Track and Field

On day one of the NCAC semi-finals Feb. 24 in Greencastle, IN, the women’s track and field team placed first of seven teams, while the men’s team placed sixth of eight overall. Also present at this championship was the women’s basketball team. All three teams cheered one another on throughout the events.

“If I’m being a little selfish, I will tell you Wittenberg’s track team was there too at the track meet but wasn’t at the basketball game,” Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Ray Appenheimer told the Review. “I really think [it] speaks to this place and this community. … We understand that the more supportive your community, the better your performance is going to be. … So much of what we do around here is ‘I see you … and I want to be here for you, and if there’s anything I can do to help support you, help challenge you, help build you up, I’m gonna do that for you.’ That’s not only a basketball or track thing, and it’s not only a department of Athletics thing — it’s an Oberlin thing. It is part of the fabric of this place, and it’s why we all choose to come here every single day.” (“Track and Field, Women’s Basketball Cheer Each Other On During NCAC Championships in Indiana,” The Oberlin Review, March 3, 2023)

Basketball

At the same NCAC tournament, the women’s basketball team defeated Wittenberg University 63–57 to advance to the finals, promoting them to the fourth seed in the conference. In the finals Feb. 25, Oberlin lost 79–71 to Ohio Wesleyan University’s Battling Bishops after a valiant effort. With just over 12 and a half minutes left in the game, the Yeowomen led by 11 points, but the third-seeded Battling Bishops ultimately upped their defense to win their sixth NCAC championship.

Lacrosse

Playing in poor weather conditions April 5, the women’s lacrosse team won its final non-conference game 15–5 before it entered a string of NCAC games.

“It was very sporadic, and in the moments of torrential rain, the game became very back-and-forth,” College third-year Audrey Koren told the Review. “Both teams had difficulty holding onto the ball because it was hard to see and everything was slippery. Once the rain would stop for a while, we did a good job regaining control and maintaining possession.” (“Women’s Lacrosse Defeats Baldwin Wallace,” The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2023)

Softball

The softball team ended its season April 26 with a 4–3 win in game two of a doubleheader against The College of Wooster. The game lasted nine innings. At the end of the seventh inning, the College of Wooster Fighting Scots and the Yeowomen were tied 1–1, but the Yeowomen pulled ahead in the bottom of the ninth with three additional runs. College first-year Hailey Alspach intercepted a steal during the game. Earlier this semester, Alspach spoke to the Review about her hopes for the team. “We have become an aggressive offensive team with a greater knowledge of how to handle certain defensive situations,” Alspach said. “Moving forward in the season, the team is really excited to see what we will be able to accomplish with everything we have learned. Hopefully, we’ll be able to show that this team is better at competing than last year and come out with more wins than before.” (“Despite Early Losses, Softball Optimistic for Season,” The Oberlin Review, March 10, 2023)

Baseball

Over spring break, the baseball team made a trip to Arizona for the Tucson Invitational, where the team won four games and lost three. During the team’s first matchup against Carleton College on the fifth day of the invitational, which Oberlin won 11–1, College third-year pitcher Vince Dolcemaschio won an NCAC award for his work on the mound. “[The trip] was awesome,” Dolcemaschio told the Review. “For me personally, baseball is my passion and number-one priority. Being able to only focus on baseball without the burden of school or homework was a pleasure. I wish every week could be like that.” (“Baseball, Softball Find Success During Spring Break Trips,” The Oberlin Review, March 31, 2023)

Tennis

The men’s tennis team won its final match before entering the NCAC tournament. This final win was an away game at Ohio Wesleyan University, and the final score was 8–1. Both the women’s and the men’s teams lost in the first round of the NCAC tournament — the men saw a 5–4 loss to Wabash College while the women lost with the same score to The College of Wooster.

Baseball Shines in the Desert

The Yeomen played seven games in Arizona, going 4–3 over the week. They started off with a high-scoring win over the California Institute of Technology before dropping both games of a double-header against Saint John’s University. The team bounced back with a rematch win against Caltech and finished the week with a win over Wesleyan University and a two-game split against Carleton College.

Fourth-year Jacob Thompson came through big on offense for Oberlin as he went 8–15 overall, with two triples in the second matchup against Caltech that ended in the seventh by mercy rule. Second-year Max Cairo went 6–18 and collected eight RBIs over the week with his biggest moment being a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning of the first Caltech game.

On the other side of the ball, Oberlin struggled with pitching and defense during the week, but it did have one dominant pitching performance from third-year Vince Dolcemaschio. The righthander tossed a complete game in the seven-inning contest against Caltech, allowing four hits, no walks, and just one unearned run to help lead the Yeomen to victory. The performance earned him a North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week Award. Dolcemaschio believes he played well while working with fourth-year catcher John Schooner.

“We had a good game plan going into the game in terms of sequencing and what kind of pitches we wanted to throw,” Dolcemaschio said. “It just came down to executing.”

Dolcemaschio, a California native, said it was not as warm in Tucson as the team anticipated, but that the week was still a highlight of the season.

“[The trip] was awesome,” he said. “For me personally, baseball is my passion and number-one priority. Being able to only focus on baseball without the burden of school or homework was a pleasure. I wish every week could be like that.”

The Yeomen picked up four wins, but Dolcemaschio feels the team could have posted an even better record in Arizona.

“We definitely let a couple games get away from us but we won’t dwell on it,” he said. “We’ll learn from the mistakes we made and move forward confidently. We have the right group of guys to make some noise this year in our conference.”

Oberlin is certainly poised to have a better season than last year when it went 7–29. After a win over Muskingum University on Tuesday after returning to Ohio, this year’s squad now sits at 6–6 overall. The Yeomen look to keep momentum going as they start conference play tomorrow with a home double-header against The College of Wooster.

Softball Battles in the Swamp

Oberlin’s softball team played eight games in central Florida — going 3–5 over that span. The team started off with losses to Grinnell College and Lawrence University but defeated Keuka College twice in the first half of the week. The Yeowomen then lost to the University of Wisconsin-Plattville, Colby College, and Middlebury College but picked up a close win against Washington and Jefferson College in the second portion of the week. The wins were the Yeowomen’s first of the season under Head Coach Julie Pratt.

The Yeowomen had trouble pitching during the week, which led to some tough losses. Still, third-year Katie Austin had a nice week on the mound, tossing complete games while allowing three runs or less in two of her four appearances.

On offense, Oberlin had several standouts. Third-year Alaina Di Dio went 15–25 with nine RBIs to lead her team. Di Dio’s scorching hot week earned her the NCAC Athlete of the Week Award. First-year catcher Kailey Dunham had a nice week going 10–23 while first-year Maria Chutko went 15–28 over the week. Chutko has embraced learning from coaches this season, but also values putting in work on her own to stay in good form.

“If I think there is something I could work on a little extra, I’ll take some time outside of practice to get reps in off a tee,” Chutko said.

Chutko carries an optimistic attitude on the field, which has allowed her to adjust well to the college game as a first-year player.

“I think that just playing to have fun has helped me,” she said. “It helps take extra pressure off during game time and reminds me that I am playing a sport that I have grown up loving, even if it is now at a higher level. Our upperclassmen do a good job of making us feel comfortable on the field as well.”

Like Dolcemaschio, Chutko values the intensive sport-focused environment of the trip and believes they still have work to do.

“I think the amount of softball we played allowed us to get lots of reps in a short amount of time to help us in preparation for the season,” she said. “The weather in Florida was amazing and we were able to play against some teams that we have never seen before. I have faith that we will see more wins as conference games come along, but our games in Florida have made us aware of our strengths and weaknesses for our future play. Coach Pratt has a lot of experience with the game of softball, and I think that she will take what she examined from our play in Florida and plan out what she wants us to work on.”

Third baseman José Ramírez, the heart and soul of the team since he broke out in 2016, will once again be expected to lead the team. The Dominican Republic native hit 29 home runs with a .355 on-base percentage last season, all while dealing with a thumb injury for a majority of the year. He also finished in the top 15 in the MLB in wins above replacement — a stat used to evaluate a player’s entire game that combines hitting, fielding, and baserunning statistics. Expect Ramírez to continue his remarkable career in Cleveland and compete for the American League MVP in 2023.

Venezuela native second-baseman Andrés Giménez is another player with extremely well rounded skills. The 24-year-old broke out last year in his first full Major League season and had a .371 on-base percentage with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He won a Gold Glove Award for his defense and finished with a 7.2 WAR — sixth in the league. Giménez just signed a seven-year extension to stay in Cleveland through the rest of the decade and has incredible potential

25-year-old Steven Kwan burst onto the scene in 2022 in his rookie year. The outfielder made the Opening Day roster last season and proceeded to put the bat on the ball all year. He led the team with his .298 batting average and .371 on-base percentage and struck out in just nine percent of his plate appearances — the league average is around 24 percent. Like Gimenéz, Kwan is a two-way player and earned a Gold Glove Award for his work in left field. Pitchers will have a lot of film on Kwan now, but his bat-toball ability should allow him to remain one of the best pure hitters in the league.

Other position players to watch out for include first basemen Josh Bell and Josh Naylor, who will look to add some power to Cleveland’s lineup. Shortstop Amed Rosario and outfielder Oscar Gonzalez will look to build off of 2022 seasons in which they racked up hits. A potential breakout player for the Guardians is outfielder Will Brennan, who quickly rose through the minors in 2022 and found himself batting in pivotal moments in the playoffs last October.

The pitching staff is led by Shane Bieber, who has proven himself as one of the best starters in the game when healthy. He won the 2020 American League Cy Young Award and had a great season in 2022 with a 2.88 ERA and two solid playoff appearances. Bieber’s slider and curveball remain some of the hardest pitches to hit in the game, and he is in position for another successful year.

Triston McKenzie, another key pitcher, will unfortunately be sidelined with a shoulder injury for up to the first eight weeks of the season after having a fantastic 2022 season. Closer Emmanuel Clase, who throws a 100 mile per hour cutter and won American League Reliever of the Year in 2022 while leading the league in saves, will likely continue to make hitters look foolish this year. A pitcher we could see breaking out for the Guardians is reliever Tim Herrin, who throws a fastball in the high 90s and a devastating slider.

If you are looking for good times to see these players, the Guardians have a number of big matchups to open the season. They host the Mariners in the first weekend of their home schedule from April 7–9 and face Aaron Judge and the Yankees the following week from April 10–12. As the calendar flips to May, Cleveland will host the division rival Minnesota Twins from May 5–7 and Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels from May 12–14.

In addition, the MLB also expanded the Wild Card Series, which grew from a one-game playoff series to a best-of-three series. In both the American and National League Wild Card Series, the visitors of the first game in their respective series ended up on top, with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Seattle Mariners winning their first two games and the San Diego Padres winning their first and third games.

Broadening the playing field allows the opportunity for more underdog teams. Fans seem to thrive on this story: the team that is expected to lose miraculously pulls out an upset and takes down the expected victors. Nearly all sports movies revolve around the premise of a mismatched yet lovable team defying the odds and coming out on top over the best of the best. Movie watchers enjoy this plot thoroughly, and their feelings are magnified when the underdog story unfolds in professional sports. The story evokes empathy, and fans feel satisfaction when the underdog wins (provided they are not active fans of the other team).

Despite the change to MLB, the American League had no surprises. The Tampa Bay Rays snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed, but were swept in the first American League Wild Card Series by the third seed Guardians, a team that would’ve automatically been in the Divisional Round in past years. Meanwhile, the fifth seed Mariners swept the fourth seed Toronto Blue Jays, earning themselves a clash with the first seed Houston Astros.

However, expanding the playoffs made a significant impact on the National League Playoffs. In the professional sports world, underdog stories occur with some regularity, but rarely at the magnitude of this year’s playoffs.

In the Wild Card Series, the Padres, the National League’s fifth seed, took down the fourth seed New York Mets before upsetting the first seed Los Angeles Dodgers 3–1 in the Divisional Series.The Phillies earned the sixth seed by just one game over the Milwaukee Brewers and have made the most of their opportunity thus far. The Phillies swept the third seed St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series before taking down the second seed Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series and the Padres in the Conference Series. The Phillies lost just one game in each of their last two series, defeating the Braves 3–1 in a best-of-five series and the Padres 4–1 in a best-of-seven series. As of Nov. 4, the Phillies are just two games away from becoming World Champions, although the Astros, last year’s runner-up, are in a 3–2 lead.

Baseball fans are currently tuning in to witness the Phillies’ unlikely ascent to the top of baseball at rates that prove the new changes to the MLB postseason are a success. Over the course of the 2022 playoffs, compared to the 2021 playoffs, the amount of 18 to 34-year-old fans watching rose 22 percent, along with a 9 percent increase in viewership of people 17 and younger, and ratings for the 2022 Divisional Series were up 21 percent from the 2021 Divisional Series, with 3.4 million people on average tuning in. These trends are promising for the MLB and the future of baseball, which relies on young people to carry the fame and legacy of the sport.

“Every match, I have to be mentally prepared to play, and then I’ll just sit and wait for literally four or five hours not knowing whether or not I’ll play that day,” said Amelia Bronfman, a second-year on the women’s tennis team. “I just have to cheer everyone else on and try to support everyone else as best I can.” 

Bronfman walked on to the tennis team last spring, and has faced difficulty getting put in the lineup since. She mentioned that because she doesn’t often get included in the lineup, whether or not she gets to play in a match relies heavily on a number of factors, including timing of the “real” matches and court availability. 

Isa Morales, a first-year goalkeeper on the women’s soccer team, has faced similar difficulties getting playing time. She talked about the ways in which coaches interact differently with starting players than with players who get less game time. 

“When a coach has kind of set their mind on who the starter is going to be, they treat the other goalkeepers very differently,” Morales said. “We don’t really get much feedback, much constructive criticism, anything like that.” 

Bronfman mentioned that her coach often has individual practices with starting players that he doesn’t have with her. Additionally, her coach occasionally asks her not to come to practice so that the numbers work out better for drills. She talked about how the dynamic between her and her coach is different from the dynamic he has with other players on the team.

“I think that [my coach] can be a little bit tougher on the people who don’t play as much,” Bronfman said. “I think he puts more time and energy and affection toward the people who usually win him a lot, but I don’t think he means it. I think it’s unconscious.” 

Jack Page is a first-year on the men’s baseball team who walked on to the team in the fall. He’s been practicing and playing with the Junior Varsity team and consequently hasn’t had many opportunities to log official game minutes. He pointed out that while there is some differential treatment on his team, he thinks it’s best for the team as a whole. 

“In season there is definitely more focused coaching on my teammates who get more playing time, but that’s what gives us the best chance to win,” Page wrote in an email to the Review. “We’re all held to the same standards.”

Morales also talked about the ways in which her role on the team can change the way that her teammates interact with her.

“Outside of the field, I’m friends with everyone on the team,” Morales said. “But when we’re in practice, I sometimes feel like since I’m not a starting goalkeeper [and] I haven’t gotten any minutes in, they don’t take me as seriously when they’re on my side during drills.” 

Bronfman agreed with Morales, making sure to distinguish between the intentions and actions of her teammates and the role played by the culture of her sport. 

“Even though my coach and my teammates try really hard to include me and make me feel like I really am a member of the team, I just feel like the culture that we live in makes it impossible for them to see me as valuable or as equal,” Bronfman said. “I don’t think that’s necessarily their fault, but that doesn’t mean that that makes me feel any better about it.”

Both Morales and Bronfman mentioned that their role as a bench player, combined with the differing treatment from coaches and teammates, has limited their opportunities to grow within their sport. 

“The better people get more chances to get better, and if you’re not as good, you don’t get the chances,” Bronfman said. “I can only imagine how much more I would have improved if I had had equal time like that.” 

Despite having fewer opportunities to make a difference on the field, the court, or the track, bench players still contribute to the team and to the team spirit. When the bench players cheer on teammates and support them, the mood and energy on the field can pick up dramatically. Morales even mentioned that being a step removed from the action can give bench players a unique perspective on the game. 

“I think my biggest role right now is supporting my teammates, more than anything,” she said. “Even if I’m not physically on the field during games, I want to be cheering them on. I want to be as much help as possible, especially with the goalkeeper that is playing.” 

Despite the difficulties that come with being a bench player, these players still have the same love for their sports as starting players, and they still benefit from the team environment. Morales spoke on this feeling. 

“I still do really love being part of the team, and I don’t think not playing is something that is going to deter me from being a part of the team,” she said. “It’s motivated me to do more — I’m very excited for next year, I’m very excited to keep trying.” 

Page agreed. He wrote about how while he’s not a starting player, he feels like his job is to just do what he can until the day comes when he’s needed. 

“The other guys on the team, no matter their role, are my friends, my teammates,” Page wrote. “I’ll do whatever I can to help put them, myself, and our team in the best situation. Whether that is in the field or off, I can cheer them on and do what I can to help us all get better.”

College second-year on the lacrosse and soccer teams Maya Blevins explained that team activities had to be adjusted in accordance with ObieSafe regulations. Specifically, the women’s lacrosse team had to forfeit this past week due to an abnormally low number of field players, as many players are in isolation for COVID-19 exposure and miscellaneous injuries. 

“We had to cancel a game this past Saturday against DePauw,” Blevins wrote in an email to the Review. “We also had to miss two days of practice and made lift optional. Usually, we do film all together in the gym classroom, but instead, we were sent times to watch individually. Of course it has been very disappointing to lose time to be together, especially so close to the end of our season, but fortunately, throughout the majority of our season, we were mostly unaffected by COVID-19.”

Fourth-year lacrosse player Kiernan Stone believes that his team hasn’t been extremely affected by the rise in COVID cases on campus, but have had a couple players on the roster test positive.

“COVID’s affected our season a little bit this semester, but we’ve been pretty lucky so far,” he said. “We’ve only had a couple cases recently, so we missed a couple guys here and there, but we’ve been fortunate enough to not have widespread numbers throughout our team.”

In December 2021, when cases were rising on campus due to the Omicron variant, the team was worried that they wouldn’t be able to start their pre-season practices. Fortunately for them, by the time the squad returned to campus in January the numbers had dissipated.

In response to the rise in cases, Oberlin Athletics will continue to uphold the ObieSafe regulations implemented on April 21, keeping athletic facilities open with social distancing. The mask requirement was put back in place, with student-athletes required to wear masks during indoor meetings and in the weight room. However, in continuation with previous regulations, student-athletes are exempt from wearing masks during practice and competition. 

Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Physical Education Natalie Winkelfoos added that Oberlin Athletics will not be adding additional testing and will try to reschedule games that are canceled as a result of weather or COVID-19. 

“We will not be doing any additional testing, … staying the course with the guidelines that are in place today,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “Whether games are postponed/canceled due to weather or COVID-19, we always do our best to reschedule games.”

At this point, the women’s lacrosse team is used to being flexible regarding changes due to the pandemic. After experiencing a season cancellation and shortened season, the team is grateful for any day they get to play the game that they love. 

“Our team knows best the sharp adjustments that come with the pandemic,” Blevins wrote. “In 2020, the lacrosse season was cut short when Oberlin students got sent home. In 2021, we only got to play four games and wore masks while playing. I think this has made my team even more grateful for the times we do get to be together. Before every game, we remind ourselves that we never know what could happen tomorrow, so we have to give everything we have today.” 

Similarly, Stone knows what it’s like to have to navigate the pandemic with sports and emphasizes the importance of valuing your time with your teammates. In his, Stone was sent home in March of 2020 like the rest of campus, resulting in his season being cut short, and only got to play half of a regular season in 2021 when the College reinstated athletic competition. 

“We know things can change at any given moment, so we gotta play every moment as if it were our last,” he said. “All we can do is hope for the best, knowing that things could change right away. Cherishing the time that we have together is what keeps us going.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

How long have you played baseball? Why did you choose to play at Oberlin?

I’ve been playing since I was five years old, so about 17 years. I knew I really wanted to play college baseball when I was in high school, and Oberlin was a good school. When I was looking into colleges, I didn’t realize at the time that baseball would bring me to a place that I’d actually really enjoy or would allow me to explore so many different opportunities. Oberlin has more to it than just being a good school. When I initially came here, I wanted to do the 3-2 Engineering program, but Oberlin showed me that I actually have other interests. I’ve always been passionate about the environment, and just declared an Environmental Studies major in addition to Economics. I never could have anticipated being on the path that I am now. 

Was it jarring to be expected to take a leading role after quite a bit of time off? 

The last time I was here, I was a first-year and essentially had no say on the team. This year, people look up to me to set an example. If nothing else, I definitely try to lead by example everyday. I don’t necessarily want people to listen to what I say, I just want them to go the extra mile. Not only as baseball players, but as decent humans, cleaning up after ourselves, and working hard after practice to be the best versions of ourselves.

What are you looking forward to as the season progresses?

We missed two years, so our team is very young. This year is a huge development year; there’s so much we’re missing just from lack of experience. Learning and getting better with each game is the most important thing for us. Most of us older players have also been pushing to be not just good players on the field, but off the field, too. We’re trying to hold our teammates more accountable for their actions off the field, which is just as important as getting better as athletes. This is a growing season for us. We want to be the best team we can be, but I also strive for us to be the best people we can be.

Recently you’ve been outspoken about changing the culture of the baseball team, including scheduling a meeting with Survivors of Sexual Harm and Allies. What do you hope to get out of this meeting? What do you hope for the future of the program beyond baseball?

I want our younger players to get exposure to ways they can better themselves. SOSHA has great insight into sexual harm and sexual health. So if we have the opportunity to go above and beyond, we have to seek that out. I’m in the process of trying to get everyone to go to the One Love workshop this Sunday that the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has helped put together.

What are you interested in outside of baseball?

My teammates kinda make fun of me for it, but I really like soccer. My roommate and I announced both the men’s and women’s soccer games this year and that was super fun for us. I also played in the intramural soccer league when I had the time. Other than that, I was a sustainability engineer this past Winter Term, which combined both of my interests and taught me a lot about what I want to pursue in the future.

Fall Sports

Volleyball: Each year, the volleyball team throws a fall formal called Volley Ball. Teammates bring a date, dress up, and take pictures just as if it were a school ball. In addition to this major team event, third-year Lucy Myers described a smaller-scale tradition: whenever the team goes to away games, each athlete is paired with a “psych buddy” during the trip. Before getting onto the bus they give each other a gift such as a note or a snack, or as Myers puts it, “something to hype them up.”

Cross country: Third-year Chase Sortor described an  event where teammates anonymously submit a crazy story from their life, to be read while roasting marshmallows over the fire for s’mores. While one person reads a story aloud, the rest of the group must try to match the story to the teammate. “It’s confusing, and you learn insane stuff about people, such as riding their bike naked,” Sortor said. “It’s a fun one.”

Football: Big Brother/Little Brother is a tradition that second-year Jack Diskin adores. At the beginning of the season, each teammate is assigned a big or little brother. “When one guy gets knocked down, we are there to help them up, and it teaches us to appreciate the relationships we have within our team,” Diskin said. “It allows us to be vulnerable with someone else, which is hard for football players to do, and that alone helps strengthen our bond, making it easier to trust one another on and off the field.”

Field hockey: Second-year Ruby Schreiber’s favorite field hockey tradition is Teamsgiving, which takes place right before fall break at the end of the field hockey season. Teamsgiving is a potluck where teammates and coaches bring a dish they enjoy cooking and hand out paper plate awards to the team based on inside jokes they’ve formed over the season. “The food is really good. I know we have some good chefs on our team,” Schreiber said. More importantly, it’s her favorite tradition because it’s the last time all her teammates and coaches are together as a team for the season. 

Soccer: The women’s and men’s soccer teams have a tight bond — in the past, they’ve thrown a wedding, a prom, and a dress-up-as-decades night together. Fourth-year Belle Smith’s favorite tradition is prom, which happens in the spring. Athletes on the men’s and women’s teams put on their favorite formal attire or go thrifting to find an outfit. To Smith, it reaffirms athletes’ love of soccer during the offseason. “It’s like getting back together and bonding over soccer again,” she said. “Everyone who quit is still invited to come.”

Winter Sports

Basketball: One of the first tasks second-year Jaedyn O’Reilly was assigned during her first season on the team was to read The Hard Hat: 21 Ways to be a Great Teammate by Jon Gordon. Each week during the season, one teammate is awarded the hard hat, which is a white hard hat that acts as a canvas for students to write on.“Whoever gets the hard hat [that week] adds a word or phrase that explains why the next person deserves it,” said O’Reilly. “By the end of the season, the hard hat is covered with different ways our team have been good teammates to each other.”

The men’s basketball team, on the other hand, sticks with traditions on game day. Ten minutes before tipoff, the team huddles together to discuss and finalize their game plan. All day before going on the court, they wear their team tracksuits. “We all love game day,” said second-year Adel Dibael. “Wearing our sacred track suits on game day makes us feel very special and a part of something bigger.” 

Swim and dive: This year’s swim and dive Friendsgiving was done before conferences instead of over fall break. Friendsgiving, similar to field hockey’s Teamsgiving, is a team-wide potluck dinner that happens each year at Swim House. Second-year Anika Kennedy explained that each teammate must bring either an appetizer, an entrée, or a dessert to the event. 

Spring Sports

Tennis:

Each year, the men’s and women’s tennis teams celebrate Halloween together. “One of the most memorable years was when half of us dressed up as Average Joe’s and the other half as Globo Gym, the two rival teams in the movie Dodgeball,” recalled fourth-year James Dill. A smaller tradition Dill mentioned was the memorable quotes written throughout the years on the locker room chalkboard. “One of my favorite items is a drawing of a wizard, who is described as being ‘ashamed of his squib (non-magical) son.’”

Lacrosse: As explained by second-years Maya Blevins, Kaela Wilson, and Aidan Loh, each year the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams come together for a country-themed wedding. Everyone dresses up for the occasion, and teammates are assigned to characters — a bride and groom, ring bearers, bridesmaids, a maid of honor, a best man, the congregation, and, of course, an officiator. There is even a wedding cake at the end to celebrate the marriage.

Baseball: One nickname the baseball team calls itself is “The Mules.” Why mules? Because mules can’t breed. “Our team is known to have been very bad in the past,” said second-year Jay Aghanya. Apparently, many years ago, a coach from a school in the NCAC conference said that Oberlin’s baseball team was “so bad that they shouldn’t be able to reproduce.” The team now makes a joke of it. “We would say we’re the mules so we don’t have any bad generations in the future,” said Aghanya.

Softball: Before each game, the team huddles in a circle around some members in the middle to do the Yeo Baby cheer: “Can I get a yeo? Can I get a yeo baby? Can I get a yeo baby yeo baby yeo!” “It’s the thing that gets us hyped up for the game, gets us into a good headspace, and hopefully intimidates the opponent a little bit,” said third-year Kathyrn Beeman.

Track and field: Similar to softball, the track and field team also does the Yeo Baby cheer during their meets. “Every other [competing] team hates us for it,” second-year Jon Dromlewicz said. With a large team, the cheer can become extremely loud when there are groups of Obies scattered around the track. Dromlewicz clarified that Yeo Baby is usually done during relays and finals toward the end of the race as a final encouragement to those competing. 

Club Sports

Rugby: “We have a special naming process for the rookies each semester… we always have to call each other by our nicknames or you have to do a push-up,” said second-year Gillian Shin. For the Rhinos, the women and trans rugby team on campus, each teammate is given a nickname when they first join. How they come up with the names is very secretive, but nicknames are unanimously agreed upon by the team. 

Frisbee: A yearly tradition between the Preying Manti and the Flying Horsecows is Flat Crawl. Second-year Alea Strasser explained that in Flat Crawl, two people are tied to each other to compete in two- or three-legged races from one house to the next, and the first group that gets to the last house wins the game. “It helps form friendships between the teams,” Strasser said. At this year’s Flat Crawl, Strasser and her friend won second place. 

First-year pitcher Jack Page highlighted that having such a large roster has fostered the right amount of friendly competition between team members.

“We’ve only had one scrimmage and we had an emphasis that anyone can play from game to game,” he said. “We have 51 games — which is a lot — meaning many of the players will have tired arms for pitching. Anyone has to be ready.”

The extensive roster is beyond the 40-player travel cap implemented by the NCAA, and as such, the team was split into developmental and varsity squads. Which team a player is on can vary from game to game. Despite the competition for a spot on the varsity team, every player is pushing each other to be the best they can.

“The older guys who may be on the cusp between [developmental and varsity] will help us try to get better, and if we have the ability, we’ll try to push them to get better as well,” Page said. “We even have cage wars in practice to make it feel more like a game.”

Page believes that the friendly environment the team has established enables the Yeomen to push each other as they look to a building season. Assistant Coach Jonathan Ray echoes the importance of not actively competing with teammates but still pushing each other to become the best players they can be.

“With our guys, the main goal is for them to focus on attacking their opportunities,” Ray said. “Baseball has a lot of one-on-one opportunities within a team sport. We want a highly competitive practice but want them to be rooting for each other. If they’re struggling, they know they can hand the ball to any other pitcher on the team. There’s a huge focus on building trust with each other.”

The Yeomen, who were ranked last in the North Coast Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, look to keep the conference on its toes with fresh talent and a roster that varies from game to game.

“Our expectation with this group is that they’re inexperienced, and there could be some fluctuation in the line-up,” Ray said. “We’ve been proud of the effort and focus, and feel good about where the team is at. We’re playing a lot of developmental games and providing a lot of opportunities for individuals to build.”

Although there are benefits to having such a huge roster this year, this tactic calls into question the ability for the team’s leadership to maintain cohesion. Despite this, the coaching staff remains optimistic in the leadership of the upperclassmen, particularly the seniors.

“Our senior class has been great — the only class that was here for a full season,” Ray said. “They lead in their own ways, and the younger guys have an opportunity to gravitate toward the leadership style they respond to.”

Right-handed pitcher and fifth-year Nick Dawkins, tries to use his experience to set expectations for the young roster.

“I like to lead by example and give advice for off the field,” Dawkins said. “I provide a lot of insight into opponents as well. We had a scrimmage against [The College of] Wooster and I tried to talk everyone through what it’s like to play in the conference.”

Still, the Yeomen know that the conference underestimates their talent, which requires them to focus on keeping their goals in sight and coming out tenaciously this season.

“At practice or a game, I get on people about what they’re doing so they can stay laser focused on the goal,” Dawkins said. “It’s created a great culture where people have started to call out others when they’re not paying attention so we can keep our goals in sight.”

The culture shift for the veteran baseball players this coming season is very hopeful.

“The culture is 100 percent different than what I’ve seen in the past, one reason being the older people trying to get better on their own,” Dawkins said. “Juniors and seniors stay back to hit more, and underclassmen follow suit. One thing I want to develop this sea- son is maintaining focus and intensity through a weekend series. If we develop that focus we have a shot to be a really good team.”

The Yeomen have the work ethic and team culture to come out strong and to capitalize on being an unknown force in the conference and the division. The team looks to best Berea College, which currently stands at 1–5, in its season opener today.