Schedule
Thomas More (6-16, 1-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (11-12, 5-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, March 29 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Thomas More (6-16, 1-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (11-12, 5-3 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, March 29 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Thomas More (6-16, 1-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (11-12, 5-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, March 30 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Thomas More (6-16, 1-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (11-12, 5-3 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Sunday, March 30 | Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field – Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale College (11-12, 5-3 G-MAC) at Saginaw Valley State (14-6, 3-1 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 1 | SVSU Baseball Complex – University Center, MI
 
Links
Live Stats/Stream Links | Hillsdale Roster | Thomas More Roster | SVSU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Thomas More Stats | SVSU Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Preview
Hillsdale took three games at Ohio Dominican over the weekend, and now return home to the friendly confines of Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field above .500 in the G-MAC for the first time since the end of the 2023 season. Hillsdale will look to build its advantage with four games against visiting Thomas More on Saturday and Sunday.

The transition to NCAA DII from NAIA has been a difficult one for the Saints, who went 14-35 in 2024 and are 6-16 this year, and 1-7 in G-MAC play so far. Thomas More did have a difficult start against arguably the top two teams in the G-MAC this season, Northwood and Ashland, in their first two weekend series, and took a game off the nationally ranked Eagles this past Friday.

Thomas More's main struggles have been at the plate, where the Saints are hitting a G-MAC low .249. The Saints have some building blocks in the lineup, highlighted by one of the G-MAC's top freshman hitters so far, infielder Miguel Correa Jr., who's batting .391 with a 1.050 OPS. Senior Gavin Vogelsang was the team's only returning every-day player who batted .300 in 2024 and is hitting .309 so far. He's tied for the team lead with 10 RBIs with junior first baseman Gunner Kalkoff, while platoon catcher Derek Marinucci also is hitting well, .341, in 13 contests.

The Saints have managed to stay in ballgames thanks to a solid defense (their .966 fielding percentage ranks fourth in the G-MAC), and respectable pitching. Junior Jack Perdue is the team's ace, and he has a 3 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio and a complete game shutout to his name this season. Senior Austin Dennis leads the team in strikeouts with 27, and Jackson Grimmelsman and Ethan Stone are the other starters in the rotation. Freshman Jeff Levin is the top bullpen arm with two saves and a 2.53 ERA in five appearances, while George Donohoe and Cameron Snider also frequently see action in relief for the Saints.

After finishing the series with the Saints, Hillsdale plays a Tuesday midweek contest on the road against Saginaw Valley State in a return game after SVSU's 3-2 victory over the Chargers in Hillsdale on March 12. SVSU has stayed hot since that win, with a 14-6 mark entering the weekend and a 3-1 start to GLIAC play, where the Cardinals figure to be a title contender.

At the plate, SVSU returns just one player who logged more than 100 at-bats in 2024 in infielder Austin Cicerone, who's off to a good start for the Cardinals with a .355 batting average and a team high 18 RBIs. 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 .486 with a team-high 11 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. Another player to watch is catcher Connor Cornwell, who hit the game-winning home run against the Chargers in the first matchup between the two teams this season.

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 eight of their 14 wins. SVSU does return one of its four starters and a top contributor in Chase Raymond, who went 9-3 last year and got the win over the Chargers in the first meeting. Former relievers JJ Arbini and Jack Decker have taken a huge step forward for SVSU this season, going a combined 9-0 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 (5 saves) and Nathan Masar (2 saves).

Hillsdale enters the week 11-12 after playing a rugged non-conference schedule that included five teams receiving votes in the preseason poll. After narrowly missing the G-MAC Tournament in 2024, Hillsdale 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 have been led at the plate by senior Zak Kent, who's having a bit of a breakout in his final season with a .382 batting average, nine extra base hits, and a team-leading 29 RBI. Past Kent, the Chargers are leaning on youth offensively, with three freshmen performing well as every-day players. Outfielder Tyler Sowers is off to an excellent start, hitting .338 with 10 extra base hits, first baseman Will Lehman has 21 RBIs and won a G-MAC Player of the Week Award, and Gaard Swenson has nine extra base hits and a walk-off home run as well. Along with those four players, sophomore Rocco Tenuta (.299, 24 RBIs, .477 OBP) continues to produce 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 4.11 ERA and kept Hillsdale in every one of his starts, and can also turn to veteran Brandon Scott, who has now been the starter in back-to-back Hillsdale shutouts, for solid outings as well. Sophomore Jacob Pallo has been improving each week and looks set as the third starter, and freshman Gibson Cary has emerged as another starting option for the Chargers along with Aaron Jasiak. Out of the bullpen, Logan McLaughlin, Hayden Hoffpauir and Andrew George all have had strong appearances, while sophomore Winston Delp and junior Patrick MacLean have steadily improved and become important pieces out of the bullpen as well. Hillsdale's staff is backed up by a solid defense, with a .968 fielding percentage that's among the top teams in the G-MAC so far.

This weekend's series marks the first-ever meeting on the diamond between Hillsdale and Thomas More, as the Saints are in their second season in the G-MAC, and were not on the schedule last year for the Chargers. The two teams reside in separate divisions in the G-MAC, with Hillsdale playing in the North and Thomas More in the South. Hillsdale is 15-16 against Saginaw Valley State since 2012, having lost a close 3-2 game earlier this season to the Cardinals.