"You can't replace Fish, but I'm going to do the best job I can to carry on and uphold the tradition he created." George Powell, fall of 1999

---

Records, milestones, accomplishments – each has its own unique context and set of emotions based on who might be involved in the story. This particular tale, built around the beautiful game of baseball, features a mentor and mentee that are forever linked through a small-college program in which both delivered their professional life's calling.

There have been just two head baseball coaches in the last 60 years for Otterbein University, although each has carried with them a unique persona and impact that makes two (in this special story) feel more than enough.

Dick Fishbaugh strung together a legendary career for the Cardinals from 1966 to 1999, racking up 624 victories in 33 full seasons before a heart attack unfortunately took his life. His long achievement ladder featuring championships, Hall of Fame inductions and personal accolades saw another rung added in 2004 when the Otterbein Baseball complex was named in his honor.

Shortly after Fishbaugh's passing, a call was made to one of his recent graduate assistants that had just left to join the staff at Youngstown State. George Powell, freshly 30 years old at the time, was asked to return to Otterbein and serve as interim head coach (for one season) with an opportunity to earn the permanent job depending on how things went.

The Cards finished just 15-29 that next spring while picking up the pieces after Fishbaugh's sudden exit. But Powell had done an admirable job helping navigate the transition… and was awarded the full-time role.

"Outside of my father, Fish was the most influential male figure in my life," Powell has routinely mentioned. "He pushed me to accomplish things I wouldn't have and genuinely molded me. There are many similarities between us and I've tried to maintain his influence – how he treated people, how he went about his business, and how he approached every day with a lot of humility and very little ego."

Almost 27 years after being handed the reins, Powell officially surpassed his mentor in career victories with a thrilling and emotional 1-0 triumph, in extra innings, fittingly at Fishbaugh Field, over nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace heading into the recent Easter weekend. That 625th win also moved him into fifth place on the OAC's all-time list, and he can soon take over fourth with Ohio Northern legend Herb Strayer's 630 resting just a few more away.

"I never got into coaching trying to pass someone or something," explained Powell, also joking that he's not sure he ever won a game 1-0 in extras. "I just can't believe where I'm at or that I've gotten this far. But the players can keep you going, and we were simply just trying to get the next one in front of us. They did everything required to win a great baseball game, as the underdog, against one of the best teams in the country. You never know what might happen in this sport."

As successful as Powell's career has been, recent stretches have certainly proved challenging. The team endured a tough finish last spring and has since only collected a handful of wins here in 2026. The current group - incredibly young but competing through and through – has been on the short end with 11 losses by two runs or less. Sometimes that's baseball, and sometimes it's life.

But Fishbaugh taught Powell how to think, not necessarily what to think. Mentoring can be a delicate balance, where you don't create someone in your own image but rather provide the opportunity for them to create themselves. That's what Fish did for Powell, and what Powell has tried to make sure and do for every player and assistant coach that's graced his rosters.

"I know, right now, he would urge me to keep pushing every day and coach them up," Powell said. "Focus on the players, how we are playing the actual game, and never get caught up in the results. I remember being alongside Fish for one of his worst seasons in terms of record… and he never changed who he was."

This story is both of theirs – Powell and Fishbaugh that is. But when you strip it down, the cinematic production also becomes much about every player, assistant coach and support staff member that's impacted the program in unique ways. The strongest example might be that of Dave Ewing, now in his 80's, who contributed mightily as a pitching coach under both the Fishbaugh and Powell regimes. He spent the last eight years with Fish, the next dozen with Powell, and has remained an unwavering icon/follower of the program to this day. As you might guess, he was one of many reaching out to Powell after this latest feat.


"I have been so grateful for every text message and phone call received when doing these types of things," added Powell, whose resume (like Fish) now also holds multiple OAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in its own right. "But this latest milestone just felt different. When you're in the day-to-day job, you might not realize how much this has meant to so many people and the over-arching affect you can have. There have been so many relationships built – and those usually become more significant than any historical win on the field."

It's easy for many in this world to overestimate what they can accomplish in a single setting, but underestimate what they might be able to accomplish over extended time. The Otterbein Baseball program has experienced many types of individual days over its journey. But throughout the last six decades, across Dick Fishbaugh and George Powell, there have been deep-rooted impacts that will resonate with so many… for so long.