June 9, 2011
ROCHESTER, Mich. - After an up-and-down season, the Oakland University baseball team finished the year with a strong effort, winning four of the last five games to end the season. The Golden Grizzlies finished the season 19-31 and picked up a series win over Centenary in the final games of the season to finish 10-17 in Summit League play.
"I was happy with the way that we played the game of baseball for most of the year," said Oakland head coach John Musachio. "I think that a lot of guys contributed in a big way and a lot of our younger players improved along the way."
Oakland once again faced a tough schedule, beginning the year with a three-game series at No. 4 Oklahoma. The Sooners were one of three teams on the schedule that advanced to the regional stages of the NCAA Tournament along with Oral Roberts and Wright State.
Oakland played very well against teams from the state of Michigan, posting a 5-3 record, including a win over Michigan State. The Golden Grizzlies also showed a knack for beating teams from the Mid-American Conference, going 5-2 against MAC schools.
"I think that having success against teams from within the state is very important," said Musachio. "Winning within the state can have a very positive impact on recruiting, because a lot of the teams around this area are looking to build teams with a similar style to ours. I think our record against those teams shows just how competitive we are against teams in the region."
The Golden Grizzlies picked up a victory early in the year against Western Michigan, an in-state opponent from the MAC. Oakland won the game 4-0 behind a shutout effort from senior starting pitcher Aaron Wick, who became the first OU player to throw a nine-inning shutout in the school's division I era. Wick also equaled his career-high with eight strikeouts in that road victory over the Broncos.
The Golden Grizzlies played 22 of their first 23 games away from the OU Baseball Field. The final two games of the early season road swing came in the form of a doubleheader against Michigan State. After dropping the opener, the Golden Grizzlies beat MSU 9-7 in the nightcap for just their fourth win over the Spartans in program history.
The win over MSU was a combination of a solid pitching and timely hitting. Junior starter Brady Adamek threw well for 5.1 innings before turning things over to senior Jake Arendsen who pitched the final 3.2 for the save. Offensively, the Golden Grizzlies outhit the Spartans 11-9, led by junior Tim Ryan (3-for-5) and seniors D.J. Jarrad and Ryan Waldhart (2-for-4).
"This team did a lot of good things," added Musachio. "We were right there this season and just missed out. We will try use it as an opportunity to build and be positive as we move the program forward."
The Golden Grizzlies kept games exciting, with 16 games decided by a single run. One of the players who thrived in those pressure-packed situations was sophomore Nolan Jacoby, who had a pair of game-winning hits in the same week. Jacoby hit a walk-off home run to beat Western Michigan and then drove in the winning run to complete Oakland's 12-inning win over Toledo.
At the end of the season, both Jablonski and Waldhart earned first team All-Summit League honors. Jablonski, a second baseman from Rochester, Mich., led OU with a .398 batting average in league games and hit a team-high 15 doubles. He finished his career with 188 hits, the fourth most of any OU player and was a three-time All-Summit League selection. Waldhart drove in 22 runs during league play and had a .349 Summit League batting average to earn his place as the top catcher in the league.
The core leadership of the 2011 team was a group of eight seniors: Arendsen, Dan Gliot, Jablonski, Jarrad, Mark Leichtman, Eric Ogg, Waldhart and Wick.
"Our senior class has been through a lot," added Musachio. "The perseverance and dedication that our seniors showed is commendable. We wanted to send them off on a positive note and we were able to do that. We appreciate everything they have done for us and we hope that the positives they have left behind will help us continue to build this program."
The seniors showed the kind of heart that Musachio credits them with on senior day by defeating Summit League champions Oral Roberts. The Golden Grizzlies' seniors accounted for 10 of the team's 11 hits and scored five runs in the 6-4 victory, while Wick threw his second complete game victory of the season. Gliot and Jablonski connected on one of the more memorable plays of the game, when the senior right fielder threw out an ORU base runner to defuse a late-inning rally.
Over the course of the season, Wick was the best at the plate for Oakland, posting a .357 batting average. Meanwhile, Jarrad led OU with 191 total hits and also topped the team with 33 RBIs.
Wick (4-7) and sophomore Russell Luxton (4-4) tied for the team-high in wins this season, while junior Greg Welke's 47 strikeouts paced the Oakland pitching staff.
Senior reliever Jake Arendsen (3-1, 1 save) continued to demonstrate his durability and effectiveness as he made a team-high 18 appearances and set the new school record with 76 career appearances for the Golden Grizzlies.
"I was very pleased with the senior effort and I am really looking forward to next year," added Musachio.
The seniors weren't the only players to make an impact at OU, as sophomore Mike Carson hit a team-high six home runs and led OU with a .503 slugging percentage. Ryan, a junior, led the team with 41 runs scored. Ryan and sophomore Todd Dunham both finished the year with 16 stolen bases to lead an OU team that ended the season 14th in the nation in stolen bases per game and 25th in the NCAA in total bases stolen.
"I think it was very important that we ended the year on a high note," concluded Musachio. "It sets the tone for next year. As we continue to move forward as a program, the progress we made this year, especially how we finished, will help us grow and help us move forward and improve next year."
-OAKLAND-
