Schedule
RV Saginaw Valley St. (9-4) at Hillsdale College (6-8) | 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 12 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale College (6-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Malone (7-6, 0-0 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Friday, March 14 | Thurman Munson Stadium – Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (6-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Malone (7-6, 0-0 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Friday, March 14 | Thurman Munson Stadium – Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (6-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Malone (7-6, 0-0 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, March 15 | Thurman Munson Stadium – Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (6-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Malone (7-6, 0-0 G-MAC) | 6 p.m. ET Saturday, March 15 | Thurman Munson Stadium – Canton, OH
 
Links
Hillsdale Roster | SVSU Roster | Malone Roster | Hillsdale Stats | SVSU Stats | Malone Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Preview
The Hillsdale College baseball team prepares to open G-MAC play this weekend with a road trip, but first will play its home opener on Wednesday against an in-state foe.

The Chargers play a single game in Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field on Wednesday against Saginaw Valley State at 4 p.m. The Cardinals are coming off their best season in recent memory last season, a 41-18 performance that saw them win an outright GLIAC regular season title and reach the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Although SVSU lost almost every player of consequence from that squad, they've reloaded impressively so far with a 9-4 start to the season that has the team in line for another strong campaign.

At the plate, SVSU returns just one player who logged more than 100 at-bats last year in infielder Austin Cicerone, who's off to a good start for the Cardinals with a .348 batting average. With so many holes in the lineup, several players who waited their turn last year are taking advantage of the opportunity, led by sophomore Lucas Mead, who is hitting .524 with a team-high seven extra base hits so far. Buck Snabes and Ryan Jarvis are two other bats who are performing in increased roles, and JuCo transfer Aaron Bess also has become an important player, leading SVSU in home runs and RBIs so far.

A big part of SVSU's success so far has been the pitching staff, as the Cardinals have held opponents to two or less runs in six of their nine wins. SVSU does return one of its four starters and a top contributor in Chase Raymond, who went 9-3 last year and is the team's ace this year. Former relievers JJ Arbini and Jack Decker have taken a huge step forward for SVSU this season, going a combined 7-0 with a ERA around 1. In a midweek contest, there's a decent chance Hillsdale won't see a top three starter, and may end up facing freshman Brady Baalaer or flex pitchers Ben Kochany and Henry Stempky. SVSU's bullpen has performed so far, led by Jake Shelagowski (3 saves) and Nathan Masar (2 saves).

On Friday, Hillsdale begins conference play looking to get off to a hot start with a four game series at Malone. Like the Chargers, Malone missed the G-MAC Tournament this year and will be hoping for a rebound after finishing dead last in the conference. Early returns from Canton are encouraging as the team's 7-6 mark has them just two wins shy of last year's high-water mark of nine wins, not even a third of the way through the season.

Malone's offense has been aided by the emergence of Robert Gumino and Anthony Bartiromo, both sparingly used players in 2024 who have become lineup mainstays and the team's top two hitters so far in 2025. Junior Allen Diaz, a returning starter, has brought power with three home runs, and one-time Division I transfers Anthony Ryan and Jordan Stevens are batting above .350 as well for a lineup with some pop.

On the mound, the Pioneers have gotten good development from returning starters Jackson Phelps and Jacob Rollyson, both of whom struggled last year but are a combined 3-1 in six starts with respectable performances in 2025. Freshman Finn Schmitt has also had an impressive first three starts of the season so far for Malone, and Devin Norton rounds out the starting rotation. The Pioneers are still sorting out their bullpen, but senior Cooper Davies has a 0.00 ERA and a save in three appearances, and Caesen Sutton has a save as well to headline the options.

Hillsdale enters the week 6-8 after playing a rugged non-conference schedule that included four teams receiving votes in the preseason polls. After narrowly missing the G-MAC Tournament in 2024, the Chargers bid farewell to a massive senior class and 16 total players, while adding 15 new freshmen to the roster in a turnover that will reshape the program heading into the upcoming campaign.

So far, the Chargers are leaning on youth offensively, with three freshmen leading the way in OPS. Outfielder Tyler Sowers is off to an excellent start, hitting .396 with eight extra base hits, first baseman Will Lehman is tied for the team lead with 15 RBIs and won a G-MAC Player of the Week Award, and Gaard Swenson has eight extra base hits and a walk-off home run as well. Along with those three players, returning starters Zak Kent and Rocco Tenuta are also off to solid starts at the plate as Hillsdale has shown excellent upside offensively and now seeks to build consistency for the conference run.

On the mound, Hillsdale has a solid ace in sophomore Daniel Higdon, who's got a 3.32 ERA and kept Hillsdale in every one of his starts, and can also turn to veteran Brandon Scott for solid outings as well. Sophomore Jacob Pallo has been improving each week and look set as the third starter, while the Chargers are still working through their best options for the fourth weekend starter and will look to lock the position down this weekend. Out of the bullpen, Logan McLaughlin, Hayden Hoffpauir and Andrew George all have had strong appearances, while sophomore Winston Delp and freshman Gibson Cary are new options who have gotten increased opportunities in recent weeks.

Hillsdale is 15-15 against Saginaw Valley State since 2012, and went 1-2 against the Cardinals last season, including an 18-17 win on the road on March 12, 2024. The Chargers are 18-13 against Malone since 2013, including splitting a four game set with the Pioneers last year at home.