HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University baseball team is ranked No. 18 nationally in the latest NCAA Division II poll.
The Norse, who posted a 37-24 record and captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship last season, will begin the 2003 campaign on Feb. 22 with a doubleheader at Lincoln Memorial University.
NKU returns junior second baseman Shaun Erie, who collected a school-record 83 hits last season en route to a .352 batting average. Erie also scored 60 runs and had 12 doubles last year.
Senior shortstop Chris Osterkamp is also back after batting .326 last season. Osterkamp, the team captain, set a school record with 13 sacrifices last season, and he is one of the top fielding shortstops in the GLVC.
NKU will feature an outstanding pitching staff, led by returning starter Chris Unkraut (7-4 record in 2002, 2.63 earned run average) and closer Brandon Evans (5-0 record, three saves and a 2.05 ERA). The Norse also add an outstanding group of newcomers - featuring blue-chip recruits Geoff Freeborn and Mike Marksbury - who are expected to make an immediate impact on the mound.
NKU is picked as the co-favorite in the GLVC preseason coaches poll. The Norse shared the No. 1 position in the poll with the University of Indianapolis.
NKU finished with a No. 21 national ranking in the NCAA Division II poll last season.
Brandon Evans