Schedule
Hillsdale College (12-15, 5-7 G-MAC) at Tiffin (14-13, 9-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 2 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, OH
Hillsdale College (12-15, 5-7 G-MAC) at Tiffin (14-13, 9-3 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, April 2 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, OH
Hillsdale College (12-15, 5-7 G-MAC) at Tiffin (14-13, 9-3 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Sunday, April 3 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, OH
Hillsdale College (12-15, 5-7 G-MAC) at Tiffin (14-13, 9-3 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 3 | Heminger Field – Tiffin, OH
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Tiffin Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Tiffin Stats | Live Stats | Video
Preview
Hillsdale took a game off G-MAC co-leader Trevecca Nazarene down in Nashville last weekend, but missed chances to split or win the four-game series with the Trojans to fall to 5-7 overall in G-MAC play.
The fact that the Chargers came close to winning a series against a top 10 team is a good sign, however, and Hillsdale will get another shot at a season-changing weekend when they hit the road to face the other co-leader in the G-MAC, Tiffin, this weekend.
The G-MAC Tourney runner-up in 2021, Tiffin was predicted to have a strong team entering the 2022 campaign, and, after a rough non-conference start, have looked the part in G-MAC play, racing out to a 9-3 conference record through three series so far.
Key to Tiffin's excellent start has been strong pitching, with the Dragons' top three starters all posting ERAs of 4.03 or better so far. Senior Michael Boswell is the team's ace and its top pitcher so far, with a 3-3 record, a 2.84 ERA and 41 strikeouts to 12 walks. Close behind has been junior Tyler Wehrle, who's 3-0 with a 2.94 ERA and 34 strikeouts with 11 walks. Junior Gunnar Boehm has been solid as well with a 2-1 record, a 4.03 ERA and 40 strikeouts to 11 walks as well.
What remains to be seen, however, is how the Dragons will deploy them this weekend. If Tiffin throws Boswell and Wehrle, it will be on short rest after throwing 100-plus pitches in contests against Ashland on Tuesday after weather pushed the start of the previous weekend's series to the middle of the week. Other pitchers the Dragons have started before who didn't go deep against Ashland on Tuesday and Wednesday include senior Harry Colon, junior Kyler Archual and sophomore Alan Meadows.
Offensively, the Dragons are hitting .274 as a team, but have shown a knack for timely hitting in close games over the past couple of years. 2021 G-MAC Tourney star Griffin Stevens is off to another strong start for Tiffin so far, hitting .394 with three doubles, two triples and three home runs, while sophomore Tim Orr brings both consistency and power to the lineup, hitting .410 with 17 extra base hits and a team-high 35 RBIs. Sophomores Jake Shier and Marino Pugnetti are also effective at the plate for the Dragons.
Two freshmen, Logan Swonger and Mat Carden, have been Tiffin's top relievers so far, with all four of the Dragons' saves. Carden has been especially effective for Tiffin, with a 1.42 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched.
Hillsdale continues to stand out offensively on the year, hitting .298 as a team, led by sophomore outfielder Lewis Beals, who's looking like a G-MAC player of the year contender with a .402 batting average, six doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 32 RBIs, as well as an .814 slugging percentage. Beals accomplished a rare feat two weekends ago by hitting for the cycle against McKendree, 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 close behind Beals, hitting .396 with 16 extra-base hits, including six home runs, and 30 RBIs, while sophomore first baseman Jeff Landis is batting .344 with 13 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs as well. Sophomore outfielders Danny Passinault and Joe Hardenbergh are also off to strong starts at the plate, with Passinault hitting .326 with nine extra-base hits and 17 RBIs, and Hardenbergh hitting .289 with nine extra-base hits and 21 RBIs.
On the mound, Hillsdale returned just one career start this season among healthy pitchers at the beginning of 2022, but have found a quality top-end starter in junior Will Gifford, who's 4-1 in seven starts with 35 strikeouts to 18 walks and a 4.29 ERA. Sophomore Paul Brophy, who became the first pitcher this season to shut out Trevecca Nazarene and has a 5.09 ERA and 25 strikeouts to 12 walks in six starts, and redshirt freshman Tommy MacLean, who's 1-0 in seven starts with a 6.75 ERA and 25 strikeouts as well, are showing promise.
Freshman Devin Murray, sophomore Nate Waligora and junior Dillon Manion also have started at times for Hillsdale as the Chargers look to build depth in the starting rotation. In the bullpen, sophomore Zane Barnhart has pitched well for Hillsdale with a 2.84 ERA and three saves so far, as has fellow sophomore Brenden Pochmara, sophomore Logan Simon, junior Caleb Biedenharn and senior James Krick.
Hillsdale went 1-4 against Tiffin last season, losing the first three games of a weekend series in late April but pulling out the final game in a 9-5 victory. The Chargers also fell to the Dragons, 7-4, in the elimination bracket final of the G-MAC Tournament at Prasco Park on May 14 to end the 2021 season.