Schedule
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Montevallo (0-0) | 3 p.m. ET Friday, Jan. 30 | Bob Riesener Stadium – Montevallo, AL
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Montevallo (0-0) | 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 31 | Bob Riesener Stadium – Montevallo, AL
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Montevallo (0-0) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 1 | Bob Riesener Stadium – Montevallo, AL
 
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Montevallo Roster | 2025 Hillsdale Stats | 2025 Montevallo Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Preview
Hillsdale College begins a baseball season full of promise with a long road trip to Alabama to take on Montevallo, a tough opponent from the always-strong Gulf South Conference.
The Falcons enter 2026 picked to finish seventh in the GSC this season after placing eighth in 2025, but Montevallo did make a Cinderella run to the GSC tournament final before falling to West Alabama and finishing with a 29-25 record.

Montevallo did lose several players from its lineup to graduation, but has a strong core returning with two top of the order bats in 2025 third-team All-American McGwire Turner, a second baseman, and rightfielder and all-region player Evan Radford. Turner hit .404 with 47 RBIs as the No. 2 hitter for the Falcons last season, while Radford brought significant power in the cleanup spot with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs. Along with those two stars, Montevallo will hope for more from sophomore catcher Easton Kleyn and sophomore outfielder Ian Cartwright, who showed real promise in spot roles last season.

On the mound, Montevallo returns a front line starter in senior Matthew Bullard, who went 7-4 with a 5.46 ERA for the Falcons in 2025, and another player with starting experience in junior Zach Wyatt. Montevallo must replace its closer but does have experienced bullpen arms to lean on, including Mitchell Rhodes, Logan Medsker and Sam Patrick.

To bolster the roster, Montevallo added a big group of potential impact transfers, including versatile utility man Caleb Karll from Ohio University and right-handed pitcher Bodie Vail from Samford. Another newcomer to watch is freshman Luke Holbrook, an all-state prep pitcher in Alabama who should play immediately.

After struggling with health in each of the last two seasons, the Chargers are hoping to receive in full the dividends of a youth movement in 2024 and 2025 that saw freshmen and sophomores thrown into critical every day 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.

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.

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.
This weekend marks the first-ever meeting between Hillsdale and Montevallo in baseball. Since 1999, Hillsdale has gone 11-20 against current Gulf South members Lee and Trevecca Nazarene.