Schedule
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Northwood (2-2) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 19 | TVA Credit Union Ballpark – Johnson City, TN
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Northwood (2-2) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 19 | TVA Credit Union Ballpark – Johnson City, TN
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Northwood (2-2) | 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 20 | TVA Credit Union Ballpark – Johnson City, TN
Hillsdale College (2-1) vs Northwood (2-2) | 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 20 | TVA Credit Union Ballpark – Johnson City, TN
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Northwood Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Northwood Stats
Preview
Coming off a very successful opening weekend in Hoover, Alabama, the Hillsdale College baseball team is back in action with another neutral-site series this weekend in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The Chargers opened the season with two stunning victories over #15/18 Davenport last Friday, and while Hillsdale couldn't complete the sweep on Saturday, a series victory over a ranked team is still an extremely impressive start that raises the ceiling for what the 2022 season could hold for the Chargers down the road.
Hillsdale will get another chance at picking up some quality Midwest Regional victories against an opponent that's likely to be in the NCAA Tournament mix this weekend with four games against Northwood, another strong GLIAC opponent.
The Timberwolves went 2-2 in the NCAA Midwest Regional last year after a 29-17 season, and went 2-2 on opening weekend against another G-MAC opponent in Tiffin, rallying to win twice on Sunday after dropping two Saturday contests.
Northwood has to replace one of the best power hitters in the country in graduated All-American Cole Brooks, but return four other position players who earned All-Region honors last year, led by infielder Rhett Evans, who was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-Region team in 2022.
The Timberwolves' top hitter against the Dragons last weekend was a first year player, redshirt freshman Myles Beale, who hit .333 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. Infielders David Jeffers and Joey Johnston, outfielder Jacob Rybicki and catcher Blake Salamon also hit above .300 with double-digit at bats as well against Tiffin.
On the mound, Northwood returns its top three starters, led by returning first-team All-GLIAC pitcher Derek Clark. Junior Logan Lee and senior Drew Schultz, who started a combined 23 games last season for the Timberwolves, also pitched against Tiffin, with Schultz earning a victory.
The fourth starter against the Dragons was redshirt freshman Jayden Dentler, who pitched five innings with four strikeouts, no walks and no earned runs in the most effective start by a Northwood pitcher last weekend. The Timberwolves also have several experienced relievers, led by sophomore Jake Jekielek, who earned a win in relief against the Dragons with four strikeouts in two innings of work.
The Chargers, meanwhile, are looking to build off a strong offensive start last weekend against one of the top teams in the Midwest. Fully healthy after missing most of last season with injuries, sophomore outfielder Lewis Beals hit .571 with two doubles and five RBIs to lead Hillsdale, and two players who hit double-digit home runs in 2021 picked up where they left off last year, as both sophomore outfielder Joe Hardenbergh and sophomore first baseman Jeff Landis went yard against the Panthers.
Catcher Jaekob Sallee hit .455 as well against Davenport, and though they got off to slow starts against the Panthers, you can expect infielders Nick Stepke, Aidan Brewer and Cody Kanclerz to heat up at the plate sooner rather than later given their track records.
On the mound, Hillsdale's rebuilt pitching rotation held up well against one of the most fearsome lineups in the country. Junior Will Gifford had a standout performance to earn the victory in his second career start, striking out 12 batters and posting a 1.50 ERA in six innings in a showing that earned him G-MAC Pitcher of the Week honors. Fellow starters Tommy MacLean and Paul Brophy also put up decent numbers to give the Chargers a chance in their starts.
Hillsdale's bullpen also has some solid performers to draw on, headlined by senior James Krick. A starting pitcher last year with several years' worth of big game experience, Krick looked the part of a closer in two scoreless innings or relief in Hillsdale's 15-14 extra-inning win on Friday afternoon, striking out three of the seven batters he faced and giving up no hits to earn the victory.
This is the first meeting between the Chargers and Timberwolves on the baseball diamond since May 1, 2018, when Hillsdale took a 12-6 victory over Northwood in a midweek contest. While it's been several seasons since the Chargers played Northwood in a full series, the two programs have a long history dating back to their status as founding members of the GLIAC in the early 70s, and they'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future with the Timberwolves slated to join the G-MAC as a full member next fall.