The NCAA News - News and Features

May 11, 1998

Division III Baseball

Wooster on course to win first title and break NCAA home run record

Event: 1998 Division III Baseball Championship.

Overview: Boasting a current 23-game winning streak, Wooster (35-3) is primed to make a strong run at its first national championship. The Fighting Scots have slugged 83 home runs (2.18 per game) and are on pace to break their own NCAA record. Leading the offensive assault is junior center fielder Trevor Urban, who is hitting .468 and leads the team with 14 home runs, 53 runs batted in and 63 runs scored. Designated hitter Chris Mihin has 13 home runs and 48 RBIs, and left fielder Bryan Kinney leads the team with a .468 batting average .... Wisconsin-Oshkosh (28-2) also has won 23 in a row and is among the national leaders with a 2.98 team ERA. Junior Craig Glysch is 6-0 with a 2.08 ERA, while Kevin Grater also is 6-0 with a 2.86 ERA and two saves. The Titans are hitting .350 as a team and are led by all-American right fielder Erik Morrell, who leads the team with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. Other offensive threats include Casey Kopitzke (.374-7-47) and Aaron Luepke (.412-5-41) .... North Carolina Wesleyan (33-7) is focused on its second title and the first since 1989. The Battling Bishops' pitching staff ranks high among the national leaders with a 2.48 ERA. The staff is led by Jon Rardin, who is 9-0 with a 2.20 ERA, and Buddy Hernandez, who is 3-1 with two saves. Mike Abbruzzese, North Carolina Wesleyan's top pitcher, is recovering from an injury and is just now pitching in relief. The Battling Bishops' offensive leaders are Matt McCay (.432-8-51) and David Capobianco, who is hitting .365 .... Other contenders include Cal Lutheran, Johns Hopkins, Rensselaer and Marietta.

Field: Forty teams will be selected at large May 10.

Dates and sites: Regional competition will be conducted May 13-17 at on-campus sites. The city of Salem, Virginia, and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference will host the May 23-27 finals, which are set for Salem Baseball Stadium.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1227 for bracket/schedule and 5037 for results. Scores and pairings from regional competition will appear in the May 25 issue of The NCAA News, and championship results will be published June 8.