Schedule
Grand Valley State (10-4) at Hillsdale College (6-11, 1-3 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 21 | Simpson Field – Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College (6-11, 1-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (7-11, 2-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, March 25 | Panther Park – Owensboro, KY
Hillsdale College (6-11, 1-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (7-11, 2-0 G-MAC) | 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, March 25 | Panther Park – Owensboro, KY
Hillsdale College (6-11, 1-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (7-11, 2-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, March 26 | Panther Park – Owensboro, KY
Hillsdale College (6-11, 1-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (7-11, 2-0 G-MAC) | 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, March 26 | Panther Park – Owensboro, KY
Links
Hillsdale Roster | GVSU Roster | KWC Roster | Hillsdale Stats | GVSU Stats | KWC Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
Preview
The Chargers ended a tough road trip to Trevecca Nazarene on a positive note on Thursday, claiming the final game of the series in one of their best performances of the season, and look to carry that momentum into another challenging week with five games against two quality opponents.
Entering the second year under head coach Tom Vessella, Hillsdale is coming off a season that saw it 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.
Hillsdale starts the week with its home opener, a midweek contest against Midwest Region foe and GLIAC title contender Grand Valley St. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the game has been moved up a day to tomorrow, Tuesday to avoid expected bad weather on the originally scheduled date.
Coming off a 30-win season a year ago, GVSU is off to an impressive 10-4 start. Three of its four losses came to undefeated UIndy, and the Lakers cleaned up in the RussMatt Invitational down in Florida, going 9-1 in the week-long event.
GVSU returns two of its biggest bats in NCBWA Preseason All-Region honorees and outfielders Nate Logan and Spencer Nelson, and that pair have been reinforced by freshman infielder Ayden VanEnkevort, who's hitting .318 with a team-leading 13 RBIs. Junior Connor Schuman, a returning starter in the infield, has been GVSU's best hitter so far, hitting .400 with five extra base hits and 12 RBIs.
The Lakers' ace is junior Nick Rutkowski, who's 3-1 this season with a 1.38 ERA in four starts, though the Chargers are unlikely to see him in a mid-week contest. Freshman Mike Morawski has a 0.61 ERA in one start and two appearances and could get the call for GVSU, with other options including Brendan Pierce, Owen Avery and Ryan Peets. GVSU's top bullpen arms are Sam Leck and Jake Rydquist, who have a combined three saves in seven appearances.
Following the contest with GVSU, Hillsdale returns to conference play this weekend with another trip south to play Kentucky Wesleyan in a four game series. The Panthers got off to a rocky start in non-conference play but many of their losses have come to quality teams from Florida, and KWC should still be a real contender for the G-MAC crown as they get into conference contests.
In his first full season as a starter, senior Zach Curtis is leading the Panthers at the plate with a .309 batting average, six home runs and 17 RBIs in 18 games. Senior Jaret Humphrey is also flashing impressive power with three home runs and 11 RBIs as well for KWC, while Aric Lyons has been the top batter in terms of average, hitting .369 with a team-leading .423 OBP, seven doubles and nine RBIs as well.
The Panthers have used a variety of starting pitchers this season, with freshman Evan Oakley having the most success so far, with a 2.28 REA and 29 strikeouts in four starts. Sophomore Josh Tucker and freshman Nick Judd each have at least three starts under their belts as well with decent success for KWC. Among the other candidates to be in the rotation, senior Brayden Bush has had the best success, with a 2.63 ERA and 17 strikeouts in three appearances and two starts.
In the bullpen, sophomore Cade Moore leads the Panthers in appearances and saves, with a 5.79 ERA and nine strikeouts in 14 innings.
The Chargers have talent offensively, returning several decorated hitters who rank among the all-time greats statistically at Hillsdale, but are still looking for consistent performance two months into the season. Returning All-Conference outfielder Lewis Beals leads the Chargers with a .327 batting average, seven extra base hits and 13 RBIs, while junior Jeff Landis brings power to Hillsdale's lineup, with four doubles, five home runs and a team-leading 16 RBIs. Junior Joe Hardenbergh is hitting .313 as well for the Chargers, while senior Cody Kanclerz has seven extra base hits and 11 RBIs.
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. Gifford was named G-MAC North Division Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 27 for his play in the Wayne St. series. Sophomore Tommy MacLean has a 2.66 ERA as well and is off to an excellent start for Hillsdale, while junior Paul Brophy also has significant starting experience for the Chargers.
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 looks like one of the best relief pitchers in the G-MAC so far, earning two wins and two saves in six appearances with a 2.76 ERA so far. The only thing keeping Barnhart from a huge season as Hillsdale's closer is that he may not be a closer for much longer – the junior started Hillsdale's lone win over Trevecca Nazarene last week, looking impressive in six innings in a 10-1 victory.
Hillsdale is 8-56 all-time against Grand Valley State, but the Chargers won the last meeting between the two teams, 14-8, in a midweek contest in 2019. Kentucky Wesleyan has an 18-10 edge all-time against Hillsdale, including a four-game sweep of the Chargers late last season in Hillsdale.
Photo by Steve George