A no-hitter to open the season helped David Toth get some attention.
So far, the junior pitcher from Grosse Pointe has done his part to keep it.
Another big start against Malone on Saturday helped Toth earn Great Midwest Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time this season, the conference office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Toth went seven innings in Hillsdale's 7-4 victory over the Pioneers on Saturday on the road, overcoming a first inning where the Chargers gave up three unearned runs after a defensive error to strike out 12 of the 28 batters he faced. Although he got a no decision because he left with the game tied 4-4, Toth finished his day having conceded just four hits and one earned run.
The junior power pitcher has been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out. In five starts this season, Toth has struck out no fewer than eight batters in any of them, with three games of 10 or more strikeouts, starting with a seven-inning no-hitter on Feb. 27 to open the season where he struck out 10 batters in a 1-0 win over Maryville.
With 49 strikeouts on the season, Toth leads the G-MAC by 12 over the next closest pitcher, and is 16th in all of Division II in strikeouts despite pitching fewer innings (29.2) than anyone else in the top 30. His strikeouts per nine innings average of 14.87 is 25th in the nation, and the vast majority of the players ahead of him in that stat are relievers with a much smaller sample size of innings.
Toth started as a reliever himself, earning 12 saves in his first two seasons with the Chargers, a total good for second all-time in Hillsdale history. Now a starter, he's working his way up other all-time lists at Hillsdale, sitting just two strikeouts behind Shane Armstrong ('15) for 10th all time with 142 for his career.
The junior's 49 strikeouts leave him just 11 away from earning a spot in the top 10 on the Charger record board for single-season strikeouts. With potentially five more regular season starts and postseason play, Hillsdale's single-season strikeout record of 82 set by Will Kruse in 2017 is very much in jeopardy if Toth can stay healthy and maintain his current form.
Toth and the Chargers host Walsh in a series this weekend for their next action, beginning with a doubleheader at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at Simpson Field.