Right-handed pitcher Monte Dearth was a great example of commitment and work ethic during his Otterbein baseball career. Dearth continued to get better and better throughout his career, ultimately emerging as one of the best pitchers in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).

Monte was able to deliver any pitch in any situation, possessing great off-speed talent but also throwing hard enough to keep the batter honest. He and teammate Jim Allen turned in All-American seasons in 1989, helping legendary coach Dick Fishbaugh and the Cardinals secure the school’s first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship in baseball.

Otterbein finished 27-17 overall that spring and a solid 12-4 against the league. Dearth posted a 2.03 earned-run average (E.R.A), tossing 94 innings and finishing with 11 wins in 11 complete-games. Three of those complete-games were shutout victories.

He ended his career with a 25-9 overall record (fourth best at Otterbein) while also finishing top-10 in four other categories; second in complete games (22), fifth in innings pitched (226.2), fourth in E.R.A (2.99) and tenth with 156 strikeouts.