Baseball team looks for strong finish

The Ottawa University Braves have accumulated a record of 12 wins and only four losses so far in conference play.

The team was ranked first out of ten Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference teams.

"The team is playing hard and is on a mission to win KCAC this season and move beyond," said head coach Joe Reed. "The conference is good, the nonconference games we have played and will play is one of the more demanding of most teams around here which will help prepare us for the playoffs, provided we are blessed with the opportunity to do so."

The Braves are taking their wins day-by-day, game-by-game and opponent by opponent to continue to advance to their goal of winning the KCAC championship.

"The team is playing with a lot of confidence and have been fortunate that some games have gone our way," Reed said. "And good Lord willing we will be in the hunt for the KCAC title and move through nationals."

With some of the success the Braves have had this season, they have also had players on the team who have been recognized for their talents. The team has had a few athletes earn KCAC player of the week.

Junior outfielder Josh Sturm said he was keeping his focus while being honored as player of the week for the first time.

"I had no idea that I was even up to receive player of the week but it's really not that big of deal for me," he said. "I just go out and try to play my best each and every day to help
give my team a chance to win and this particular week I happened to have a good one."

Junior Ruben Olaguez also received the honor for the KCAC position player of the week. He is an outfielder and also a left handed pitcher.

"It made me feel good about myself to become a KCAC player of the week because I proved to myself that I could make an impact on our team and help us win," Olaguez
said.

Junior Gustavo Sanchez, a business major, received KCAC pitcher of the week.

"It made me feel good, and it made me feel proud of my teammates who are the ones who helped me every time I am pitching," he said.

Other OU baseball players who have received KCAC awards are pitchers Steve Marks and Cole Meeks, and infielder Spencer Augustine.