Schedule
Hillsdale College (9-17, 4-8 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (13-12, 5-5 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Friday, April 5 | Mentor High School Field – Mentor, Ohio
Hillsdale College (9-17, 4-8 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (13-12, 5-5 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, April 6 | Mentor High School Field – Mentor, Ohio
Hillsdale College (9-17, 4-8 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (13-12, 5-5 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Sunday, April 7 | Mentor High School Field – Mentor, Ohio
Hillsdale College (9-17, 4-8 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (13-12, 5-5 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 7 | Mentor High School Field – Mentor, Ohio
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Lake Erie Roster | 2024 Hillsdale Stats | 2024 Lake Erie Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
Preview
Hillsdale is looking to rebound from a rough weekend in Nashville against a title-contending Trevecca Nazarene team. There's still plenty of season left for the Chargers to make a postseason push, but Hillsdale needs to make up some ground over the next couple of weeks, starting with a series at Lake Erie against the team above them in the standings in G-MAC play.
The Storm look like a team on the rise after three seasons in the G-MAC basement, with a 5-5 record in conference that includes wins over two of the top three teams in the G-MAC standings, including a road split with Trevecca in their first conference series in mid-March.
Lake Erie hasn't been a powerhouse team offensively so far this season, but the Storm have gotten the job done with a variety of bats contributing and solid power numbers. Junior Graham Solak, a lineup mainstay for Lake Erie since he matriculated in 2021, leads the team in OPS (1.098) and home runs (5) with 15 RBIs, while sophomore Mitchel Szymczak is hitting above .300 with 15 RBIs as well. Senior and JuCo transfer Jacob Mote leads the Storm with 18 RBIs, part of a deep lineup that includes 12 different players who've hit a home run so far in 2024.
The Storm have taken a huge step forward on the mound, with returning starters Dominic Poltrone and Robert Helt both developing into above average pitchers after taking their lumps early on in their careers. Poltrone is 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA and 46 strikeouts, while Helt is 5-2 with a 4.93 ERA and 36 Ks. Freshman Alex Caudill is also playing well in the rotation with a 3.68 ERA, and veteran Jon Poppy rounds out the rotation. In the bullpen, AJ Dallmayer is Lake Erie's top reliever with seven appearances, a 1.93 ERA, while Brendan Collins, Landen Vance and Nicholas Ginsburg are also frequently-used options out of the bullpen.
The Chargers entered 2024 with significant holes to fill in the lineup, but returned many of their best hitters from 2023, led by returning All-Region first baseman Will Shannon, who hit .388 with 15 doubles and 13 home runs last season and is batting .376 so far in 2024. Hillsdale also returned two of the top three home run hitters in program history in seniors Jeff Landis and Joe Hardenbergh, both of whom are off to strong starts, as well as two additional rock-solid four-year starters in centerfielder Danny Passinault and catcher Jaekob Sallee. Sallee earned G-MAC Player of the Week for his performance in the Cal (PA) series earlier this season and has continued to hit with power so far.
Nate Waligora and Zak Kent also performed well in part-time roles in 2023 and should get more playing time this year, while a mix of returning players and a strong freshman class will compete for playing time. Already, freshmen Tyler Turner, Rocco Tenuta, and Aaron Jasiak have become lineup regulars, while junior Kaden Nowak has also carved out a significant role in the infield.
On the mound, Hillsdale is looking for more consistency from a young group that showed promise early but has been up and down over the last month. The rotation had an encouraging stretch against Tiffin and Grand Valley two weeks ago, but struggled in Tennessee against the Trojans. Returning starter Tommy MacLean and freshman Daniel Higdon have nailed down two starting spots, while veterans Drew Olssen and Paul Brophy had quality starts against Findlay and Tiffin, and Daly Skees and Luke Miller have also been in the mix for the Chargers. There's talent in this group but continued improvement will be necessary to get the Chargers to where they need to be.
In the bullpen, Hillsdale may have found a closer in junior Andrew George, who has three saves and a win in eight appearances this season. Brandon Scott, Chad Stevens and Devin Murray are also frequently deployed bullpen arms for the Chargers, while redshirt freshman Logan McLaughlin has impressed in three appearances and may be working his way into a larger role for Hillsdale moving forward.
Hillsdale has a 19-18 record all-time against Lake Erie in a competitive series dating back to 2011, but the Chargers have dominated proceedings over the last three years, entering the weekend with a nine-game winning streak against the Storm that included sweeps in both 2022 and 2023. Lake Erie's last victory over the Chargers was on April 7, 2019.