George Powell, Head Coach

The Otterbein Cardinals, under ninth-year head coach George Powell, have advanced into the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament in four of the last five seasons.

Last season, the Cardinals finished 32-13 overall and won their third-straight OAC Tournament championship to advance into the Mideast Regional.

The Otterbein baseball program, under Powell, turned the corner in 2003, winning the OAC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 1990. 

In 2005, the Cardinals won their second OAC Tournament title in three years, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Otterbein’s run for a College World Series berth ended with a 5-4 loss to Wooster in the final of the Rose-Hulman Mideast Regional.

The 2006 season, however, was coach Powell’s best, leading Otterbein to both the OAC regular-season and OAC Tournament titles. The squad set a record for wins in a season, 34, and fell one win short of making the eight-team NCAA Division III World Series, finishing second to eventual national champion Marietta in the Rose-Hulman Mideast Regional. Powell, for the third time in his short career here at Otterbein, was selected the Don Schaly OAC Coach of the Year.

A 1987 graduate of Westerville North High School, Powell played under Bob Haegele, and helped the Warriors finish second in the state championships in 1986. Continuing his playing career under Roger Ingles at Ohio Wesleyan, Powell was a four-time all-conference selection at first and third base, and a 1992 All-Mideast pick.

At Ohio Wesleyan, he helped lead the Battling Bishops to North Coast Athletic Conference titles in 1989 and 1992 as well as regional tournament berths from 1990-92. Powell was also named to the all-central region tournament team in Chicago in 1991. After college, Powell was an assistant coach under legendary Otterbein head coach Dick Fishbaugh from 1994-98. In 1999, he became pitching coach under Mike Florak for Youngstown State University. Powell spent his summers coaching as well. From 1995-1998, he coached Kirkersville American Legion Post 107, and in 1999, he was the pitching coach for the Delaware Cows in the talent-laden Great Lakes Collegiate League.

Dave Ewing, Assistant Coach

Dave Ewing begins his 16th season as pitching coach at Otterbein College. A 1962 Otterbein graduate, Ewing taught, coached, and counseled at Walnut Ridge High School in Columbus, Ohio. He retired in 1992. Ewing served as head baseball coach at Walnut Ridge for 12 years, compiling over 200 wins and leading his teams to four city league championships and one district championship. In 2000, he was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.

 

Brian Meyer, Assistant Coach

Brian Meyer enters his second season as graduate assistant for the Cardinals. Meyer, a 2004 Otterbein graduate, was a three-year starter on the varsity baseball team while enrolled as an undergraduate at Otterbein. As a junior, he helped Otterbein capture the 2003 OAC Tournament title and was named to the All-OAC and All-Mid Atlantic Regional tournament teams. Meyer was a two-time second team All-OAC selection and a two-time Academic All-OAC pick. He earned honorable mention All-Midwest Region honors his senior year. Meyer majored in Sports Management and, in 2006, acquired his teaching license for physical education. Meyer coached the Westerville North freshman team (2005-06) winning a conference co-championship in 2005. He also coached the varsity squad in the summer of those years. Meyer resides in New Albany and is working on his master’s in education.