A month into the season, the Scots’ offense has treated opposing pitchers about as nicely as the National Rifle Association treats gun control activists. The Scots’ loaded lineup is a big reason why the Scots have lived up to their lofty preseason billing.
The Scots (16-4, 4-2 NCAC East) entered the 2010 season ranked No. 2 in the d3baseball.com preseason poll, and currently sit at No. 4 in the national rankings behind the University of St. Thomas, Chapman University and Heidelberg University. The hot start has been keyed by the bats, which have been hitting the cover off the ball.
The Scots have been led by great production up the middle from shortstop Greg Van Horn ’11 and second baseman Matt Johnson ’10. Interestingly, neither of the two were on the field for last year’s run to the national championship game. Johnson suffered a season-ending arm injury in mid-season and Van Horn was playing for Princeton University. A year later, the Scots boast arguably the best middle infield tandem in the country.
Van Horn, a highly touted junior transfer, leads the team with a .500 average and astronomical .838 slugging percentage, while Johnson shares the team lead in homers with four. In his first three years at Wooster, Johnson had played shortstop. However, with Van Horn’s arrival, Johnson has slid over to second. Johnson’s comeback has been especially significant because he has also taken over the leadoff spot in the lineup, previously held by centerfielder Sean Karpen ’09.
Matt Groezinger ’10 has also followed up his fantastic junior campaign, in which he hit .369 with 12 homers, with an equally impressive senior season. Groezinger is second on the team with a .448 average and shares the team lead in homers with four. Left fielder Stu Beath ’10 has likewise put together a solid senior campaign after a breakout junior year in which he hit .389 with four homers. This season, Beath is hitting .333 with a pair of dingers. As a team, the Scots are hitting .339, with a robust .519 slugging percentage to go along with a .444 on-base percentage.
While the Scots’ pitching has been serviceable, it has not yet reached the status that led the team to Appleton, Wis. for the Div. III College World Series. Justin McDowell ’11 last year tied a school record with 13 wins and posted a 2.38 earned run average along with 94 strikeouts. The terrific sophomore campaign landed McDowell multiple All-America honors. This year, McDowell has been solid, if not unspectacular. McDowell has a 3.31 ERA and leads the team in wins with a 4-1 record.
One of the biggest storylines coming into the season was the return of Matt Barnes ’11. Barnes entered last season as the projected ace of the staff, but only pitched in the season opener due to a blood clot. Now back with a clean bill of health and junior eligibility, Barnes has provided solid innings and posts a 3-1 record.
This weekend, the team heads back to Meadville, Pa. to take on Allegheny College. Two weeks ago, the team split a doubleheader with Allegheny after the Scots’ bats went cold. The Scots were able to get a 3-1 win in the opener behind a strong performance from McDowell, but in the second game Tyler Fugate ’11 was the tough-luck loser after the Scots’ offense was shut out for the first time all season in a 2-0 loss. Since then, the Scots’ offense has broken out for 16 runs against Baldwin-Wallace College, 17 runs and 13 runs in multiple games against Case Western Reserve University. If the Scots’ bats continue their hot streak, the Scots’ pitchers should have a much less challenging outing the second time around on the hill against the Gators.