Schedule
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Davenport (0-0) | 1 p.m. ET Friday, Feb. 10 | USA Ballpark Stadium – Millington, TN
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Davenport (0-0) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 11 | USA Ballpark Stadium -- Millington, TN
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Davenport (0-0) | 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 12 | USA Ballpark Stadium -- Millington, TN
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Davenport Roster | Hillsdale Stats | 2022 Davenport Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
Outlook
Fresh off stunning nationally-ranked Lee by taking two of three on the Flames home field on opening weekend, the Hillsdale College baseball team takes on another tough opponent in perennial Midwest Region powerhouse Davenport.
Entering the second year under head coach Tom Vessella, Hillsdale is coming off a season that saw them just miss the G-MAC Tournament, but the Chargers will aim high this season with eight of their nine every-day hitters, their four starting pitchers and top reliever all returning from 2022.
The Panthers are one of the top teams in the region year-in and year out, and are coming off an impressive 36-23 campaign in 2022 that included GLIAC regular season and tournament titles, and a NCAA Midwest Regional appearance for the second straight season.
Davenport does have holes to fill in the lineup with the loss of several of their best power hittters, including All-American Nolan Anspaugh and home run leader Noah Marcoux. But the cupboard is far from bare – junior Caleb Anspaugh was an All-Region catcher and outfielder who hit .349 with eight home runs and 8 RBIs, and the Panthers also return senior infielder Ben Metz, who hit .339 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs, as well as outfielder Gaetano Vallone, who hit .330 with seven home runs and a team-leading 60 RBIs.
The Panthers bring in several transfers to help restock the lineup, including Khale Showers, who appeared in 51 games for Northwood last season as a catcher and third baseman, Miko Rodriguez, an outfielder from the University of Southern California, and Coltrane Rubner, an outfielder from Eastern Michigan.
On the mound, Davenport loses its ace in Derrick Edington but returns three starting pitchers in senior James Kohl, junior Jared Schwartz and senior Carter Troncin, as well as its two top relievers in senior Spencer Vainavicz and sophomore Carson Price. The Panthers also are bringing in several transfer arms to fill out the rotation, including Tulane transfer Aaron Ball, Ball State transfer Tyler Hill, Charleston Southern transfer Jack Dungan, and USC Sumter transfer Logan Bursick-Harrington, as well as a slew of junior college pitchers.
The Chargers have a lot of continuity to build on offensively. Hillsdale returns both a consensus All-American in junior shortstop Aidan Brewer, who hit .435 with 19 doubles, 11 home runs and 50 RBIs last year, and an Academic All-American in outfielder Lewis Beals, who hit .378 with nine doubles, 14 home runs and 44 RBIs despite missing 10 games with an injury.
Also back are power-hitting first baseman Jeff Landis, who put up eight home runs and 43 RBIs last season and had critical hits in the Chargers' Sunday win over Lee, as well as hard-hitting outfielder Joe Hardenbergh and leadoff hitter and third baseman Cody Kanclerz.
Hillsdale also has a defensive wizard in the outfield back in Danny Passinault, as well as second baseman Nick Stepke, who is entering his third season as a starter. The Chargers bring back both halves of their catcher platoon in Sean Nemetz and Jaekob Sallee, and are hoping for breakout sophomore seasons for Zak Kent and Will Shannon, who showed promise in part-time roles last year.
On the mound, ace Will Gifford returns for the Chargers after going 6-4 with a 4.24 ERA and an impressive 67 strikeouts last season. Hillsdale also brings back Paul Brophy, Tommy MacLean and Drew Olssen, all of whom are coming off potential-laden first seasons as starting pitchers in 2022, and who will be looking to break out with a year of experience under their belts.
In the bullpen, Hillsdale has one of the G-MAC's top closers in Zane Barnhart, who recorded six saves and a team-leading 2.21 ERA while posting 14.16 strikeouts per nine innings, to head an experienced bullpen staff looking to make big improvements from 2022. Barnhart in particular looks to be in top form after a four and two-thirds innings relief appearance to secure a 3-1 extra inning victory over Lee last Saturday.
This series marks the third time Hillsdale has played Davenport in four years. The Panthers swept Hillsdale in Grand Rapids in 2020, while the Chargers took two of three from Davenport in a neutral site series last year.