MIDDLE POINT – A season after finishing as runner ups in Division 4 the Lincolnview Lancers return a lineup primed to make another chase to Akron.
Last season the Lancers finished 24-9 and as Northwest Conference champions before falling on the seasons final day 4-0 to John F. Kennedy at Canal Park.
Eight starters return for the blue and gold despite the loss of a seven member senior class that was among the winningest in school history.
Eighth year head coach Eric Fishpaw returns Ohio State University signee and Division 4 Player of the Year Landon Price who hit .470 during his junior campaign while putting together an 11-0 record on the mound with a .174 ERA and 162 strikeouts to just nine walks.
“I think people sometimes see the polls and think they don’t mean much and think they’re overrated but what an honor it is for someone to think that highly of our program to give us those votes. It’s a credit to the guys we have now and past guys we’ve had here in the past” Fishpaw said on the topic of opening the season ranked number one in the state.
Senior Carson Fox returns for his final year after knocking in 28 runners and hitting .326 while being hit by opposing pitchers a team high seven times. Classmate Cole Binkley played in 20 games during his junior season knocking in 10 while batting .288.
On his goals for this seasons squad Fishpaw opined “The players have been working hard this offseason and into the first eight practices of the season. The energy, effort, and competitiveness in practice is at a higher level this season. I think coming off a run to the state championship game, the program as a whole has been working hard to improve. We will have a good mix of pitching, team speed, and experience back from the 2021 team.”
Dane Ebel, a junior who was the Lancers third pitcher behind Price and the departed Collin Overholt (Ashland University) will take a step forward in the rotation this year while bringing his sharp curveball to opposing hitters. Last season Ebel finished with a 3.25 ERA, 64 strikeouts, and a 2-4 record on the mound while hitting .333 himself and driving in a team high 30 runners.
Jared Kesler will return to the outfield where he played 10 games last year and hit .250 along with teammates Brandon Renner (Jr, .306, 8 RBI), and sophomore Jack Dunlap (10 games, .190, 5 RBI).
Second baseman Caden Hanf is back for the Lancers after a solid sophomore season on the infield that saw him hit .267 and knock in a dozen in 31 games.
Lincolnview will open their 2022 season on Tuesday, March 29th against former conference mate Paulding before hitting the road for Tuesday and Wednesday games at Van Wert and Fort Jennings before wrapping up the opening week of the year on Saturday afternoon against Antwerp to open a seven game homestand.
“Right out of the gate we are seeing really good teams and it’s great. We want to play really good teams and be battle tested come the middle of May and be able to compete mentally by the time the tournament comes” said Fishpaw on the Lancers early challenging schedule.
Date Time H-A Opponent
Mar 29 Tue 5:00 PM H Paulding
Mar 30 Wed 4:30 PM A Van Wert
Mar 31 Thu 5:00 PM A Ft. Jennings
Apr 02 Sat 12:00 PM H Antwerp
Apr 05 Tue 5:00 PM H Ayersville
Apr 07 Thu 5:00 PM H Ada
Apr 08 Fri 5:00 PM H Continental
Apr 09 Sat 11:00 AM H Wayne Trace
Apr 11 Mon 5:00 PM H Leipsic
Apr 13 Wed 5:00 PM H Miller City
Apr 18 Mon 5:00 PM A Spencerville
Apr 21 Thu 5:00 PM H Columbus Grove
Apr 22 Fri 5:00 PM A New Bremen
Apr 23 Sat 11:00 AM A Ft. Recovery
Apr 25 Mon 5:00 PM A Bluffton
Apr 26 Tue 5:00 PM H LCC
Apr 27 Wed 5:00 PM H St. John’s
Apr 28 Thu 5:00 PM H Allen East
Apr 30 Sat 1:00 PM H Ft. Loramie @ Fifth Third Dayton
May 02 Mon 5:00 PM A Delphos Jefferson
May 05 Thu 5:00 PM A Crestview
May 06 Fri 5:00 PM A Coldwater
May 07 Sat 11:00 AM H Parkway
May 10 Tue 5:00 PM A Hicksville
May 12 Thu 5:00 PM A Minster
May 16 Mon 5:00 PM H Kalida