The No. 2 seed Baldwin Wallace University baseball team captured the 2026 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Baseball Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon with a 5–1 win over No. 3 Ohio Northern University at Rafeld-Rogers Field.

The championship marks Baldwin Wallace’s third consecutive OAC Tournament title and the fifth in program history, while securing the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament.

Ohio Northern wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, plating a run in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff single and stolen base, the Polar Bears capitalized with an RBI base hit to take an early 1–0 lead.

Baldwin Wallace responded in the bottom of the second inning. Reid Fleming drove in a run with a single to right field to tie the game before Matt Terzola followed with another RBI single, giving the Yellow Jackets a 2–1 edge.

The game remained tight through the middle innings as Ohio Northern continued to put runners on base and apply pressure offensively. Baldwin Wallace then broke the contest open in the fifth inning, stringing together three straight RBI singles from Ryan Gordon, Carson Petrecca, and Mario Escano to extend the lead to 5–1.

Ohio Northern recorded 10 hits in the championship game and collected multiple hits from several spots in its lineup, but the Polar Bears were unable to convert additional scoring opportunities as Baldwin Wallace’s pitching staff worked out of traffic throughout the game.

After starter Tyler Vogel opened the contest, Nolan Kellicker earned the win in relief for Baldwin Wallace, throwing four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Aidan Nitsche closed the game with four shutout innings to earn the save.

Baldwin Wallace finished with 10 hits and played error-free baseball in the title game, improving to 31–10, while Ohio Northern concluded an impressive tournament run with a 29–15 overall record.

Top Performers

Baldwin Wallace

• Matt Terzola: Went 2-for-3 with an RBI, recording a multi-hit performance in the championship.
• Ryan Gordon: Finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Nolan Kellicker: Picked up the win with four scoreless innings of relief, striking out three.
• Aidan Nitsche: Earned the save after tossing four shutout innings.

Ohio Northern

• Kyler Lapp: Drove in the Polar Bears’ lone run and finished with multiple hits.
• Andrew Stechschulte: Recorded three hits and consistently set the table offensively for ONU.
• ONU Pitching Staff: Limited Baldwin Wallace to five runs while keeping the game within reach into the late innings.

Tournament Notes

• Baldwin Wallace won its third straight OAC Baseball Tournament championship.
• The Yellow Jackets earned the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament.
• Ohio Northern advanced to the championship game after forcing a winner-take-all contest, highlighted by wins over Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace earlier in the tournament.
• The Polar Bears finished the tournament with multiple comeback victories and double-digit hits in the championship game.
• Baldwin Wallace and Ohio Northern met three times over the final two days of the tournament, showcasing one of the OAC’s top postseason rivalries.

All-Tournament Team

Brit Kostura (OAC Tournament MVP)- Baldwin Wallace
Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider- Baldwin Wallace
Matt Terzola- Baldwin Wallace
Matt Moscarino- Baldwin Wallace
Nolan Kellicker- Baldwin Wallace
Carson Stevens- Ohio Northern
Tyler Rinehart- Ohio Northern
Drew Tolfree- Ohio Northern
Andrew Stechschulte- Ohio Northern
Ty Dennison- Mount Union
Chris Tsouras- Mount Union
Daniel Tome III- Mount Union
Grant Mellerson- Muskingum 
Colten Muhlenkamp- Muskingum