Written by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
The Marietta College baseball team have had a season of highs and lows. The Pioneers have had their first losing season since 2019 as the Etta Express finished this year 18-20. While the Pios won’t play in the OAC or NCAA tournament, the team will be quick to improve for next year
While the team struggled in the D3 showcase to start off the season with a 1-2 record, they bounced back and improved to 6-4 with series wins over Wilson College, LaGrange College, and North Central College.
This led to the Pioneers hosting their annual invitational which they began undefeated with single wins over Johnson & Wales, Ithaca, and Case Western. However, the BSN Sports Invitational ended on a sour note as they dropped two games to Spalding University.
Sitting at 9-6 the Pioneers looked to jump ahead before their conference matchups began. Unfortunately, the Pios sour streak continued as they lost to Washington & Jefferson 6-1 and lost to Wittenberg 7-3. This losing streak continued in their OAC games as Marietta dropped series to Mount Union, Muskingum, and Baldwin Wallace. This 10-game losing streak starting with their losses to Spalding put Marietta at a 9-14 record.
The Etta Express got on a roll starting with their home series against Otterbein as they swept them 5-3, and 7-6. This performance was followed by a second sweep at home over Wilmington with a 6-1 win and a 3-2 win. This put the Pios back up to a 13-14 record.
This momentum came at a good time as they looked to play the ranked Denison University on the road. Etta dropped the first game 3-1 but came out hot in the second game winning 5-3.
The Pioneers would meet Denison again, however first they had a series with John Carroll. The Pioneers came out swinging early with a 6-0 lead, however the Blue Streaks came back late in the game, and a hit by pitch with the bases loaded sent the game into extra innings. Marietta would not prevail as the Streaks came out on top with a 8-7 win in the 10th. John Carroll’s momentum continued as they won the following game 9-4.
The Pioneers continued to skid as when Denison visited the Pioneers at Don & Sue Schaly Field they were shut out by the Big Red in a 10-0 loss. This three game losing streak dropped Marietta back down to a 14-18 record.
Marietta found themselves in another overtime game as Heidelberg and Marietta sat steady three runs apiece. This time around, Marietta loaded the bases and won off of a single towards right field 4-3. Marietta continued to put on a show for the 1981 NCAA Championship Reunion as they knocked off the Student Princes in the second game 11-3.
For the third time in a week, Marietta was battling in extra innings. This time against W&J whom they had lost to earlier this season on the road. The Presidents sent the game into overtime with a pair of doubles in the ninth tied the game 7-7. In the 11th, Marietta sent the Presidents packing 1,2,3. A double, and a fielding error later, the Pioneers scored and won 8-7.
At the end of April, Marietta hosted the Muskies and while they had an early lead, they ultimately fell 0-3 to Muskingum on the year losing 8-6.
In the final series of the year, the Pioneers faced off with Capital University at home. The Pioneers dropped the first game as the 3-3 tie was broken in the ninth as the Comets capitalized with the bases loaded to score three unanswered runs to win 6-3. Fortunately, the Etta Express ended the season on a positive note as they came back to win the second game 8-5 to finish with an 18-20 record.
Overall, Marietta finished 6th in the OAC with a 7-9 conference record and did not qualify for the OAC championship which featured Mount Union against Ohio Northern. With a losing record it is unlikely Marietta will make an NCAA tournament appearance and thus the Pios will continue to work towards next season.
