Meridians Baseball

Joining Matthew Johnson (NCAC Player of the Year) with first-team all-conference status were five teammates – senior outfielder Stu Beath, junior pitcher Tyler Fugate, senior first baseman Matt Groezinger, junior pitcher Justin McDowell, and junior shortstop Greg Van Horn.

Fugate has been one of the league’s most effective hurlers.   In fact, the right-hander who has six starts and 10 appearances out of the bullpen holds an NCAC-low 2.43 ERA.   He’s gone 6-1 with five saves, ranking second in the conference in both of those categories, while his 64 strikeouts are tied for second and 59.1 innings pitched rate sixth-best.   Over Fugate’s last seven appearances (28.2 innings), his numbers include a 3-0 record, three saves, a 0.94 ERA and 38 strikeouts.

~Senior outfielder Chris Wood received honorable mention~  Wood, another newcomer to the All-NCAC Team, earned the Scots’ starting position in center and stayed there for 36 of their 41 games.   The speedy Wood has played flawless defense (1.000 fielding pct. over 55 chances), while also being a pleasant surprise at the plate with a .328 average – sixth-highest on the squad.   Always a threat to run, he has 12 stolen bases, ranking 10th in the league in that category while also tallying 19 runs scored, four doubles, and 23 RBI.

Wooster, with a 34-7 overall record, is currently preparing for regional play as it earned the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Div. III Baseball Championships by winning the NCAC championship.   The NCAA will announce the regional brackets and seedings late Sunday, with play set to begin on Wednesday, May 19.