By: Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu
Findlay Oiler athletics have continued to show the conference, and the nation, what kind of student athletes the University of Findlay has.
In the last week, the University of Findlay was ranked seventh among all Division II institutions for athletic department performance this year. This has been made up of plenty of records and accolades in the fall and winter.
With the spring teams and their respected seasons being halfway through, these teams are showing plenty of success as well. Two teams in particular have shown their success on the tennis court and the baseball diamond. The UF men’s tennis team and baseball team have been a part of many victories, and even some winning streaks along the way.
On the court, the men’s tennis team is starting to hit their second wind of the season as they look sharp, especially in conference play. The UF men’s tennis team has now won five straight matches including a win against Davis & Elkins College, 7-2, at home. The men have also won six of their seven conference matches. The team has one remaining match of the regular season on Sunday, April 15 against the conference leading Hillsdale Chargers. Following this, the Oilers will move on to GMAC Tournament play and into the postseason.
On the diamond, the baseball team is off to a 16-7 start while heading into the back half of the regular season. With the remaining games left to be played, the Oilers baseball team will look to face many of the GMAC teams before entering the conference tournament. The Oilers are 9-2 at home on the year, and will look to keep the winning ways going at home with eight home games remaining on the schedule.
Throughout the year, the Oilers have been led at the plate by Senior Pete Burkett, Sophomore Casey Gould, Freshman Ethan St. Clair, Junior Derrick Herd and Senior Cameron Johnson. All of these players have a batting average of .300 or more throughout the season thus far.
On the mound, pitching for the Oilers has relied on many different arms to secure and help them in their 16 victories. Collin Gossard, Mark Delas, Alex Harter and Cory Carl are pitchers that have thrown more than 20 innings so far for the Oilers. Alex Harter was named Pitcher of the Week when he was 2-0 on the mound with an astounding earned run average of 0.00 along with 12 strikeouts.
All in all, the entire year has been filled with student athletes getting it done in the classroom along with their respected contests. With the postseason right around the corner, Oiler athletics will look to continue their success and bring back victories to Findlay.