Baseball season is just around the corner, and three members of the 2020 Charger team are receiving preseason recognition.
Junior James Krick was selected as a preseason All-American, sophomore Cody Kanclerz was picked as a player to watch and freshman Jeff Landis was a newcomers to watch, all according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. That publication's preseason Division II honors were released on January 3, 2020.
Krick and Kanclerz are two of the most versatile returning players for Hillsdale in the 2020 season. Both are corner infielders and pitchers, and have taken the mound in a variety of roles over the first half of their careers.
Last season Krick belted 10 home runs with 36 RBI, 10 doubles and a .338 batting average. He was a First-Team All-Conference selection in 2018 and earned All-Region honors following the 2019 season.
Kancerlz is one of the team's emerging players, expected to play a bigger role on this year's squad. He's penciled in as the team's starting third baseman and has an ideal combination of size, strength and speed to make him a big asset for coach Eric Theisen's offense.
Landis is a freshman from the baseball-rich town of Midland, Michigan, and has impressed his coaches with his power and ability. Theisen is likely to deploy Landis in the middle of the opening-day lineup, where he's likely to man first base.
Hillsdale opens its season on Feb. 15 in Tennessee against the University of Indianapolis.