The Bluffton University baseball squad made great strides toward respectability in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference during 2006. Coach Grandey assembled a group of young men that displayed tremendous enthusiasm during the basketball season as members of "The Dam" and then parlayed that exuberance into a second place finish in the HCAC, narrowly missing a first ever appearance in the Heartland Conference tournament. The Beavers tied for second place in the HCAC with a 17-21 record overall, including a 10-11 mark in the conference.

Bluffton opened the season with a 4-5 record at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. The Beaver bats were up to the task during spring break as RIORDAN MCCLAINwent 18-of-32 (.563) with 12 RBI's and nine runs scored. Sophomore pitcher TIM KAY, who proved to be equally adept at the plate, smoked opposing pitchers for a .556 batting average, including eight RBI's, in Florida. Freshman pitcher JUSTIN JONES notched a pair of victories on the mound for the Beavers. He opened with a one-hit shutout vs. New Jersey City and followed that with 7.1 innings of four-hit ball against Muskingum during the final game in Florida. Coach Grandey felt that the nine games in Florida set the tone for the season. He stated, "The spring trip was a catalyst for our season. Our record was not indicative of the amount of confidence we gained."

The Beavers opened the HCAC season with a three-game sweep of the pre-season conference favorite Grizzlies at Franklin behind the pitching of Kay, Jones and fellow freshman MATT PERKINS. After falling 19-7 to conference champion Manchester on the road, Bluffton dropped a pair of close games to the Spartans at home by the scores of 6-4 and 7-4. Bluffton narrowly missed sweeping conference rival Hanover College when it dropped the series opener 1-0 on April 8. Following the series with the Panthers, Bluffton sported a 5-4 mark in the Heartland Conference. Coach Grandey quipped, "We played our best baseball during this stretch. Taking three from Franklin and winning the series with Hanover sent shockwaves through the conference."

Due to a pair of early season rainouts, the contest with Ohio Northern was bumped into a doubleheader. It turned out to be a baseball fan's dream, if you were rooting for the Beavers. Winds that were blowing out to straightaway center field made life miserable for pitchers on a blustery April 12.

The Polar Bears went yard four times in game one on their way to a 10-4 lead midway through the sixth inning. Bluffton responded with six runs in the bottom half to knot the game at 10 with one frame to play. ONU pounded out five hits in the top of the seventh en route to seven runs, seemingly putting the game out of reach, 17-10. Not to be outdone, the Beavers also collected five hits, including a pair by LOWELL WYSE who ripped the game-winning double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as the Beavers rallied to take the first game, 18-17.

Lightning struck twice on that windy Tuesday evening as the Beavers took a 15-10 lead after six innings. The Polar Bears again put up seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 17-15 lead. With two outs and the game tied, Tim Kay was intentionally walked to load the bases. CURTIS SCHROEDER watched four straight pitches miss the plate to pick up the game winning RBI with his base on balls. The Beavers and Polar Bears combined for 70 runs in a pair of identical 18-17 Bluffton victories as the Beavers upped their record to 12-12 on the season.

Bluffton dropped close contests against Anderson, Transylvania and Mt. St. Joseph that allowed each of the three conference rivals to take the respective conference series' two games to one. Although Bluffton won two out of three on the final weekend against longtime rival Defiance College, the Beavers finished in a four way tie for second place with the Ravens, the Pioneers and the Lions. Because of the head-to-head tiebreakers, Bluffton missed playing in its first Heartland Conference baseball tournament. While missing the tournament was disappointing, Grandey put a positive spin on the second half of the conference season. "We learned a lot from those three series. As a young team, those series' gave us valuable experience for the future."

Following the conclusion of the season, six Bluffton University baseball players were honored by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference coaches for their play this spring. Senior Riordan McClain (Upper Sandusky/Upper Sandusky), sophomore Tim Kay (Alpharetta Ga./Blessed Trinity) and fellow sophomore GREG SIGG (Maumee/Maumee) were named first team All-HCAC for 2006. Sophomores TONY MOORE (Elida/Elida) and RYAN BAIGHTEL (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) along with freshman Curtis Schroeder (Shelby/Shelby) earned honorable mention All-HCAC.

Two Bluffton University baseball players were named second team All-Mideast Region by the ABCA for their play on the diamond this spring. Senior outfielder Riordan McClain (Upper Sandusky/Upper Sandusky) and sophomore second baseman Tony Moore (Elida/Elida) were two of the nine Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference players named All-Mideast Region.

Senior Riordan McClain was named Most Valuable Player for the Bluffton University baseball team while sophomore Tim Kay earned Most Outstanding Pitcher honors for his work on the mound. 

The following team season records were broken by the team this year:  Runs (250), AB's (1242), Hits (385), Stolen Bases (67-82), 2B's (67), RBI's (214), TB's (511), HBP (44), DP's turned (24), Most K's (200).

The following individual season records were broken by the team this season:  AB's (Tony Moore - 152), Runs (Tony Moore - 38), Hits (Tony Moore - 61), Stolen bases (Tony Moore - 17), HBP (Curtis Schroeder - 12), Appearances (Randy Miller - 19).

The Beavers have the framework in place to compete for the opportunity to play in the Heartland Conference baseball tournament in 2007. The infield returns all of its starters, including first team All-HCAC first baseman Greg Sigg and second team All-Mideast Region second baseman Tony Moore along with honorable mention All-HCAC shortstop Ryan Baightel. Sophomore hurler Tim Kay, a first team all-HCAC selection, and freshman Matt Perkins will return to anchor the starting rotation while honorable mention All-HCAC catcher Curtis Schroeder will call the games from behind the plate.

"We have worked extremely hard as a program during the past three years," explained Coach Grandey. "We have a strong foundation for the future. Through continued hard work and improvement, next season we will be able to take the next step."