Baldwin-Wallace scored 20 unanswered points in the second half as it defeated Ohio Athletic Conference rival Muskingum University, 27-16, on Saturday at McConagha Stadium in New Concord.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets improved to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the OAC and reached the seven-win plateau for the first time since 2006. B-W is now tied for second place with No.12-ranked Ohio Northern University at 6-1 in the OAC and one game behind first place Mount Union (8-0, 7-0 OAC).

B-W piled up 211 total yards on the ground, including 100-plus yard games from North Ridgeville’s John McGraw and Parma Senior’s Tim Miker.

In the first quarter, B-W opened up the scoring at the 10:36 mark when Avon’s Ryan O’Rourke connected on a 27-yard touchdown pass to cap a 6-play, 84-yard drive. The key play on the drive was 41-yard completion on third down from O’Rourke.

O’Rourke threw his second touchdown of the game to Ashland’s Anthony Fairhurst on the first play of the fourth quarter.

B-W was led offensively by McGraw who carried the ball 19 times for 125 yards. Through the air, O’Rourke was 9 of 19 passing for 147 yards including three TD passes.

Elyria’s Mitch Tulk had three tackles for loss totaling 14 lost yards.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

It was no-brainer for Jake Neuschaefer.

It’s not often that you get the guarantee of starting in centerfield and batting leadoff for a Division I school.

So, before all the pressures of his senior season at Elyria High School on where he might attend college, he decided to avoid the burden, and verbally commit to play baseball at Kent State in the 2012 season.

"I had alot of weight on my shoulders with Ohio State wanting me to come down in a few weeks," Neuschaefer said. "I really didn’t want the scholarship to go away with Kent State, they have one of the top baseball programs in Ohio.

"I’ve worked hard to get to this point. I still have one more step in my goals and that’s playing at the Major League level."

Elyria head coach Mike Brandyberry feels he made the right choice.

"I think it’s a great decision for him, it’s a good school," Brandyberry said. "It’s something he’s worked hard at for a long time. I’m happy to see him achieving that goal and see him playing baseball for a long time now."

"I’m sure it’ll take some pressure off of him. He’s the kind of guys that puts distractions out of his way. I’m sure it was in the back of his mind, but if anybody that’s watched Jake play, knows he goes all out and gives it his all and lets the chips lay where they fall."

This past summer, Neuschaefer played for the North Coast Vipers after a stellar varsity season at Elyria.

He was an All-Morning Journal First Teamer, an All-Lorain County First Teamer, an All-Northeast Ohio First Teamer and was a NEOBCA First Team selection after hitting .428 with five home runs, 17 stolen bases and 31 RBIs.

Vipers teammate Sawyer Polen, who plays at Wooster Triway, also verbally committed to Kent State for the 2012 season. Other Vipers currently going to play college baseball are Elyria’s Kyle Salyan, who is going to Akron, and Brandon Grunda, who will play at Lake Erie College next season.

Jake’s brother Nolan Neuschaefer just finished a successful freshman season at Baldwin-Wallace, where he was named Outstanding Freshman and earned the Gold Glove Award.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Elyria's Jake Neuschaefer has verbally committed to play baseball at Kent State in the 2012 season. Neuschaefer will be entering his senior season at Elyria High.

This past summer, Neuschaefer played for the North Coast Vipers after a stellar varsity season at Elyria. He was an All-Morning Journal First Teamer, an All-Lorain County First Teamer, an All-Northeast Ohio First Teamer and was a NEOBCA First Team selection in just his junior year. He hit .428 on the season with five home runs, 17 stolen bases and 31 RBIs. He also drew 27 walks.

Vipers teammate Sawyer Polen, who plays at Wooster Triway, also verbally committed to Kent State for the 2012 season.

Jake's brother Nolan Neuschaefer just finished a successful freshman season at Baldwin-Wallace, where he was named Outstanding Freshman and earned the Gold Glove Award.

He batted .333 with 43 hits and an on-base percentage of .428 in 33 games from the leadoff spot. He led the team with 44 runs scored, four triples and 13 stolen bases.

Defensively, Neuschaefer was outstanding with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 88 chances. He also led the outfield with 85 putouts, adding three assists, and was on the front end of three double plays.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Scott Nealon

Chris Nealon

Avon Lake’s twin brothers Chris and Scott Nealon were named to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference baseball team.

Chris was tabbed as a second-team pick at first base and Scott was selected to the honorable mention squad as a designated hitter. The duo had their finest seasons as collegians this spring.

Chris led the Yellow Jackets with a .390 batting average (48-for-123) and three home runs and tied for the team lead with 10 doubles. Chris also recorded 29 RBIs and scored 22 runs. Defensively, he posted a fine .993 fielding average with 266 putouts and 12 assists. Chris also made five pitching appearances and logged 7 1/3 innings on the mound. In 69 career games, which include 53 starts, he batted .391 with 47 RBIs.

Scott hit .361 (48-of-133) with two home runs and 28 RBIs after moving from third base to designated hitter midway through the season. He also scored 24 runs, walked 10 times and stole five bases. In 91 career games, which include 66 starts, Scott hit .359 with three home runs and 59 RBIs.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Elyria's Nolan Neuschaefer was named Outstanding Freshman and earned the Gold Glove Award for his outstanding season at Baldwin-Wallace.

He batted .333 with 43 hits and an on-base percentage of .428 in 33 games from the leadoff spot. He led the team with 44 runs scored, four triples and 13 stolen bases.

Defensively, Neuschaefer was outstanding with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 88 chances. He also led the outfield with 85 putouts, adding three assists, and was on the front end of three double plays.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake's Chris Nealon was awarded the Big Stick Award for his outstanding season at Baldwin-Wallace this past season.

Nealon led the team with a .390 batting average and a .545 slugging percentage. Nealon had 48 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs and 29 RBIs. He also had a .436 on-base percentage and had the lowest strikeout percentage of anyone on the team.

He finished his career with a remarkable .391 batting average.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

BEREA, OHIO - Wellington’s Cody Kidd ended his baseball career at Baldwin-Wallace College Saturday, but will leave with plenty of records and accomplishments.

Kidd is the Yellow Jackets’ all-time leader in hits (184), runs scored (143), triples (14) and hit-by-pitches (25). He also holds the single-season records for runs scored (52), triples (six), and hit-by-pitches (13). He also has more stolen bases (62) and the highest batting average (.387) than any other Yellow Jacket during the 2000’s.

This season Kidd batted .413 (62-for-150) and had on-base percentage of .492. He hit 13 doubles, six triples and three home runs. His 52 runs scored led the team and he was second on the team with 40 RBIs. He also stole 23 bases this season.

Despite splitting an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with Wilmington College, Kidd hit a grand-slam home run to cap off his sensational baseball career at B-W on Seniors' Day at Heritage Field in Berea on Saturday. With the split, the Yellow Jackets finish the season at 19-19 overall and 8-10 in the OAC and had three 19-win seasons in the past four years.

Last year he was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American for the second-consecutive season. He was a co-captain last year and hit .386 and led the team with 34 runs scored and added 26 RBIs. He was named second team All-Ohio Athletic Conference and All-OAC Academic.

Other area players on the Yellow Jackets are: Scott Nealon and Chris Nealon (Avon Lake), Sam Wasylyshyn (North Ridgeville), Matt Bush (Midview), Colin Wright (Admiral King), Brenton Brada (Elyria), and Ben Kubuski (Elyria Catholic). Stay tuned for another update on B-W baseball.

swalker@MorningJournal.com