Lindy's Top 25 Poll (.pdf) | D3football.com Top 25 Poll (.pdf)
BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin Wallace University football team hopes to build upon the success it had last season and compete for both an Ohio Athletic Conference title and a berth in the 2013 NCAA Division III National Playoffs. That success also is a large part of the reason the Yellow Jackets are ranked 20th in the Lindy's Sports Annuals (www.lindyssports.com) and 23rd in the D3football.com (www.d3football.com) Division III Preseason National poll.
Leading the way for the Yellow Jackets will be the return of 37 lettermen and 15 fulltime starters (seven on offense, six on defense and both their placekicker and punter). BW returns two of the most explosive kick return specialists in Division III in senior track and field All-Americans and wide receiver/running back/defensive back Kevin Johnson (Maple Heights/St. Ignatius) and two-time first-team All-OAC flanker Josiah Holt (Elyria/Grafton Midview). A total of 195 student-athletes are expected when preseason camp opens on August 15. Head Coach John Snell enters his 12th season at the helm of his alma mater and has compiled a career record of 71-41 with a .634 winning percentage.
"Our goals never change at BW," said Snell. "Each year we set out to win championships. Our first goal is to win the prestigious Ohio Athletic Conference title. Our feeling is that if we can win the OAC title, we have what it takes to also win the NCAA Division III national title. History bears out that fact.
"Last season, we had a solid season and made some excellent improvement on both sides of the football and on special teams," continued Snell, speaking of last fall's 7-3 overall record and the fact that his team is 22-8 during the past three seasons. "This season, we return a number of key student-athletes on offense who have the talent and ability to take us to the next level of success. With that said, we also lost some outstanding athletes to graduation off of our defense, and that's a major concern coming into this season."
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets will be led by junior "wildcat" quarterback Michael Slack (Casselberry, Fla./Pine Castle Christian Academy), sophomore running back Isaac Reed III (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) and junior running back Nolan Sordyl (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), senior wide receivers Gabe Adams (Hudson), Johnson and Holt. A key to BW's sucess is the return of four starters on the offensive line, led by All-OAC guard Jason Cook (Streetsboro).
Defensively, BW will be led by senior Academic All-OAC saftey Zach Barley (Hudson) and senior middle linebacker and leading tackler Michael Stacchiotti (Girard). Three starters return on the line, including junior defensive tackle Addison Carbone (Hudson).
All-OAC kicker Chris Mohler (Kent/ Roosevelt) and three-year starting punter Matt Harmon (Canfield) join Holt and Johnson as the leaders of the special teams.
BW opens its season on September 14 at Bluffton University at 1:30 p.m. The Yellow Jackets plays its OAC and home opener on September 21 versus Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University in the battle for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl trophy at 6:00 p.m.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
