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2013 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Teams
Three members of the Capital University baseball team were recognized for their play during the 2013 season as the Ohio Athletic Conference announced its all-conference teams and special awards Monday, May 13.
Junior outfielder Taylor Branisel (South Euclid, Ohio) was selected to the second team, while junior outfielder Nate Campbell (Latrobe, Pa.) and sophomore pitcher Robert Fravel (Port Clinton, Ohio) were named honorable mention.
All three student-athletes are first-time selections. The Crusaders (21-17 overall, 8-10 OAC), who finished the season with over 20 wins for the first time since 1996, haven't had three or more All-OAC picks since 2007, when the team reached the OAC Tournament and had six all-league honorees.
Branisel, playing predominantly in left field, led Capital with eight doubles, four home runs and 36 runs batted in. He also placed second on the team with a .357 batting average while stealing 12 bases and fielding at a .984 percentage. Midway through the season, Branisel posted at least one hit in 22 of 23 games. He also led the team with 12 multiple RBI contests.
Campbell, the team's mainstay in center field, led both the team and the conference with 25 stolen bases, including at least one in six of the team's last seven games. He also led the Crusaders in walks (19) and on-base percentage (.429), and hit .345 with a team-best 33 runs scored. Campbell paced the team with 15 multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 performance against Ohio Wesleyan on April 25.
Fravel emerged as one of Capital's most consistent pitchers in 2013, posting a 4-1 record with a team-best 2.74 earned run average and one save in 10 appearances, including six starts. The right-hander twice earned OAC Pitcher of the Week accolades after recording complete-game victories, once in a shutout at Ohio Christian on March 23 and another in an eight-strikeout performance at Ohio Northern on April 2. For the season, Fravel struck out 30 in 42 2/3 innings pitched.
Wes Meadows of Otterbein was named the Dr. Bob Fisher OAC Player of the Year, while Mount Union's Zach Carlino took home Kent Tekulve OAC Pitcher of the Year honors.
