Otterbein University Men's Baseball

Powell, who recently finished his 17th season at the helm of the Otterbein baseball program, has been one of the more successful coaches in the Ohio Athletic Conference throughout the past two decades. The Cardinals have finished among the top four teams in the OAC 11 times under Powell, including four NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 seasons at .500 or better. Powell recently spearheaded the Cards to the best single-season winning percentage in program history, guiding the 2016 group to a 32-11 overall record and OAC regular-season championship. They became the first to amass 30 wins prior to postseason play. Powell earned his 400th-career victory on April 5, 2016 when Otterbein claimed a 12-4 triumph at Baldwin Wallace, making him just the eighth taskmaster in league history to reach the milestone. He tallied his 300th win at Division I University of Cincinnati and his career overall record currently stands at 419-304. The Otterbein baseball program, under Powell's guidance, turned the corner in 2003 by winning the OAC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 1989.       In 2005, the Cardinals won their second OAC Tournament title in three years, receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in the process. Otterbeins run for a College World Series berth ended with a 5-4 loss to Wooster in the final of the Rose-Hulman Mideast Regional.        The 2006 season, however, was Coach Powells best, leading Otterbein to both the OAC regular-season and OAC Tournament titles. The squad set a record for wins in a season, 34, and fell one win short of making the eight-team NCAA Division III World Series, finishing second to eventual national champion Marietta in the Rose-Hulman Mideast Regional. Powell, for the third time in his career, was selected the Don Schaly OAC Coach of the Year. The Cards would carry the momentum over to 2007, entering the season ranked No. 1 in the country and going 32-13 en route to the OAC Tournament title, which secured Powell's fourth bid to the NCAA's.        A 1987 graduate of Westerville North High School, Powell played under Bob Haegele, and helped the Warriors finish second in the state championships in 1986. Continuing his playing career under Roger Ingles at Ohio Wesleyan, Powell was a four-time all-conference selection at first and third base, and a 1992 All-Mideast pick.        At Ohio Wesleyan, he helped lead the Battling Bishops to North Coast Athletic Conference titles in 1989 and 1992 as well as regional tournament berths from 1990-92. Powell was also named to the all-central region tournament team in Chicago in 1991. After college, Powell was an assistant coach under legendary Otterbein head coach Dick Fishbaugh from 1994-98. In 1999, he became pitching coach under Mike Florak for Youngstown State University. Powell spent his summers coaching as well. From 1995-1998, he coached Kirkersville American Legion Post 107, and in 1999, he was the pitching coach for the Delaware Cows in the talent-laden Great Lakes Collegiate League.        After the passing of Coach Fishbaugh in August 1999, Powell was asked to return as head coach for the Cardinals. When asked about his return, Powell said, You cant replace Fish, but Im going to do the best job I can to carry on and uphold the tradition he created over the past 34 years at Otterbein.