The 2024 Mighty Oaks baseball season kicks off in Marion, North Carolina this weekend. At the Big League Camp Complex, the OCU baseball team will play four games. Mid-Atlantic Christian and Toccoa Falls will be the opponents.
The games this weekend will take place on Friday and Saturday at the neutral site in North Carolina. On February 2 at 10 AM ET Mid-Atlantic Christian University will be the first opponent, Toccoa Falls College follows at 3 PM ET. The following day, the same teams will play at 12:30 PM ET and 3:00 PM.
A week later, Oakland City will host the first home games on the newly renovated field. Judson University will be travelling to Southern Indiana to take on the Mighty Oaks in a four-game series. The new field features brand new turf on the infield, as well as new dugouts, backstop netting and LED lights.
River States Conference
With the addition of IUPUC and Shawnee State to the River States Conference, the set up will be a little different in 2024. With twelve teams competing for the conference title, a total of eight teams qualify for the River States Conference Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio during the first week of May. The conference is split in a West and East division. The number one and two of both divisions automatically qualify for the tournament. The remaining eight teams will compete for the last four spots in a best-of-three series at the conclusion of the regular season. Number three on the West side of the bracket will take on the number six from the East, four from the West will play five from the East, etcetera.
The Mighty Oaks open up River States Conference play on March 1, when they host the Trailblazers of Ohio Christian University. The University of Rio Grande, Shawnee State University, Indiana University Kokomo, Midway University, Indiana University Southeast, IUPUC and Brescia University will be the opponents in the following weekends, leading up to the River States Conference Opening Round on April 26 and 27.
Roster
The coaching staff will be led by coach Andy Lasher, who is in his fourth year at the helm of the Oakland City Mighty Oaks. Coach
Jack Murphy returns for his third year as an assistant coach and coach
Dakota Greer has been added to the 2024 staff to be in charge of the pitchers.
The Mighty Oaks see a big chunk of their 2023 roster return for the 2024 campaign. The top three in hits category,
Sam Pinckert,
Noah Baugher and
Xander Willis all return to the roster. On the mound, we see
Gehrig Tenhumberg,
Benjamen Simmons and
Christian Burgrabe return who led the team in innings pitched last season. A good group of transfers and Freshmen have been added to complete a solid roster that will take the field for the Mighty Oaks in 2024.
