Blue Knights Are Poised to Start Season
Mixture of Old and New Talent Ready To Shine

URBANA, Ohio (Feb. 16, 2008)--With the snow melting, that means that baseball season is quickly approaching. The Urbana University baseball team will be taking to the diamond on Saturday, Feb. 16th at Milligan College in Tennessee as they kick off the 2008 baseball season.

Under the direction of new Coach Mike Goldschmidt, the Blue Knights are ready to take on this year’s schedule which offers a lot of diversity in competition. They will not only play in a tough American Mideast Conference, but they will face off against Division I opponents like the University of Dayton and Wright State University.

Urbana looks to improve on last years record of 32-21. The Blue Knights went 10-14 in the AMC and finished in sixth place. This year’s team proves to have plenty of experience as well as plenty of new faces to get the job done.

On defense, Goldschmidt believes his team is solid. “Overall, I think that we are fundamentally sound at all positions. I think we have experience behind the plate with two senior catchers and depth within the rest of our team that allows us to be flexible with our line-ups and what we do during games.”

The two senior catchers behind the plate include Mike Bezak (Lakewood, Ohio) and Tommy Bowlen (Salsberry, Ind.). Goldschmidt is counting on them to provide the experience needed behind the plate and to guide this year’s strong pitching staff.  Last season, Bezak and Bowlen both spent time behind the plate. Bezak saw action in 26 games while starting 20. Bowlen appeared in 14 games, starting three. Both are equipped to handle the responsibilities behind the plate.

The infield will be anchored by a group of returners but will also see many fresh faces throughout the course of the season. The depth that this year’s team will see in the infield is more than the Blue Knights have seen in years passed and will allow for many of the different line-ups. With a mixture of line-ups available, Urbana will be able to send out the best match-ups for each of the team’s that they will face on the diamond this spring.

According to Goldschmidt, senior Randy Harrell (Lorain, Ohio) has worked very hard over the summer to improve his hitting and his all around game. Harrell is coming off of an impressive fall season. “We look for his hard work to carry over to the spring, both offensively and defensively,” said Goldschmidt.

Senior John Lindquist (Columbus, Ohio), who sat out last season, will provide power in the middle of the line-up and be the defensive anchor at first base.  Also returning is senior Mike Heck who offers flexibility on the defensive side because he can play three different positions.  Goldshmidt will count on Heck to provide the team with an upbeat attitude and positive leadership. Heck also is a threat on the offensive side of the ball with his power.

In the outfield, transfer Jordan Baker (Chillicothe, Ohio) will be relied on in his first year with the Blue Knights to provide the leadership as the team will call on some of its younger, athletic guys to fill in the other two outfield roles.  Senior Jeff Hartwig (Toledo, Ohio), who suffered a pre-season injury, will be playing multiple roles for the team until he can compete at one-hundred percent. Baker and Hartwig will be looked upon to guide the outfield with their knowledge of the game. Both will also be major components in the offensive line-up.

The pitching staff has worked extremely hard in the off-season and pre-season, harder than anyone else in the program according to Goldschmidt. “I am very pleased with the progress that our pitchers have made from the fall until this spring. For us to be successful, we expect very big things from our pitching staff.”

Senior Mike Blanton (Greensprings, Ohio), junior Jaeson Hudnall (Carlisle, Ohio), sophomore transfer Cody Lawhorn (Frankfort, Ohio), and junior Shane Pfouts (Walbridge, Ohio) look to be among the top starters for the Blue Knights this season.  Senior Brock Bender will be the anchor of an extremely talented bullpen. Hudnall was 5-3 on the mound last season and earned 2nd team all-AMC honors with a 4.09 ERA. Blanton was an honorable mention all-AMC selection, going 5-2 on the mound with a 5.5 ERA.

Coach Goldschmidt is anxious and excited to see his team play for the first time though he has faith in his team. “I believe that we are, from top to bottom, a very talented group and we can create match-up problems for a lot of our opponents this year.”  If the team executes offensively, Goldschmidt believes that they can have a great season because the strength of the pitching staff and the defense should carry them through most games. “I expect us to compete for an AMC championship because we have a championship-type team this season.”

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