Hillsdale College (14-14, 10-10 G-MAC) at Tiffin (17-10, 12-8 G-MAC) | 12:00 p.m. ET Friday, April 23 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, Ohio | Video | Live Stats
Hillsdale College (14-14, 10-10 G-MAC) at Tiffin (17-10, 12-8 G-MAC) | 3:00 p.m. ET Friday, April 23 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, Ohio | Video | Live Stats
Hillsdale College (14-14, 10-10 G-MAC) at Tiffin (17-10, 12-8 G-MAC) | 12:00 p.m. ET Sunday, April 25 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, Ohio | Video | Live Stats
Hillsdale College (14-14, 10-10 G-MAC) at Tiffin (17-10, 12-8 G-MAC) | 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, April 25 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, Ohio | Video | Live Stats
Preview:
The Hillsdale College baseball team handed G-MAC leader Kentucky Wesleyan its only conference loss to date on Saturday, but fell in the other three games to the powerhouse Panthers and are now tied for sixth overall in the league standings at 10-10.
The Chargers have a big opportunity to leap up in the standings this weekend if it can get the better of host Tiffin in a four-game series. The Dragons are currently 12-8 overall and in fourth place in the league. A sweep could propel the Chargers into the top four – while getting swept could put them back on the conference tournament bubble in an extremely tight race for the last five spots in the tourney.
Tiffin has one of the top offenses in the G-MAC, currently sitting second in the league in batting average and total hits. Sophomore infielder Griffin Stevens leads the Dragon bats, hitting .402 with a team-best 12 doubles and 24 RBIs, and senior infielder Kyle Vance and junior catcher Nich Green are tied for the team lead with 26 RBIs each.
On the mound, Tyler Wehrle has been Tiffin's most effective starter, going 6-1 in seven appearances with a team-best 41 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA. Junior Michael Boswell has also been solid, with a 3-1 record in seven appearances, 39 strikeouts and a 3.08 ERA. Sophomore Gunnar Boehm and junior Michael Ross are the Dragons' usual third and fourth starters, and senior Robert Guerrero is the team's top reliever, with two saves and 11 strikeouts in nine appearances.
Hillsdale continues to be one of the top power teams in the conference offensively. The Chargers have two of the seven players in the G-MAC with six or more home runs – sophomores Aidan Brewer and Jeff Landis, and Landis leads the entire conference with 11, including three grand slams. In total, 10 of the 15 players who have made plate appearances for the Chargers in 2021 have hit at least one home run, and eight have at least two. Senior Rob Zurawski is hitting .340 and has nine doubles and five home runs as well for the Chargers, and sophomores Nick Stepke and Danny Passinault are batting .360 and .323, respectively.
On the mound, the Chargers return every pitcher that started a game for Hillsdale in 2020, including fifth-year senior and ace Andrew Verbrugge, who's chasing several all-time pitching records for the Chargers in his final year on the mound.
Junior David Toth gives the Chargers a second ace-caliber starter. Toth leads the G-MAC with 59 strikeouts in seven starts, and threw the program's first no-hitter in at least 23 years against Maryville on the first day of the season. Sawyer Allen and James Krick have been dependable starters as well, and sophomore Will Gifford has been impactful as a reliever, winning two games and adding another save in six appearances this season.