The Little Giants pushed their North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) record to 5–1 with a pair of wins over Oberlin. The double header on Monday, April 7 gave Wabash a second home sweep against a conference opponent.
In the first game, Wabash got out to an early 3–0 lead with three RBI singles across the second and third innings. Then they tacked on a huge four-run seventh inning to seal the deal.
Ben Henke ’26 continued his team-leading season from the plate by driving in three runs on two hits.
Starting pitcher Caleb Everson ’26 and closer Dylan Haslett ’26 earned the win and the save. Everson struck out six batters in five and one third innings on the mound, giving up two runs on eight hits. Haslett came into the game in the eighth inning to shut down a late rally by the Yeomen. He finished the day with three strikeouts, two hits allowed and no earned runs.
Game two was a much closer affair that came down to the wire. Wabash put together six runs across eight innings, after leading 5–2 at the end of the fifth, when Camden Schiedt ’25 contributed a vital two-run RBI double.
But the Yeomen struck back, putting one’s on the board in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, before adding two runs in the eighth inning to tie the game.
The teams entered the final inning at six apiece.
Jackson Woehr ’26 earned his first win of the season by shutting down Oberlin’s scoring streak in the top of the ninth inning. Woehr faced only four batters but held steady through a chaotic set of outs as an error, a fielder’s choice, one walk and a wild pitch gave the Yeomen a good opportunity to secure the go-ahead run. But the team was able to hold the visitors to zero.
“I was thinking about what I needed to do in order for the offense to win the game in the bottom of the inning,” said Woehr. “I was telling myself to fill up the zone and let my defense work behind me.”
In the ninth inning, Scheidt and Henke worked together to get the walk-off score. Scheidt singled up the right side to reach first, then stole second on a wild pitch. Henke pushed Scheidt to third.
“The pitcher they brought in had been pretty wild throughout his entire outing, so I was looking for something in the dirt that I could potentially score on,” said Scheidt. “And he eventually spiked a pitch that got away and allowed me to score.”
Wabash completed the home sweep with a 7–6 final score.
“We will definitely take any win we can, especially in conference play,” said Scheidt. “Obviously the goal is to score as many runs as we can and to give up as little as we can, but sometimes things don’t go as planned and you just have to find ways to win. That is where our veteran presence comes into play, as a lot of guys have been in those spots before and know what it takes to win close games.”
“Our team showed up in game one and did what we wanted to do: win,” said Will Phillips ’25, who recorded three hits and an RBI on the day. “In game two we still accomplished our goal even though it was a close game. Game two showed a lot of good things. First, our team never stops fighting even while the other team is performing well. Second, we want to win and we will find a way to do it. Conference games are always tough and it’s good for our team to come out with a win in a close game.”
After a Thursday, April 10 matchup against Anderson University, the Little Giants will dive back into NCAC play with a Saturday doubleheader against Ohio Wesleyan on April 12 in Delaware, Ohio.
Things just speed up from there, with the team set to play two games against Capitol University on April 13 and a home game against Greenville University on April 15. On Wednesday, April 16, Wabash will play a crucial doubleheader in Springfield, Ohio, against Wittenberg, who was second in the conference last year.
In the latest D3baseball.com top-25 poll, they received a handful of votes. Pulling off a win or two against Wittenberg would definitively place Wabash near the very top of the NCAC and give them solid chances of tying for or winning the regular season title.
With a 5–1 start in the conference Wabash is shaping up to be one of the top teams in the NCAC this season.
“Being 5-1 is amazing but our team is very focused on the next game not what we have done,” said Will Phillips ’25. “It is nice to acknowledge our success from the past game but we just have to carry that momentum to the next.”
Stats wise, the Scarlet & White have the best fielding percentage in the NCAC. It is the 29th best fielding percentage for any team in DIII. The Little Giant pitching staff ranks third by ERA in the conference. They are 74th in the nation.
“Our mentality of being on attack mode at all times has enabled us to limit walks and hit by pitches, which has led to more outcomes being in our favor,” said Woehr.
It’s too early to call, but Wabash has put themselves in a great position early in the conference schedule. Fans should tune in over the next week and a half, as Wabash will tackle the remaining top teams in the NCAC in short order.