Steve Waers, a lefthanded pitcher from Meadowbrook High School, has decided to continue his baseball career and further his education at Mount Vernon Nazarene College.
"I am excited to have Steve join our core of pitchers," said MVNC head coach Keith Veale. "He adds balance to our righthand dominated staff. His strikeout to walk ratio is impressive. It shows that he has command of his pitches and is able to throw them past hitters."
Waers posted a 5-3 record in 1998 with a 1.92 earned run average. In 51 innings of work, he allowed just 24 walks while recording 86 strikeouts for an average of 11.8 per seven-inning game. Opponents hit just .163 against him for the season as he tossed two shutouts and four complete games.
Waers recorded double figures in strikeouts on four different occassions during the season. He fanned 16 batters in a victory over Indian Valley High School in his final appearance of the season. He also recorded 15 strikeouts in a 1-0 loss to Claymont High School.
Besides his pitching statistics, the Byesville native batted .322 with 29 hits in 90 at bats. He scored 27 runs and recorded 14 runs batted in, 10 doubles, and one triple.
For his efforts, Waers was selected to the East Central Ohio League First Team and the Eastern District First Team as both a junior and a senior. He also led his team to the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference championship in 1998.
MVNC posted a 37-12 overall record during the 1998 season. The Cougars also won their fourth straight Mid-Ohio Conference regular-season title and their ninth overall.
