2003 Miracle Yearbook

Galbreath, Smith, and Pummel meet in the middle to discuss a plan of action. After playing and practicing inside throughout the winter,the Yellow Jackets baseball team anticipated heading outside to play in the spring. Unfortunately, snow still covered the field and temperatures still seemed like winter when the day came for the scheduled season opener. It was not until their spring trip south to warmer weather did they earn their first win beating the University of South to start a four game winning streak. After being down 9-4 after three innings,the Jackets rallied with five runs in the fourth and freshman Andrew Noble tacked on the game winning three-run homer in the six to give the Jackets the 12-11 victory. The Jackets finished the year with a 17-25 overall record and 5-14 in the American Mid-east Southern Conference. Jeff Lowe led the team batting .403 with a Cedarville record 47 RBIs. T.J. Couch led the team with a 2.57 ERA with 53 innings pitched. Both players received All AMC south first team honors. Forest Greetham,Jon Oren,and Dave Terrill all received Honorable Mention. The Jackets finished the year winning five of the last seven games starting with an 8-3 victory over league leading Ohio Dominican. The next three games con- sisted of the Midwest regional tournament in which the Jackets beat Concordia and Spring Arbor twice sending them to the NCCAA National Tournament in Celina. At the tournament,the Jackets won their first ever National Tournament game on the shoulders of T.J. Couch who gave up one hit and struck out ten and seven inning complete game. The winning streak ended with two close losses to Spring Arbor and Bethel. Despite the setbacks,Jon Oren stated,"My favorite part about the season was winning our regional NCCAA tournament and playing in the NCCAA World Series in Celina." He also is planning on the Jackets being very competitive next year, stating,"We'll make it a priority to take care of business." BATTER UP AllILFTICS 163