Shane Ochs, a junior from Carroll, finished runner-up at the Horizon League tourney last month and was named HL co-player of the year with teammate Timmy Hollenbeck.
They both have averaged 72.8 through 31 rounds in 2024-25. But while Ochs (pronounced Oaks) didn’t produce many sub-70 scores, he also avoided blow-up rounds.
“He was probably our most consistent player all year. When we were struggling in the spring, we had a bunch of guys shoot in the 80s. I don’t think he shot one round in the 80s. When the conditions were really hard, he fought through it,” coach Conner Lash said.
“I told him he’s come a long way. At conference, he can get amped up. It’s like he’s playing soccer or basketball: ‘I’m going to go out there and do my best … Arggggh!’ But he’s mellowed out and stuck to one shot at a time. I really think we’ll look back on that and say, ‘That’s when he turned the corner.’”
Ochs went 70-76-69 for a 1-under finish that helped send the Raiders to the NCAA regionals for the eighth time. They’ll play Monday through Wednesday at Illinois’ Atkins Golf Club.
His 76 actually may have included the most pivotal shot of the tourney.
He’d carded a triple-bogey early in the round and a double-bogey on his second-to-last hole.
But with the team watching him finish on the par-4 No. 9, he holed out from the fairway for an eagle 2. That pushed the Raiders’ lead to three going into the final round, and they won the crown for the ninth time (one short of Cleveland State’s league record).
“I had a triple and double on par-3’s. But I thought back to those two holes and realized it was two bad swings that put me in bad spots,” Ochs said.
“As a whole, I was hitting the ball so well. I knew if I just got over it and kept going, I’d play good golf. That hole-out lifted my spirits.”
It lifted more than just HIS spirits.
“We were kind of bummed out before that. It just saved us one stroke, because we switched his score and (Andrew) Flynn’s score. But everyone was around the green, and it kind of felt like a momentum shift. We had something to cheer for and had some energy. It felt like a turn,” Lash said.
Ochs isn’t sure his younger self would have been able to pull that off.
“Where I was three or four years ago to where I am now, it’s night and day. I’ve matured as a person and golfer. I’ve had ups and downs but have had a pretty successful college career, and I’m looking to add to it,” he said.
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Wright State could use peak Ochs at the loaded regionals.
Second-ranked Oklahoma State, North Carolina, the host Illini and Texas Tech are the top four seeds, while the Raiders are seeded 13th (last).
Their best regional finish was a tie for ninth with Kentucky at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course in 2022.
The top five teams from six regional sites advance to the nationals.
“We need to go there and do our best to prepare and be in a good spot. We need to believe in ourselves that we can go do something,” said Lash, who has three league titles and a runner-up finish in his four years.
“When we get to the regionals, we’ll be playing some of the big programs, and it’s our chance to get back at ‘em.”
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