The 2026 college baseball season kicks off next Friday, Jan. 30, and a season of optimism and big goals lies ahead for the Hillsdale College baseball team. 

The Chargers have lots of reasons to be excited for the upcoming season, not least of which is a strong showing in the 2026 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll released on Wednesday afternoon.

Hillsdale was picked to finish a solid third in the G-MAC North Division in the upcoming season, behind the two teams, Northwood and Ashland, that led the whole G-MAC in conference and overall wins and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Hillsdale beat out rival Findlay for the third spot in the North Division, while Walsh was picked to win the South Division, ahead of Kentucky Wesleyan in second place and Ohio Dominican in third. You can find the full poll below.

After nine straight seasons of hovering at or under the .500 mark, Hillsdale has the pieces on paper to pursue a program-changing campaign in 2026.

The Chargers are hoping to receive in full in 2026 the dividends of a youth movement in 2024 and 2025 that saw freshmen and sophomores thrust into critical everyday roles in the lineup.

Many of those players are now juniors with multiple seasons of collegiate baseball under their belt, giving Hillsdale a strong and experienced core to build around in 2026.

Five starters return, including all four infield players, led by returning second-team All-G-MAC second baseman Billy Porotsky, and third-year starters Rocco Tenuta at third base and Aaron Jasiak at shortstop. All three players were major contributors offensively, and to one of the best defenses in program history in 2025, along with returning sophomore first baseman Will Lehman, who tied for the team lead in doubles with 12 and finished second on the squad with 40 RBIs.

In the outfield, Gaard Swenson returns after a strong freshman campaign for the Chargers that included 18 extra base hits, and Hillsdale also looks forward to the healthy return of sophomore Tyler Sowers, who missed the last month of the season with injuries but would have led the Chargers in virtually every hitting category if he'd stayed healthy and kept up the levels of production he had before his injury.

Two spots are open in the field for the Chargers, as G-MAC All-Tournament honoree Tyler Turner will battle Jake Figman, Dylan Whitfield, and incoming freshmen for the last outfield spot, and St. Leo transfer Logan Dichler, freshmen Ryan Wiehe and Jack Kilmer, and returning redshirt Robert Matteson will compete for playing time at catcher.

In addition, Hillsdale also brings back another promising infielder who saw his 2025 season cut short due to injury in redshirt Carson Tucker, who will push the incumbents hard for playing time. Freshmen Jonah Borchardt, Drew Law and Nolan Coppens give the Chargers a deep bench that will give Hillsdale coach Tom Vessella plenty of options in games, and also allow the Chargers to better weather injuries if they occur in 2026.

Hillsdale will look to continue to improve its pitching staff in 2026. Despite significant injury trouble in 2025, the Chargers posted a 5.49 ERA, the team's best mark since 2018, but still behind four G-MAC foes, including the top two teams in the overall G-MAC standings, Northwood and Ashland. Taking the next step and closing the gap to the conference favorites will be critical for Hillsdale in 2026.

The Chargers must replace All-G-MAC pitcher Brandon Scott, but return three every day starters in juniors Daniel Higdon and Jacob Pallo and sophomore Gibson Cary, all of whom showed significant promise and won at least four games in 2025. Hillsdale also welcomes back top relief arms Hayden Hoffpauir, Logan McLaughlin, Patrick MacLean and Winston Delp, while Jasiak also is an option on the mound as an effective two-way player for the Chargers. 

Reinforcements are coming to the Hillsdale staff, as several players who missed last season with an injury will look to make an impact this year, including sophomores Luke Miller and Josh Novak, and redshirt freshmen Mana Nicholas-Bublick, Nate Albanese and Brodie Romnek. Hillsdale also welcomes four freshmen pitchers who all will compete for regular spots in the rotation and bullpen as well.

Hillsdale will play another tough schedule that includes southern trips in the first two weekends of the season to play at Montevallo in Alabama and Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee, and a four-game neutral site set at regional power Grand Valley as well as a trip to Missouri for three games against Missouri-St. Louis. The Chargers also play another tough GLIAC squad in Wayne State for two midweek contests. 

In conference, Hillsdale will look to overtake Northwood, the 2025 G-MAC and Midwest Regional Champion, and Ashland, a 37-win squad who finished runner-up to the Timberwolves in the G-MAC and also made the NCAA Tournament. The Chargers also must watch out for tough challenges from the Oilers and North Division foe Tiffin, as well as 2025 G-MAC Tournament runner-up Ohio Dominican in a crossover series with the South Division. You can find the full schedule for the 2026 season here.

2026 G-MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

North Division 
1. Northwood (7)- 63
2. Ashland (5)- 61
3. Hillsdale- 41
4. Findlay- 39
5. Tiffin- 31
6. Lake Erie- 17 

South Division
1. Walsh (7)- 63
2. Kentucky Wesleyan (5) 60
3. Ohio Dominican-48
4. Cedarville-35
5. Malone - 24
6. Thomas More - 22