Photo Courtesy of www.salamancany.org
Gearing up for the 2018-2019 spring season, Ottawa University is looking to excel in its second semester athletics and improve on an already impressive resume. With some sports carrying their season from the fall into the spring, there are sports that are just now kicking off their season.
Baseball
First-year head coach Gabriel Grinder plans for improvement on the Braves’ underwhelming record of 17-28 last year. Grinder plans to instill a winning culture, and to do that, he has brought in a talented coaching staff to make that happen. The Braves started off the season with an impressive series at Williams Baptist and have just recently begun conference. They hold a record of 4-6 with a 1-5 record in conference and plan on only going up from there.
Men’s Lacrosse
Men’s lacrosse will open up their season on March 2. They will play an away game at Missouri Baptist University and hope to continue on their positive record of 6-5 last year. First year head coach Seth Matlock will look to make the team even more successful this year.
Men’s Volleyball
After spending three years as the assistant coach for OU, Tom Sorensen finally gets his chance this year as head coach. So far, he has led the team to an excellent record of 8-3, including defeating two top ten ranked teams. Volleyball hopes this success rolls over into March and into the NAIA playoffs.
Women’s Lacrosse
After a disappointing loss to start the season, women’s lacrosse will look to bounce back strong going into March under first-year head coach Samantha Aucoin. With a freshman-filled roster and an eagerness to excel, lacrosse will look to start off their success with a road win against Lindenwood University-Belleville in Illinois March 1.
Softball
Jay Kahnt is in his 18th season as head softball coach. Coach Kahnt boasts the most wins in OU athletic history and hopes to extend his impressive resume into the 2018-2019 season. Softball currently has a record of 6-4 and will look to continue their winning legacy this year in hopes of returning to their fifth NAIA National Tournament.
Men and Women’s Tennis
Men and women’s tennis expects to have exceptional seasons under third-year head coach Scott Enge. Under Enge's leadership, the Braves broke seven school records and won a KCAC Tournament match for the first time since 1991. The men’s team has a record of 1-2 and the women’s team hopes to turn it around sitting at a record of 0-3.
Men and Women’s Track and Field
Coach Jim Whittaker is in his third year of coaching at Ottawa University. In his time at OU, he has coached 14 indoor All-KCAC performers and 20 outdoor All-KCAC performers and one All-American. In their first meet and Northwest Missouri State, the men placed 7th of 12th and the women placed 10th of 13th.