Baldwin Wallace and Wittenberg are former Ohio Athletic Conference rivals. Until last year, they hadn’t played since 1999 when Wittenberg won 26-21 at Edwards Maurer Field.
The Tigers and Yellow Jackets meet again in the first game of the 2025 season at 2 p.m. Saturday, this time at Edwards-Maurer Field in Springfield.
“It’s important to play good people in the opener,” Wittenberg coach Jim Collins said. “If you have aspirations of winning championships and making the playoffs, you’ve got to play good people to get there.”
Wittenberg trailed from start to finish against Baldwin Wallace last season. Three turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown, proved to be costly.
Baldwin Wallace was picked to finish second out of nine teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference preseason poll this season.
One of Baldwin Wallace’s top returners is junior quarterback Charlie Bubonics, who set a school record with 214 completions last season and ranked second in the OAC with 25 touchdown passes. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
“I’m sure that Baldwin Wallace is going to be prepared,” Collins said. “I think they’ve got some good players back off of last year’s team. I thought in last year’s game we made too many mistakes to put ourselves in a position to win it. I think we’re going to be better than we were last year in Week 1. We’re obviously excited about playing at home against a traditional rival. It’s going to be a great way to open the season.”
About the Author
