World Series Wins Cap Home Run Season for UC Clermont Cougars

The UC Clermont Cougars ended a successful season by placing second in the 2016 Small College World Series in Glen Falls, New York, May 8-12. A number of Cougar players also received individual honors during the USCAA Baseball All-American Banquet, held in conjunction with the World Series games.

Freshmen Jake Murray (Colerain) and Spencer Henn (Colerain) were named 1st Team All-Americans, while Kyle Miller (Wilmington) was named 2nd Team All-American. Miller was also named an Academic All-American, along with teammate Grant Christman (Little Miami). Danny Tringleof (Loveland) was runner-up in the USCAA Home Run Derby. 

Murray, who has played baseball since age 6 and is now a center fielder and catcher for the Cougars, saw the honor as a personal highlight. “Even though I'm only a freshman, my journey through college baseball has been long, and it was really humbling knowing that all the work I've put in has been worth it,” says Murray, who enjoyed the entire World Series experience. “It was great getting on the road with the guys and knowing that we were playing for something big. I love all my teammates, and to go as far as we did was awesome.” 

For Head Coach Keith Bauman, who has been with the baseball program since its inception in 2008, the team’s recent success is particularly welcomed. The Cougars won the National Championship in 2013, and have returned to the Small College World Series each of the three years since, finishing as runners-up in 2014 and 2016. The 2013 building of Brian Wilson Field in Batavia as the team’s home field has been instrumental in building the program, Bauman says, along with hard work by the college’s administration, coaching staff and past players to attract talent from Cincinnati high schools. 

“In the beginning, we had to work hard to sell the baseball program just to get enough players to field a team,” Bauman says. “Now, we can talk to any student athlete in the Cincinnati area, and offer quality academics, a quality baseball facility, a proven small college powerhouse and a quality experience as a student at UC Clermont. I’m contacted constantly from high school students wanting to come to Clermont to play baseball.” 

Assistant Coach Griffin Williams echoes Bauman’s pride in the Cougar baseball program and this year’s team. “Our team chemistry was fairly strong all year, but it came to a peak in the World Series — among the players and between the players and coaches,” Williams said. “We feel like we're building the program into something that is a tradition that speaks for itself, will motivate players to be a part of it, and hopefully will have continued success in the future.” 

For more information about UC Clermont College Baseball, please visit: http://www.ucclermont.edu/athletics/MensBaseball.html

The UC Clermont Cougars participate in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). UC Clermont Athletics includes Women's Volleyball, Men's & Women's Soccer,  Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball and Softball. The Cougars have been successful - bringing home national championship titles in men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. In addition, the volleyball and softball programs have been ranked nationally and have been highly competitive in national tournament play.