Posted: Jun 09, 2015
The Maroons did not have an ideal start to the season as they only won a single game in their first five games. They dropped a double header to Frostburg St. (5-4; 6-0), who made it all the way to the NCAA DIII World Series and finished the regular season ranked second in the nation. Then, after nearly a month of not playing a game or practicing they had to face eventual ODAC Champion in Shenandoah in a doubleheader where they dropped both of those games.
Roanoke baseball slowly picked up the pace by winning a couple of games, and then on March 21st they started their longest winning streak in program history. This streak included taking two against Johnson University (8-0; 21-7) and winning three games in three days against William Peace (3-2), Emory & Henry (11-3), and Greensboro (14-0). Then they swept Washington & Lee (6-0; 9-2) on the weekend and capped off their impressive win streak by beating Emory & Henry (10-1) during the week.
After dropping a single game to Ferrum, The Maroons bounced back and had their most impressive weekend sweep in the program's history coming against #10 Randolph-Macon. The Maroons won the first game by a score of 6-0 and had a terrific pitching performance by John Ruhlman. The sophomore threw 7.1 innings while only giving up four hits and striking out nine batters. The second game also proved not to be close, and the Roanoke squad won 9-2 after a six run lift in the eighth inning. They also relied on their pitching by receiving a great effort from senior Cameron Holshouser. He pitched 7.0 innings while only allowing one run off of five hits and had seven strikeouts. Senior closer Austin Gregory came in the eighth and picked up the save while pitching two innings and striking out four batters.
The Maroons battled injuries and a tough schedule throughout the rest of the season. They ended up dropping their next five after playing five games in four days, but bounced back with back-to-back wins against Guilford (6-0) and Lynchburg (4-2).
The senior pitchers of the team came through during the last week of the season in some must-win games. Cameron Holshouser had another great pitching performance against Guilford College, and he recorded his first career complete game shut out while only giving up three hits and striking out five. The next day against Lynchburg College Austin Gregory threw the first four innings and only gave up two runs. Chad Hill came in to throw the last five innings to shut down the Hornets offense and only gave up one hit and gave up no runs.
The fifth-seeded Maroons went one and two in their third ODAC Tournament appearance since the program's conception in 2002. They dropped their first game to Virginia Wesleyan College (11-3), but bounced back the next day against Eastern Mennonite University. Their 5-1 victory against the Royals was their first win in the ODAC Tournament win in the history of the program, and they received another strong pitching performance from senior Cameron Holshouser, who threw a complete game. They dropped their final game of the tournament to Virginia Wesleyan by a score of 3-2, despite a late-inning rally.
The team this year had three players in the top-five in the ODAC for stolen bases that included Brian Kluge (14), Devin Cassity (13) and Will Black (10). Brian Kluge would led the team in batting average (.398) and would have been third in the ODAC, but didn't have enough at bats due to an injury at the beginning of the season. Will Black led the ODAC in doubles with fourteen and was second on the team in batting average (.376). Cal Hodgert led the home run category with four, and he also picked up the most hits for the Maroons this year with 43. Will Decker had the most RBIs on the team this year by picking up 25 and also led the team in triples (2).
The Maroons had a strong pitching staff this year that included a Third Team All-ODAC selection in Chad Hill and previous Second Team All-ODAC selections in Cameron Holshouser and Austin Gregory. Hill led the team in ERA (1.60) and was second in the ODAC. He also led the team in opponent batting average while teams hit just .185 against him. Holshouser led the team in innings pitched (55.0), wins (5) and games started (9). He was also second on the team in strikeouts (42) behind John Ruhlman (43) and was also second on the team in ERA (3.60). Austin Gregory led the team in saves (2) and appearances (16) for the third consecutive year. He was also second on the team in innings pitched (49.0) and third on the team in strikeouts (29).
Roanoke placed five players on the All-ODAC squads this season, the most ever in a season, dating back to the start of the program in 2002. In 2014, the Maroons placed three players on the All-ODAC list, which was the previous record for Roanoke baseball. Will Black is just the second First Team All-ODAC selection in program history, with Brian Kluge earning the honor during the 2012 season.
Black, a sophomore from Richmond, VA earns his second All-ODAC selection in two years, having been named to the Third Team in 2014. He was named ODAC Player of the Week on March 30th, after a 10-for-21 week with three doubles, a triple, five RBI and eight runs scored. He finished the season with 28 runs scored off of 39 hits. He tallied 13 doubles, which led the ODAC in that category. Black notched one triple as well as 16 RBIs. As a catcher he led the league in runners caught stealing, throwing out 11 batters from home plate. Black already ranks first all-time at Roanoke in throwing out runners, with 29 total in two seasons. On the other end, he ranked fourth in the ODAC in stolen bases in 2015 with a tally of 10. He ranked in the top-10 in the conference in batting average (6th - .394), on base percentage (9th - .442), and slugging percentage (10th - .545).
Hodgert, a freshman from Lynchburg, VA, earned Second Team All-ODAC honors. Hodgert played in 27 games for the Maroons and led the team in at-bats with 110. He finished the season with 22 runs off of 37 hits, with a batting average of .336. Hodgert tallied nine doubles and one triple. He ranked ninth in the ODAC in total bases with 57, while ranking 15th in RBIs with 22. His three home runs for the season were the eighth most in the conference. Hodgert also finished the season with three sacrifice fly balls, fifth most in the ODAC.
Decker, a sophomore from Charlottesville, VA, earns his second All-ODAC nod in his career, earning a Third Team nod in 2014. Decker played in 28 games for the Maroons with 97 at-bats. He finished with 15 runs off 33 hits with a .340 batting average. His 10 doubles ranked 10th in the ODAC, while his two triples were third in the conference. Decker also finished with two home runs and 23 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .546 sits eighth among the players in the ODAC.
Hill, a senior from Roanoke, VA, earns his first All-ODAC honor in his career. After four years of play, he ranks fifth all-time at Roanoke College in both lowest ERA (4.83) and lowest opponent batting average (.283). In 12 games played, Hill finished with a 4-1 record. His 1.19 was the lowest ERA in the conference, with a 0.77 ERA against ODAC opponents. He finished the season with 15 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched. Opponents facing Hill in 2015 batted for an average of .173, 10th lowest opponent batting average in the ODAC.
Kluge, a senior from Roanoke, VA, is named All-ODAC for the second time after earning First Team honors in 2013. Kluge returned to the squad after missing the 2014 season with two knee surgeries. Kluge played in 20 games with 92 plate appearances. He finished with 19 runs off 33 hits with a .407 batting average. He tallied five doubles and one triple, with 14 runs batted in. He ranked first in the ODAC in stolen bases, tallying 13 this season, which is second most all-time in a single season for a Maroon. He also had an on-base percentage of .473 and a slugging percentage of .494. Kluge finishes his career with the Maroons third all-time in stolen bases (25), fifth in runs scored (85) and doubles (28) and seventh in batting average (.344). He also ranks in the top-10 all time at Roanoke in on base percentage, hits and at-bats.
