Schedule
Davenport (10-25, 6-10 GLIAC) at Hillsdale College (14-21, 9-11 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 16 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale College (14-21, 9-11 G-MAC) at Grand Valley State (18-16, 10-6 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 17 | GVSU Baseball Field – Allendale, MI
Hillsdale College (14-21, 9-11 G-MAC) at Northwood (19-16, 13-7 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 20 | Gerace Stadium – Midland, MI
Hillsdale College (14-21, 9-11 G-MAC) at Northwood (19-16, 13-7 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, April 20 | Gerace Stadium – Midland, MI
Hillsdale College (14-21, 9-11 G-MAC) at Northwood (19-16, 13-7 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Sunday, April 21 | Gerace Stadium – Midland, MI
Hillsdale College (14-21, 9-11 G-MAC) at Northwood (19-16, 13-7 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 21 | Gerace Stadium – Midland, MI
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Davenport Roster | GVSU Roster | Northwood Roster | 2024 Hillsdale Stats | 2024 Davenport Stats | 2024 GVSU Stats | 2024 Northwood Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
Preview
The Chargers split with Malone this past weekend, and with three series left in G-MAC play, the Chargers sit at 9-11 in conference and two and a half games back of Ohio Dominican for the eighth and final spot in the G-MAC Tournament. That makes this weekend's road series at Northwood critical for the Chargers to get a good result to stay in the race.
First, however, Hillsdale dips out of conference play with a pair of midweek games against in-state foes on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Chargers start with a Tuesday night contest at home against Davenport, a team that's been among the best in the Midwest Region prior to this season but one that's currently struggling with a 10-25 overall record.
The Panthers have a top-heavy lineup at the plate led by redshirt senior Josh Robinson, an Alma College transfer who's batting an impressive .403 while leading Davenport in doubles (10) and home runs (6). Senior first baseman Anthony Aloisio also is playing well for the Panthers, hitting .333 with nine doubles and a team-best 27 RBIs, while juniors Michael Tchavadarov, Coltrane Rubner, and Carson Price have all flashed power for the Panthers as well, though as a team Davenport is hitting just .266 at the plate.
Hillsdale is unlikely to see any of Davenport's four regular weekend starters in a midweek contest. Seniors Jared Schwartz and Isaac Van Dyke have both started multiple games for Davenport and are not currently part of the rotation, if Davenport chooses not to throw a bullpen game. Tyler Kapa is Davenport's closer, with a 4.50 ERA and two saves in 13 appearances on the year, while Jack Snow, Brayden Flanders and Cade Kontny are among the Panthers' most-used relievers.
GVSU is 18-16 overall, 10-6 and competitive in the GLIAC, although the Lakers have already lost a midweek game at Hillsdale on March 27, 4-3.
The Lakers returned several top hitters at the plate with significant experience this season, led by five returning All-GLIAC players– seniors Connor Shuman, Nathan Logan and Kyle Nott, and juniors Jonas Gulbrandsen and Brendan Guciardo. Nott has been hard to keep off the basepaths with a .355 average and a .489 OBP, while Gulbrandsen leads GVSU with eight home runs and 32 RBIs. Junior Ryan Dykstra also has emerged as a big-time hitter for the Lakers with 12 extra base hits and 29 RBIs on the season.
The Lakers' best assets are on the mound, though Hillsdale won't see GVSU's four regular starters in a midweek. GVSU started Colin Bradley in the two teams' March matchup and could go to him again. Ayden VanEnkevort, Colby Phipps and Allan Thorington also have starts for GVSU if the Lakers choose not to throw a bullpen game. Will Goebel is the team's top bullpen arm with a 1.72 ERA and two saves in 10 appearances, while Thorington and Logan Wynalda are also dangerous relief options.
Hillsdale plays a crucial four-game set at Northwood on Saturday and Sunday. The defending G-MAC champions, Northwood had significant graduation losses and changed coaches in the offseason, but have continued to perform and remain in the hunt for a repeat title with a 13-7 conference record to date.
Northwood has stayed afloat the plate by building around a core group of veterans from that championship squad, led by senior Matt Magno, who's hitting an impressive .374 with 12 doubles, nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Outfielder Blake Salamon has been close behind with a .344 average, nine home runs and 35 RBIs, while returning All-G-MAC honorees Alex Cole and Myles Beale have done damage as well. Junior Logan Voth and senior Ben Clark are other important everyday bats for the Timberwolves.
The rebuild has been heavy on the mound for Northwood, who lost three of their four starters from last year's squad. Holdover Kendall Anthes has been impressive as the ace, with a 3-0 record and a 3.18 ERA, while freshman Dominic Mauro has made an immediate impact in the rotation as well with a 4.32 ERA. Junior Grant LaMarche is also a regular starter for Northwood, while junior Matt DeFay, sophomore Tyler Sager, and senior Jake Carroll have split the duties for the fourth game. Northwood also returns All-G-MAC closer Jake Jekielek, who has five saves in 12 appearances, while Carroll, Benji Alderson and Owen Franklin are frequently deployed relievers for the Timberwolves.
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 is batting .411 so far in 2024 with a G-MAC-leading 1.296 ERA, and recently won G-MAC Player of the Week honors. Hillsdale also returned two of the top three home run hitters in program history in seniors Jeff Landis and Joe Hardenbergh, 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.
Along with this veteran core a mix of returning players and a strong freshman class will compete for playing time. Already, freshmen Tyler Turner, Rocco Tenuta, Will Millard and Aaron Jasiak have become lineup regulars, while junior Kaden Nowak has also carved out a significant role in the infield and Zak Kent has played significant time in the outfield as well.
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, with strong series against Tiffin and Lake Erie, but struggles at Trevecca Nazarene. Returning starter Tommy MacLean and freshman Daniel Higdon nailed down two starting spots early, while veterans Drew Olssen and Paul Brophy have also earned starting nods with their play over the last month. There's talent in this group but continued improvement will be necessary to get the Chargers back to the G-MAC Tournament
In the bullpen, Hillsdale may have found a closer in junior Andrew George, who has three saves and a win in 10 appearances this season, while Brandon Scott also has three saves for the Chargers as well. Chad Stevens and Devin Murray are also frequently deployed bullpen arms for the Chargers, while redshirt freshman Logan McLaughlin has impressed in six appearances and may be working his way into a larger role for Hillsdale moving forward.
Hillsdale is 4-9 all-time against Davenport since the series began in 2018, but the Chargers won at least one game in three game sets against the Panthers in both 2022 and 2023. GVSU has a 58-9 mark against Hillsdale since 2003, but the Chargers took the lone meeting this year 4-3 in March and four of Hillsdale's nine wins in the series have come in the last 11 meetings. Northwood won four of five last year against Hillsdale in the two teams' first meetings as foes in the G-MAC, though the two teams had a long prior history in the GLIAC.