Ryan Hulse can see the future.

No, the captain of Ohio's baseball team does not possess the powers of prognostication, nor does he look into his crystal ball for answers. Hulse, a pitcher, can see the future of his baseball team by looking at three freshmen who have cemented their place in the Bobcat lineup this season.

"(Ohio) coaches seem to do a real good job in recruiting, because it seems like everybody gets along; no matter who comes in, they're accepted real well," he said. "It's fun to see the future, (even though) I'll be gone next year. It's fun to see the talent (Ohio baseball) is going to have in the next couple of years."

When it comes to talent, most say people are born with it. In right fielder Mike Arbinger's case, he comes from the right bloodline. Arbinger, a freshman, played for his father Rich at high school baseball powerhouse Start in Toledo. He is the brother of Bobcat senior third baseman Jason. Mike earned a plethora of prep honors in his senior campaign, most notably the Ohio Division I player-of-the-year award.

Ohio head coach Joe Carbone didn't need any hints from Jason to recruit Mike, and he didn't really ask for them either.

"We treated Mike as an individual; I just more or less told Jason we were going to be recruiting Mike and we went from there," Carbone said. "I dealt with Mike and his father and mother at that point. We didn't put any pressure on Jason to try to convince Mike to come to school here.

"Fortunately for us, Mike did decide to come to school here and we're happy to have both of them."

Jason knew his brother was ready for college ball and warned returning teammates about him.

"I knew he could come in and contribute right away," he said. "I told some of these guys that he's going to be a good player here and for those guys to look out a little bit."

Mike currently is batting .327 and leads the team in doubles with 13. His 27 RBIs are near the top of the stat sheet as well.

Across the way from Mike, in left field usually, is freshman Cory Keylor. Keylor is a recent addition to the Ohio lineup because of his early season wrist injury, one that had Carbone worried enough to dub it possibly season-ending.

"Cory had hand surgery, and that depends on the individual on how long that (takes to) heal," Carbone said. "We didn't really know where he'd be and it really hurt us not having him."

Keylor has appeared only in 13 of 33 games but is batting a robust .429 with eight RBIs.

With senior outfielders Mike Goldstein and Brady Mangini missing games because of injuries, the play of these two means even more to the Bobcats' lineup.

"That's two really good lefty sticks," Jason Arbinger said. "They've got a bright future ahead of them, and they're definitely going to be a force in the MAC."

Completing the freshman triad is the man behind the plate, catcher Scott Brownlee. Brownlee made his name known with baseball fans with his three-home run, 10-RBI game against Pittsburgh March 24, a game that started a six-game Ohio winning streak that revitalized the club.

Brownlee came into the season as one of three available backstops. After the first few weeks, though, he stood out from the pack.

"Scott is playing probably the toughest position on the field for a freshman as catcher because there is so much to do mentally, so many things to do skillwise and you have to be not only skilled but you have to be tough, you have to be strong," Carbone said. "He's handled that very well for a freshman."

When it comes to freshman hazing rituals, Hulse said the team doesn't do much to first-year players because the fall baseball season coincides with the beginning of school. But then, in reflection, he lets loose a smile.

"We do a few things with them, they take it in stride, but it's pretty fun," he said with a guilty grin.