The Bluffton University baseball team struggled with consistency in 2019, winning three straight games just one time, but with an experienced core of returners back the Beavers have a return to the Heartland Conference tournament in their sights. Despite injuries to key personnel that besieged the Beavers all season, Bluffton was just two victories away from its fifth 20-win season in school history.

A pair of all-time greats leave big shoes to fill following their graduation in 2019. D'Andrea, a three-time All-Heartland Conference honoree, was outstanding in his final season as a Beaver. His 1.70 earned run average was the lowest at Bluffton in nearly 30 years and it also topped the HCAC. His six wins are tied for 2nd all-time at Bluffton and they placed him 3rd in the Heartland Conference. The jack of all trades for Bluffton's pitching staff, D'Andrea finished his career with the lowest opponent batting average of any Beaver with a .232 OBA.

Colin Gregory hit two of Bluffton's most memorable home runs during the final week of the 2018 season and he picked right up where he left off with five homers in Florida en route to a school-record and HCAC-leading 11 dingers in 2019! He drove in 38 runs, 5th all-time for a single season and 4th in the conference this year. Gregory's 38 runs scored is 5th in the conference and tied for 8th all-time at Bluffton.

Parker Reynolds (Avon), led the Beavers with a .333 batting average and .429 on-base percentage, is back for his senior campaign in 2020. His 45 hits equaled Gregory for top honors in 2019. He drove in 28 runs, scored 17 times and smacked 11 doubles for the Beavers. Reynolds made the most of his first season as Bluffton's starting backstop, managing the Beaver pitching staff while throwing out eight would-be base stealers. Fellow senior Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) stole nine bases while being a fixture in Bluffton's outfield last season, his second as a starter for the Beavers.

Juniors Jaxon Rogan (Marysville), Jacob Latkofsky (Temperence, MI/Ida), Lenny Winiarski (Cincinnati/LaSalle) and Reid Ruhl (Hamilton) have the talent and experience to be the cornerstones for Bluffton when they take the field this season. Rogan had a breakout campaign in 2019, hitting .319 with a team-high 18 walks and 10 stolen bases. Ruhl was making strides at the plate before an injury to his hand effectively ended his season after just 18 games. Latkofsky, the 2018 HCAC Freshmen of the Year, hit .282 and stole a team-high 11 bases. Winiarski was second on the team with three homers while splitting his time behind the plate and at first base.

Brantley Curnutte (Hilliard/Hilliard-Davidson) eased his way back into action in 2019 after missing the bulk of his first junior season with an elbow injury. He struck out 30 batters with a 5.57 ERA and outstanding .230 opponent batting average. Curnutte and fellow senior Tommy Siemer (Liberty Township/Lakota East) give the Beavers a dominating one-two punch in 2020. Siemer fanned a team-high 38 batters in 36.1 innings as a junior.

Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) has been a key component on Bluffton's pitching staff his first two years and Coach Grandey is excited to have him back in the infield for his junior season after a hand injury limited him to the mound as a sophomore. O'Reilly hit .306 in 2018 when he earned First Team All-HCAC honors as a freshman.

Freshman Elisha Tressler (Bryan) hit .269 and he saw time in center after Ruhl went down for the season.

Franklin collected its second straight Heartland Conference tournament championship in 2019 and they followed that up with their best-ever NCAA tourney run when they played for the regional title. Rose-Hulman claimed the regular-season championship with a dominating 14-2 run through the conference.

SOFTBALL
A 10-game week at THE Spring Games has the Bluffton University softball team excited to get back on the field following their trip to Florida. With Coach DeMoine in her second year at the helm, Bluffton rolled to a 7-31 record in 2019, including a 2-14 mark and 8th place tie in the Heartland Conference. Bluffton hit .285 and showed tremendous pop with 19 homers last season.

Although Bluffton bid adieu to 2019 graduates Kelsey Reeder (Galion/Northmor) and Casey Clark (Lima/Central Catholic), the Beavers return All-Central Region honoree Caylin Morstadt (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) who tied for league-high honors with 10 home runs (3rd on Bluffton's single-season list). Morstadt also tied for top honors in the HCAC with 34 RBI, while her 35 runs were tied for 2nd in the conference. In just her first season as the starting shortstop, Morstadt tied Bluffton's single-season record with 116 assists.

Morstadt and her running mates, Courtney Jasinski (Englewood/Northmont) and Megan Hill (Arcadia), are the cornerstones for a Bluffton team that welcomes eight freshmen. Hill hit .299 with four homers and 18 RBI as a junior, while Jasinski (.307 BA) has been a mainstay in the Beaver outfield the past two seasons.

The Bluffton pitching staff remains intact heading into the 2020 season. Junior Katie McCord (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) led the Beavers with 19 strikeouts, 75.1 innings pitched and a 6.75 ERA last season.

Junior Sydney Bowen (Convoy/Crestview) had a breakout season in 2019, hitting .287 with three homers and 19 runs scored while manning center field for the Beavers. Two-sport standout Taylor Steinke (Findlay) found a home in right field, hitting .239 and playing lockdown defense all season. Riley Langstaff (Findlay), Briana Baker (Defiance/Ayersville) and Annie McCrate (Westerville/South) all saw significant action in 2019 and they will be counted on heavily this year.

Showing her versatility as a freshman, Molly Bollinger (Lima/Shawnee) hit .311 and fashioned an 8.32 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. Fellow sophomore Tabatha Koetter (Beavercreek) flashed the leather with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 72 chances at first base.