When Sinclair Community College baseball coach Steve Dintaman talked about the Tartan Pride’s 2-4 start to the 2010 season, his words centered on a lack of warm weather.
“I still feel like we were prepared,” Dintaman said. “No one ever swings well in the cold. The nicer it gets, the more your guys start swinging the bats.”
Sinclair (21-5) responded to an improved temperature with a 13-game winning streak last month. As of April 2, the Tartan Pride had won 19 of their last 20 games. Sinclair’s winning ways have not gone unnoticed.
For the first time in school history, the Tartan Pride earned a spot on the NJCAA Division II top-ten poll with a No. 9 ranking.
Through 26 games, Byron Johann (.432 batting average), Justin Marrero (.407) and Zach Stewart (.356) have led an offense that is averaging 8.5 runs per game. Together, the Tartan Pride has a team batting average of .362.
“Offensively, we’ve been great all year. Our numbers are huge and we’ll probably break every record that’s been held before,” Dintaman said. “This team will kick you in the teeth.”
Sinclair’s pitching staff has a collective 3.53 earned run average, as of March 31. Dintaman said his pitchers, especially the bullpen, have been outstanding all year long. From March 14 through March 18, the Tartan Pride pitching staff tossed 31 consecutive shutout innings over a five-game span.
“We’re just challenging guys,” he said. “Guys just stepped up. We’ve been throwing it real well.”
The top of the Sinclair bullpen has been nearly untouchable, as Matt Addis and Chuck Calhoun have combined for 30.1 innings, allowing 13 hits, two earned runs, 43 strikeouts and three saves.
“Calhoun and Addis have stepped up to be our best guys out of the bullpen,” Dintaman said. “All year long, they’ve been put in situations where they have been successful and have done a great job.”
As Sinclair enters conference play, the Tartan Pride will be dealing with a few subtractions. Pitcher Justin Schultheiss continues to deal with a rolled ankle that he sustained in early March and pitcher Zach Botjer came down with a shoulder injury. Dintaman said Schultheiss is expected back sometime this week and the length of Botjer’s absence is undetermined.
Dintaman also addressed the suspension of three undisclosed starters. Dintaman said three of his everyday players recorded less than a 2.25 grade-point average over the winter, which earns a two-week suspension.
“We’ve had some setbacks with depth, but I think everybody is on the same page,” he said. “We’re still in line to compete for the conference championship. There’s no doubt about it. Different guys have to step up and they’re capable of doing that.”
Dintaman said the icing on this year’s cake is the conference tournament, which Sinclair is hosting at Grady’s Field in Xenia. The tournament is scheduled for the weekend of April 30.
“We still want to win the regular season championship, but we want to get all of our guys ready for that conference tournament,” he said. “We’re going to score runs regardless, so pitching is what it comes down to.”