship series is scheduled to be played between May 19 and May 23. The likely scenario is a two-game showdown that Friday, with an “if necessary” battle to take place either that Saturday or Sunday. The league is sticking to its guns by not allowing teams to play on their respective graduation days, which could be a sticky wicket as far as that “if necessary” game is concerned. Denison will conduct its commencement exercises on May 22. Should DePauw work its way into the West Division mix, the Tigers’ graduation date is May 23.
If the Scots continue to roll and then host the NCAC playoff series, attendance at Art Murray Field will be restricted because of the COW guidelines. Each player is allowed to have two designated fans attend. Otherwise, only College of Wooster on-campus faculty and staff can be on hand in person. As has been the case all spring, visiting teams will be allowed no spectators.
The NCAC has determined that in softball the top seed in the West will host the championship series. Always-strong DePauw currently leads the West. Wooster (14-6, 9-3 NCAC) likely will wind up second in the East to Hiram, which is rolling thanks to several recruits from California. Wooster has lost three of four meetings with Hiram so far in 2021. The Scots are at Hiram for a doubleheader Saturday, and the two will collide again Sunday in Wooster for a twinbill.
The College of Wooster has resisted relaxing its athletic-event attendance policies. School officials are making every effort to conduct commencement on May 8 without a hitch.
If the weather allows, the ceremony will be outdoors at John P. Papp Stadium. If weather forces the graduation indoors, the ceremony will be held at McGaw Chapel, and all guests will gather separately in Timken Gymnasium in the Scot Center.
The last word is that if all this seems a little thorny, it’s still a major improvement over the previous 13 months.