BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Dr. Acula]

Good question Bump.  I'll do some digging and see what I can find out.  They aren't going to be filling many holes as the majority of the starters are back next year.  The biggest losses are Slaybaugh at 1B, McFarland at 3B and Griffith out of the pen.  Sevek is gone, but Von Duyke should slide into his spot in the OF and be fine.  I don't see how they can come close to the production they got at the corner IF spots, but how close they come will play a big role in how the offense goes.  Griffith didn't get a lot of love, but he was just an extremely solid guy out of the pen and you HAVE to have guys like him to win close games.  With Mariotti, Irwin and Sabatino I like the top 3 in the rotation, but you need a couple reliable guys out of the pen.  Wise will have to step up and be one of those guys next year.    

Honestly, I'm more concerned about the fact that as of now MUC has no asst. coaches.  Gilhousen took the Massillon job obviously, but Spike Ridgley went w/ him and Grove is not coming back as pitching coach either.  I figured Spike would follow Gilhousen since he's a Massillon kid (plus his dad is the AD, so he has extra close ties to the Tigers).

[Bump]

I didn't know that Coach Ridgley went with Gilhousen to Massillon but it doesn't surprise me. It will be interesting to see how the Massillon baseball program progresses with Gilhousen and the AD's son at the helm. I am not aware of any Stark Co. players going to MU. It seems like Mount usually gets a player or two from Glenoak,  North Canton, Massillon or Lake every year. I wonder if there is any interest in Jeff Wallace as a pitching coach to replace Grove. He has some ties to Alliance and is a good baseball guy.

[Dr. Acula]

I think Massillon will be on the rise quickly.  Gilhousen's resume speaks for itself and I sincerely doubt that he would walk into that job without knowing that there would be nothing hindering his way of doing things.  With Gilhousen and Spike running things there will be no second guessing anymore.  At least I hope not!

I'll be interested to see if that pipeline from GlenOak dries up now.  Not saying MUC won't get any GO guys, but I don't think it will be w/ the same frequency.  I'm sure McClellan was quick to send his GO guys over to Alliance to play for his old coach.  

[Dr. Acula]

Stark County kids that I've seen in the paper:

To Malone:

Chack (Lake)
Strouble (Marlington)
Joe Monnot (GO)
Messer and Forchione (Perry)

To Walsh:

Dougherty (McK)
Cheyney (Jackson)
Piporo (Lake)
Stinson (Marlington)

To MUC:

McCarthy (Massillon)

   

[mucbaseball08]

Hello everyone,

First post here but I've followed the board for quite some time.  Anyways I am a former Mount Union player and I actually have some answers pertaining to the assistant coach search and some news for the next season.

One of my former teammates and close friends went and interviewed for an assistant coaching job with Coach Hesse this week and he came away with this from the interview.

- Ryan Armstrong, class of 1999 is one of the new assistants for the upcoming season
- My friend is in the final 3, along with 2 other unknown college assistants for the other assistant position and that decision should be made this Wednesday.  Although if you know Hesse he isn't very good at being on time with anything...
- Speaking of Hesse, he will take over pitching coach duties once again.
- Craig Knott has been dismissed from Mount for poor academics, looking to continue playing at a JUCO in Florida.
- Sadly Hesse told my friend that Paul Mariotti was hurt this summer and is going to the Indians team doctor.  Apparently it may cause him to sit out his senior year.  I remember his freshman year he was sidelined with shoulder bursitis
- Lastly someone asked about recruiting.  While Gilhousen was at the school he would rate recruits and prospective players on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best.  Coach Hesse told my friend that this year the majority of recruits are rated 4/5, this class being the strongest in recent years.  Who is apart of it I do not know, just that Hesse thinks very highly of them.

I'll keep you posted with the coaching update when I find out later this week.

[mucbaseball08]

I didn't know that Coach Ridgley went with Gilhousen to Massillon but it doesn't surprise me. It will be interesting to see how the Massillon baseball program progresses with Gilhousen and the AD's son at the helm. I am not aware of any Stark Co. players going to MU. It seems like Mount usually gets a player or two from Glenoak,  North Canton, Massillon or Lake every year. I wonder if there is any interest in Jeff Wallace as a pitching coach to replace Grove. He has some ties to Alliance and is a good baseball guy.

While I was at Mount I know Jeff Wallace wasn't the biggest fan of jumping through Coach Hesse's hoops.  We were able to use his facility because in return his summer team used our baseball field for home games and summer camps. 

In my two posts please don't think I have any negative feelings towards Mount Union baseball.  They were the best four years of my life but if you were apart of it you know the ineptness of our fearless leader...

[Dr. Acula]

Yes!  Another MUC poster to join fundamentalwin and me!  We're taking over the baseball board.  Anyway, welcome aboard 08.  +k

I'll post a longer response in a second...phone is ringing and at 1am that can't be good.

[Dr. Acula]

- Ryan Armstrong, class of 1999 is one of the new assistants for the upcoming season

I played with Armstrong for a couple yrs.  He was a very good player and a nice guy.  I would think he would be a good asst, but I'm also basing this only on knowing him personally as I don't know of his past coaching experience.

- My friend is in the final 3, along with 2 other unknown college assistants for the other assistant position and that decision should be made this Wednesday.  Although if you know Hesse he isn't very good at being on time with anything...

As they say, it's funny because it's true.

- Speaking of Hesse, he will take over pitching coach duties once again.

As I've rehashed on here in the past, this was one of the worst things that happened while I was in Alliance.  I hope this is temporary because it's impossible for any one person to devote their time to being the pitching coach and head coach if they have any intention of being hands on as HC.  On a sidenote, somewhere out there fundamentalswins is solemnly shaking his head at this news.  I'm right there with you...

- Craig Knott has been dismissed from Mount for poor academics, looking to continue playing at a JUCO in Florida.

Obviously a blow for the baseball team to lose their starting SS and a middle of the order guy, but I simply hope that Craig gets his grades straightened out.  Very few of us that play D3 baseball have hopes of playing beyond college so the degree is the ultimate goal.  I wish Craig well and hope he gets that degree no matter where he does so.

- Sadly Hesse told my friend that Paul Mariotti was hurt this summer and is going to the Indians team doctor.  Apparently it may cause him to sit out his senior year.  I remember his freshman year he was sidelined with shoulder bursitis

Bad news.  BAD NEWS.  Mariotti was the unquestioned ace of the staff and one the top pitchers coming back in the OAC.  This would be a huge blow if he can't pitch.

- Lastly someone asked about recruiting.  While Gilhousen was at the school he would rate recruits and prospective players on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best.  Coach Hesse told my friend that this year the majority of recruits are rated 4/5, this class being the strongest in recent years.  Who is apart of it I do not know, just that Hesse thinks very highly of them.

I'm glad you clarified that Gilhousen was rating the players because otherwise I think we both know how much stock we should put into the ranking system.  That being said, it sounds like they have a nice class to compliment a good returning nucleus.  Now the question becomes if they can sustain the positive momentum in recruiting they've seen in the past several years now that Gilhousen and his connections are out of the picture.

[Dr. Acula]

In my two posts please don't think I have any negative feelings towards Mount Union baseball.  They were the best four years of my life but if you were apart of it you know the ineptness of our fearless leader...

Trust me, you're not going to offend anyone on here let alone the other MUC posters.  It's a well documented inside joke that anyone that's ever played there is in on.  But as I've said before, I wouldn't trade the friends I've made and the stories I have for a few wins in college.  Sounds like you're in the same boat.  

[JK]

Ahh... Jeff Wallace.  That name brings back memories.  We were in HS at the same time... he at Minerva and I at West Branch.  He hit me with a pitch in the back just below the shoulder blade that I swore was going to come out the other side.  Seriously knocked the wind out of me.  I got plunked many other times in my career in HS, but that is the only one I really remember.

Needless to say I went 0-3 the rest of the way that day.  That was a tough way to reach base for the only time in the game.

Why I decided to stick with football at Cap 

[Bump]

- Craig Knott has been dismissed from Mount for poor academics, looking to continue playing at a JUCO in Florida.

Obviously a blow for the baseball team to lose their starting SS and a middle of the order guy, but I simply hope that Craig gets his grades straightened out.  Very few of us that play D3 baseball have hopes of playing beyond college so the degree is the ultimate goal.  I wish Craig well and hope he gets that degree no matter where he does so.

Mount did have a pretty good SS enroll. Hit about 450 with 36 RBI's last year 1st team all Fed last two years. Coach Ridgley tried to get him to visit MU last winter but he didn't have much interest in baseball at the next level at that time. I think Coach Wojo has other plans for him for this fall.

[Dr. Acula]

Mount did have a pretty good SS enroll. Hit about 450 with 36 RBI's last year 1st team all Fed last two years. Coach Ridgley tried to get him to visit MU last winter but he didn't have much interest in baseball at the next level at that time. I think Coach Wojo has other plans for him for this fall.

Is that Jeff Meek?  Very nice player.  If so, I would recommend someone just point him to the recent track record of kids from his HS on the gridiron at MUC because it's not pretty.  The last kid I can think of contributing in any real way was Nate Chester in the mid-late 90's and that's pushing it because he was never a top option at WR.  So maybe he should play both?  Not to be a downer, but come on...we need a SS!

[Bump]

Had a DE from NC start in 2007. Jeff isn't one to walk away from a challenge.  

Like someone mentioned school comes 1st. I don't think that there is enough time to make a commitment to both sports and do it right. But It isn't up to me.

[Dr. Acula]

Good call Bump.  Andrews was the last name of the DE.  Jon maybe?  Totally forgot about him.

I'm just happy Meek is going to MUC, so I was just being selfish for the baseball program I guess. 

p.s. I played baseball w/ a couple kids that weren't bad w/ the pads on either...Chuck Moore and Mike Miller.   Of course those guys weren't trying to play SS and had a head start on the rest of us just based on athletic ability. 

[Bump]

Doc do you get to watch much Fed League baseball? I am not sure if baseball is out of the question it will depend on how things go this fall and how the grades are come the spring.