Schedule
Hillsdale College (18-21, 11-13 G-MAC) at Wayne St. (27-12, 12-6 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 26 | Harwell Field – Detroit, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (17-24, 14-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (18-21, 11-13 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 30 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (17-24, 14-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (18-21, 11-13 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, April 30 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (17-24, 14-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (18-21, 11-13 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, May 1 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (17-24, 14-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (18-21, 11-13 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, May 1 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale, MI
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Preview
The playoffs have begun early for the Hillsdale College baseball team, which needs at least a split with visiting Kentucky Wesleyan this weekend to keep hopes of a berth in the G-MAC Tourney alive.
First, however, Hillsdale must finish off a return meeting with Wayne St., who the Chargers beat in a 10-9 thriller at home on March 30, in Detroit on Tuesday. That was one of just nine losses this season so far for the Warriors, who are in the GLIAC title hunt at 12-6 and on track to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Wayne St. is led by an impressive offense that's hitting .291 so far and includes five regular starters hitting above .300.
Senior Michael MacLean is the Warriors' top hitter, batting .299 with a 1.051 OPS, 14 doubles, eight home runs and 29 RBIs, while fellow senior Hunter DeLanoy is hitting .321 with seven home runs and a team-best 34 RBIs as well. Senior Chris Tanderys has the top OBP among regulars at .454 and is hitting .326 on the year, while Noah Miller, Ryan Foley, and Rudy Ramirez are all having strong seasons.
In a midweek game after a weekend series, the Chargers are unlikely to see any of Wayne St.'s top starters on the mound. Sophomore Kaden Stively, freshman Jimmy Love and senior Brennan Cox are all players who've been effective in spot starting duty for the Warriors this season and could get the call on Tuesday. Senior Chad Sommers, who went to high school in Jonesville, seven miles north of Hillsdale, is the Warriors' top reliever.
The Panthers come into this weekend as motivated as the Chargers are by their current standing in conference play, as a series loss to Tiffin last weekend leaves Kentucky Wesleyan at 14-10 in conference play and with work left to do to solidify its G-MAC Tourney bid.
Kentucky Wesleyan sits in fourth in G-MAC play despite having just the seventh-best batting average and the ninth-best ERA. The Panthers are in contention thanks to above-average power, as shown by six players on the roster with five or more home runs and a knack for winning close games. Junior infielder Kyle Werries has been especially impressive, with a .342 batting average, 13 doubles, three triples, five home runs and a team high 35 RBIs, but senior outfielder Robert Chayka and senior shortstop Ben Wilcoxson are also hitting above .300 and have been key players so far for the Panthers.
On the mound, Kentucky Wesleyan uses a starting rotation of Seth Wright, Brayden Bush and Austin Baugh in conference play, though all three pitchers have struggled with walks. Rylan Thomas and Coy Burns have also been frequently-used starters for the Panthers. Kentucky Wesleyan's top reliever is Ike Speiser, who's earned the save in seven of Kentucky Wesleyan's 17 wins, and has a 3.00 ERA in 17 appearances. Gavin Simpkins is another commonly used reliever for the Panthers.
Hillsdale has been solid offensively on the year despite tough competition to date, hitting .303 as a team, led by sophomore shortstop Aidan Brewer, who's having a special year. The Dexter, Michigan native's current batting average of .444 would rank third all-time for a single season in Hillsdale history, and his slugging percentage of .762 would rank fourth. Brewer's 67 hits so far are the eighth-most in a single season at Hillsdale, and he's tied for 10th single season in both doubles (13) and home runs (11) with 47 RBIs.
Other standout hitters for the Chargers include sophomore outfielder Lewis Beals, who's hitting .378 with nine doubles, three triples, 14 home runs and 44 RBIs, and sophomore first baseman Jeff Landis, who's batting .307 with 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs as well. Sophomore outfielders Danny Passinault and Joe Hardenbergh are also off to strong starts at the plate, with Passinault hitting .320 with 10 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs, and Hardenbergh hitting .274 with 11 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs. Senior James Crick is hitting .379 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in just 58 at bats as well for the Chargers.
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 5-3 in 10 starts with 62 strikeouts to 23 walks and a 4.12 ERA. Sophomore Paul Brophy, who became the first pitcher this season to shut out Trevecca Nazarene and has a 5.55 ERA and 34 strikeouts in nine starts, and redshirt freshman Tommy MacLean, who's 2-1 in 10 starts with a 6.26 ERA and 38 strikeouts as well, are showing promise.
Sophomore Drew Olssen returned from injury a few weeks ago and locked down a starting job with a strong outing against Lake Erie last week, going six innings with two strikeouts and just four runs conceded. In the bullpen, sophomore Zane Barnhart has pitched well for Hillsdale with a 2.93 ERA and three saves so far, as has fellow sophomore Brenden Pochmara, sophomore Logan Simon, junior Caleb Biedenharn and senior James Krick.
As mentioned above, Hillsdale had a prior meeting with Wayne St. earlier this season, pulling out a 10-9 midweek victory last month. The Chargers are 10-14 against Kentucky Wesleyan in the past decade, and went 1-3 against the Panthers last season, with a 7-6 victory to open the weekend series their only victory.