Etta Express looking to claim 28th OAC Tournament title this weekend
Marietta has not won Tournament since 2002

May. 9, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College baseball team, ranked No. 26 nationally, will begin its quest for a record 28th Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament title Thursday (May 11), when the second-seeded Pioneers battle third-seeded Heidelberg (26-14) at 1 p.m. at Fishbaugh Field in Westerville. The 2006 OAC Tournament is being hosted by top-seeded Otterbein (26-13), who will take on fourth-seeded Mount Union (22-15) in game two Thursday at 4 p.m.

For Marietta (32-8), who is making its 34th overall appearance, it seems like forever since it last hoisted a Conference Tournament trophy and three years is quite a drought by Pioneer standards.

The Etta Express' last OAC Tournament title came in 2002, when they won their 13th straight championship and went on to finish runners-up in the NCAA DIII College World Series for the second consecutive season.

The Pioneers have a 81-22-1 record in OAC Tournament games with five runner-up finishes and a third place finish. Marietta, who hosted the OAC Tournament the last two seasons, is looking to avenge a pair of losses in those championship games. In 2004, the Etta Express lost 4-3 to Heidelberg, while in 2005, Otterbein pulled off the 11-7 upset.

At the plate, senior Jarrod Klausman (Altoona, Pa.) and junior Joe Litke (Windsor, Conn.) are both batting over .400 on the year. Klausman is at .415 with a team-best 59 hits, while Litke is hitting .402 with a team-high 29 RBI.

The Pioneers have four hurlers with six or more wins on the year and are led by junior Mike Eisenberg (Coral Gables, Fla./Bullis) with a 9-1 record and a 1.31 ERA. Senior Mike DeMark (Jeanette, Pa./Penn-Trafford) enters the Tournament at 6-1 with a 2.24 ERA. Freshman Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) also has a 7-2 record, while classmate Ryan Dennick (North Olmsted) brings in a 6-1 mark into the weekend's action.

Marietta swept doubleheaders from Heidelberg and Mount Union and dropped a pair to Otterbein during the regular season.

All of the Pioneers' action during the OAC Tournament can be heard live on voice of the Etta Express, WMOA-AM 1490 and mariettaonline.com.