The month of October marked the conclusion of fall ball and the official start to the 2010 campaign for the Heidelberg University baseball team. The fall season concluded with an inter-squad Orange and Black World Series and was followed by the program’s annual recognition banquet for the previous season.
After three weeks of individual work and intra-squad scrimmages, the Berg seniors split up and drafted two teams for the 2009 Fall World Series. The Orange team was led by senior pitcher Everett Thomas (Evansville, Ind. / Harrison)while the black team was led by senior catcher Steve Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield). The two teams squared off in a best of five series.
Game one needed extra innings to decide the victor as the black team jumped out to an early lead thanks to strong pitching performances by freshman Max Schwartz (Bexley, Ohio /Bexley) and Brandon Stucky (Medina, Ohio / Medina). Decker came through with the game winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning bringing in juniorAndrew Buelow (Marysville, Mich. / Marysville).
The victory was short-lived because the Orange team turned the momentum taking game two behind a one hit shutout by junior Nathan James (Rockport, Ind. / South Spencer). The Black team came back in the second half of the double header to take a 2-1 series lead heading into Sunday.
Down in the series (2-1), the Orange team made an early statement with a lopsided win in game four, behind the arm of Thomas. Thomas received help offensively from junior Alex Monroe (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) who led the Orange attack, going 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI.
With the series on the line, the Orange team turned to their upper classman once again. Juniors Derek Andrzejczak (Sylvania, Ohio / Sylvania Northview), Monroe and Gar Keen (Sparta, Ohio / Highland) all drove in runs while sophomore Elvin Williams (Euclid, Ohio / Euclid) went 2-for-4 with one run scored. The Black team made a comeback late, but ultimately fell short by a score of 5-4, giving the Orange team a 3-2 series victory.
The Fall World Series was completed with a banquet at Camden Falls Banquet Hall to celebrate a successful 2009 season. In a vote by the players Keen was tabbed the Most Valuable Player and the Best Offensive Player. Andy Lowe (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carroll) won the Best Pitcher Award and Williams was honored as the Rookie of the Year. The Team Award went to Alex Clyborn (Westerville, Ohio / Marburn Academy), while Decker and Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown, Ohio / St. Charles) shared the Best Defensive Award.
Heidelberg closed out 2009 at 37-9 overall and 15-3 against OAC opponents. Under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Matt Palm, the Berg won its fourth OAC Regular Season title (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009) and its third OAC Tournament trophy (2004, 2008, 2009). It was the fifth time in the program’s history that they have eclipsed the 30-win plateau.