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COLLEGE BASEBALL
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VIDEO: Meet some of the players and see them in action
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
DAYTON — Getting from Springfield to Findlay is simple. Get on U.S. 68 and head north for 80 miles.
Few people know the trip better than University of Findlay fifth-year senior Ben Shelton, a 2003 graduate of Kenton Ridge High School.
Bryce Whittington (left), a former Kenton Ridge baseball player who is a starting pitcher for the University of Findlay, gets a high five between innings from teammate Matt Wilson, a Shawnee High School graduate, during a game against the University of Dayton on Tuesday, March 25. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic"Anywhere from an hour and 45 minutes to two hours and 15 minutes depending on the trucks," Shelton said.
Shelton started his 150th game in an Oilers uniform on Tuesday, March 25, as Findlay lost to the University of Dayton 13-3 at Time Warner Cable Stadium.
It was almost a home game for a team full of players sharing the same hometown. Shelton is one of nine local players on Findlay's roster, which reads like a Central Buckeye Conference all-star team. Shelton was also the first of those players to arrive in Findlay.
"I guess I opened the door," he said.
Including Shelton, the starting shortstop, Findlay's lineup on Tuesday featured six of those players: starting pitcher Bryce Whittington (Kenton Ridge); right fielder Kyle Blessing (Northwestern); designated hitter Jon Dollinger (Kenton Ridge); catcher Matt Wilson (Shawnee); and left fielder Spencer Ferst (Graham).
Kenton Ridge graduate Tyler Heskett didn't play because he had pitched three days earlier. Shawnee graduates Kyle Wilson and Phil Crisp came off the bench to pinch hit.
Despite five scoreless innings by Whittington in his first start of the season, the Oilers' record fell to 7-8. At least the Springfield-area fans, including former Kenton Ridge coach Tom Randall, who attended the game got their money's worth. There hasn't been a college team in recent memory with so much local talent.
Having that connection helps, Whittington said, because the team has strong relationships on and off the field.
"I like throwing a ball to Ben Shelton to be honest with you because I've played with him," Whittington said. "I know he's going to field the ball. You have a lot of confidence in your team when you know everybody as well as we do."
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.
