Schedule
Kentucky Wesleyan (14-25, 12-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (16-25, 10-14 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 27 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (14-25, 12-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (16-25, 10-14 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, April 27 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (14-25, 12-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (16-25, 10-14 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 28 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Kentucky Wesleyan (14-25, 12-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (16-25, 10-14 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Sunday, April 28 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Links
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | 2024 Hillsdale Stats | 2024 KWC Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
Preview
Hillsdale heads into the final home weekend of the season with significant work to do, sitting three games back of eighth place and the last spot in the G-MAC Tournament with eight games to play, but with a golden opportunity to make up most or all of that ground this weekend taking on a team right in front of them in the standings in Kentucky Wesleyan.
It's also a big weekend for the Chargers for other reasons, as Hillsdale holds the dedication of the new Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field on Saturday, and also salutes its 15 graduating seniors before Sunday's doubleheader. The Chargers have special festivities planned for both occasions.
Kentucky Wesleyan is looking to keep a streak of making the G-MAC Tournament that dates back to 2014 alive with a strong finish. The Panthers are currently on the bubble at 14-25 overall and 12-10 in G-MAC play, and a good showing against the Chargers could all but sew up their spot.
The Panthers' excellent pitching staff has kept Kentucky Wesleyan afloat through an up-and-down season. KWC has two ace-level starters in senior Seth Wright, who has 57 Ks and a 2.73 ERA in eight starts, and sophomore Evan Oakley, who has a 2.92 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 10 starts. Senior Brayden Bush is a solid third starter, and Isaac Rose, Nick Jedd and Josh Tucker have split game four duties depending on the matchup. Out of the bullpen, Tucker and Bryant Byrd are the most frequently deployed, and each has a save on the season, while David Castelberry and Austin Baugh also see frequent action.
KWC's pitching has helped the Panthers overcome significant struggles at the plate, as KWC has the G-MAC's lowest batting average at .233 for the team, and at .248 in G-MAC play. The Panthers' top hitter is junior Cade Moore, who leads KWC in average (.322), hits, doubles (11), triples, (2), home runs (3) and RBIs (21). Fellow junior Braxton French is the Panthers' only other regular hitting above .300 and is the team's top base-stealer with 13 on the year. Noah Davis, Braden Vinyard and Cade Gudalis are also important pieces of the Panthers' batting order in most contests.
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 .430 so far in 2024 with a G-MAC-leading 1.377 OPS, 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, and Brandon Scott has been added to the rotation as well. There's talent in this group but they'll have to be at their best over the final two weeks to get Hillsdale back to the G-MAC Tourney.
In the bullpen, Hillsdale may have found a closer in junior Andrew George, who has three saves and a win in 13 appearances this season, while 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 nine appearances and may be working his way into a larger role for Hillsdale moving forward.
Kentucky Wesleyan is 20-12 all-time in baseball against Hillsdale, with the two teams splitting last year's series. Those two Hillsdale wins ended a seven-game winning streak by the Panthers against the Chargers, the longest streak by either team since they first played each other in 2009.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan