Schedule
Hillsdale College (5-5) vs Emporia State (5-8) | 12 p.m. ET Friday, March 7 | Weber Field – St. Louis, MO
Hillsdale College (5-5) at Maryville (4-5) | 12 p.m. ET Saturday, March 8 | Weber Field – St. Louis, MO
Hillsdale College (5-5) vs Emporia State (5-8) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, March 8 | Weber Field – St. Louis, MO
Hillsdale College (5-5) at Maryville (4-5) | 12 p.m. ET Sunday, March 9 | Weber Field – St. Louis, MO
 
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Maryville Roster | Lock Haven Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Emporia Stats | Maryville Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Preview
Hillsdale heads into its final non-conference weekend with momentum, riding a five-game winning streak against quality opponents and hungry for the chance to get back above .500 and add more victories over strong competition before facing G-MAC foes.

The Chargers will play four games in St. Louis this weekend, two against host and Midwest Region contender Maryville, and two against MIAA squad Emporia State.

Emporia State is coming off a 21-29 season last year and off to a 5-8 start, but the records can be misleading for a team that plays in the rugged MIAA and in the powerful Central Region, and the Hornets have real talent to work with. Emporia State was picked to finish seventh in the MIAA in the preseason, and the Hornets return a couple key building blocks on the mound.

At the plate, the Hornets are remaking their lineup after substantial graduation losses, but bring back two key returners in MIAA Freshman of the Year and infielder Logan Myers, as well as catcher TJ Racherbaumer who hit .304 last year with 12 extra base hits and 28 RBIs and leads Emporia in OPS so far in 2025. Two new additions who are playing big roles so far are JuCo transfers Dominic Felix, who's hitting .375, and Noah Steele, who's hitting .359. Sophomore first baseman Jovanni Toledo leads the Hornets with nine RBIs so far.

On the mound, Emporia returns two starters, including its ace and an All-MIAA honoree from 2024, Card Barton. Seth Stover also returns after serving in the rotation last year and leads the Hornets starters in ERA so far with a 4.26 and 16 strikeouts to three walks, and converted reliever Trent Warstler also has made four starts for the Hornets. Emporia's closer is converted starter Ian Lanik, who has three saves in six appearances so far, and Grant Huffman is another relief arm who's seen a lot of work.

The Chargers' two games with Maryville are important as the Saints entered the season as one of the top teams in the Midwest after a 40-19 campaign in 2024, and have had Hillsdale's number recently, with a 4-1 record against the Chargers in the last three seasons. While Maryville is off to a slower start than expected, the Saints are still an incredibly dangerous foe.

Maryville is still figuring things out at the plate after graduating their top seven hitters from last year's GLVC Tourney-winning squad. Lindenwood transfer Ambrose Russo has been the Saints' top hitter so far, with a .367 batting average and two home runs, while holdovers Matt Arnold and Brady Kindhart, who both played sparingly for Maryville last season, have emerged as RBI leaders. Andrew Gould, the younger brother of graduated Maryville star Michael Gould, also has impressed in limited time, while Aaris Stolte, Josh Herget and Dominic Sharp, among others, have gotten significant playing time.

On the mound, the Saints miss All-American and Atlanta Braves draft pick Jacob Kroeger, and must replace three of four starters. The lone returner, Ben Gregory, has been excellent in two starts, with a 1.50 ERA and 10 strikeouts to one walks, while converted closer Braden Smith also is off to a strong start. Truman St. transfer Ty Rauser is the third starter and also has an ERA under 3 so far, while Noah Harbin returns as the team's closer and Griffin King and Philip Reinhardt are other frequently deployed relievers.

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.

While Hillsdale has big shoes to fill in its lineup in terms of offensive production, the cupboard is far from bare for the Chargers. Three of the team's top six hitters return, led by sophomores Rocco Tenuta and Will Millard, who each hit above .280 with double-digit extra base hits as freshmen in 2024 and who will be mainstays for Hillsdale this season. The team's best returning hitter overall might be senior Zak Kent, who seized a starting role in the outfield midway through 2024 and had the best batting average (.357), slugging percentage (.571) and on-base percentage (.423) among returners in 2024.

Along with those three, Hillsdale also brings back its starting shortstop and second baseman from last year in sophomores Aaron Jasiak and Tyler Turner, as well as another veteran infielder who got good playing time last season in Kaden Nowak. In the outfield, senior Augie Hutchison will get his shot to lock down a starting spot after three seasons playing behind veteran stars.

On the mound, Hillsdale brings back two players with significant starting experience in sophomore Daniel Higdon, who was one of the Chargers top pitchers before a late season injury, and senior Brandon Scott, who transitioned out of the bullpen late in the year and impressed in three starts. Sophomores Hayden Hoffpauir and Jacob Pallo both have a year under their belt and have had impressive moments so far for Hillsdale early in the season.

The Chargers have options in the bullpen, including Jasiak, who excelled as a reliever on top of his hitting for Hillsdale last season, senior Andrew George and sophomore Logan McLaughlin, as well as pitchers from the group above who don't land one of the four weekend starting jobs. The raw talent is there for Hillsdale to take a step forward as a staff, and that's a key for the Chargers to have a successful 2025 – a 7.34 team ERA in 2024 was a major reason the team missed the G-MAC Tournament last season.

The X-factor for Hillsdale this season is that 15-player freshman class, one that's full of talent and pedigree. While the lineup is still uncertain, it's likely that multiple freshmen will end up starting in the field for the Chargers in 2025, and several of the six freshmen pitchers will see the field either in a starting or relief role. How much of an impact those freshmen can make could determine how successful of a season 2025 ends up being for Hillsdale. Already, first baseman Will Lehman and outfielders Tyler Sowers and Gaard Swenson have started several games and made huge offensive contributions, with Carson Tucker, Billy Porotsky and Jake Figman all getting starts as well.