Ashland (7-5) at Hillsdale College (8-10) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, March 20 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Ashland (7-5) at Hillsdale College (8-10) | 4 p.m. ET Sunday, March 20 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Ashland (7-5) at Hillsdale College (8-10) | 12 p.m. ET Monday, March 21 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Ashland (7-5) at Hillsdale College (8-10) | 3 p.m. ET Monday, March 21 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Links:
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ashland Stats | Live Stats | Video
Preview:
Two tough, close losses on Sunday put the Hillsdale College baseball team in a difficult position midway through its weekend series with Findlay, but a strong showing on Monday helped the Chargers salvage a split in its first G-MAC series and remain in decent position heading into the second week.
Hillsdale now hosts G-MAC newcomer Ashland for a four-game series that is also the Chargers' home opener. The series has already been altered from a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series to a Sunday-Monday series due to expected rain, so keep an eye on the schedule at hillsdalechargers.com in case any further changes to the calendar are coming.
Picked to finish second in the G-MAC in its first campaign, the Eagles are off to a solid start against a fairly challenging slate, entering the weekend at 7-5 overall
The Eagles have been a solid offensive team so far, led by an excellent campaign to date from senior infielder Tim Zeller, who's hitting .471 with a 1.256 OPS, six doubles, three home runs and a team-high 17 RBIs. Returning All-GLIAC honoree Austin Eifrid, a senior shortstop, is off to a solid start as well, hitting .326, while senior outfielder Alex Whipple and senior first baseman Micah Allen have each contributed 11 RBIs as well.
On the mound, sophomore Justin Dyksma has pitched in the ace position for Ashland, with a 1-1 record in four starts, a 2.89 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and 19 strikeouts to seven walks. Other starting pitchers for the Eagles so far include Jacob Harsany, Josh Meyer and Josh Stover.
In the bullpen, Ashland has a variety of talented arms to call upon. The most frequently deployed relievers so far are sophomore Clayton Cochran, who's posted a 1.08 ERA in four appearances, and freshman Matt Hall, who has a spot start and has thrown 8.1 innings. Perry Bewley, Zeller and Alex Bish have each recorded a save this year.
Hillsdale has been solid offensively to start the year. The Chargers are hitting .294 as a team, led by sophomore outfielder Lewis Beals, who's looking like a G-MAC player of the year contender with a .448 batting average, four doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 20 RBIs, as well as a .910 slugging percentage. Beals accomplished a rare feat two weekends ago by hitting for the cycle against the Bearcats, and earned G-MAC Player of the Week honors for his performance that week.
The Chargers have several other standout hitters so far. Sophomore shortstop Aidan Brewer is hitting .382 with eight extra-base hits and 18 RBIs, while outfielder Joe Hardenbergh is hitting .288 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Landis and sophomore outfielder Danny Passinault are also hitting well north of .300 with a combined 14 extra base hits and 25 RBIs as well.
On the mound, Hillsdale returned just one career start this season among healthy pitchers at the beginning of 2022, but have found two quality starters in Will Gifford, who's 3-1 in five starts with 28 strikeouts to 12 walks and a 4.50 ERA, and Tommy MacLean, who's 1-0 in five starts with a 5.96 ERA and 17 strikeouts. Sophomore Paul Brophy could be a third – he has an unlucky 0-4 record but solid underlying metrics, with 18 strikeouts to just seven walks in four starts and 21.1 innings pitched.
Freshman Devin Murray has been the consistent fourth starter for Hillsdale and has been improving in recent weeks as he continues to develop early in his career. In the bullpen, sophomore Zane Barnhart has pitched well for Hillsdale with a 3.86 ERA and two saves so far, as has fellow sophomore Brenden Pochmara, junior Dillon Manion, and senior James Krick.
Hillsdale last played the Eagles as a member of the GLIAC in the 2017 season, shortly before leaving for the G-MAC the following fall. The Chargers took three of four from the Eagles in that series.
Photo Courtesy of Findlay Athletics