Schedule
Hillsdale College (21-24, 15-13 G-MAC) at Ashland (32-14, 20-8 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Friday, May 1 | Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex – Ashland, Ohio
Hillsdale College (21-24, 15-13 G-MAC) at Ashland (32-14, 20-8 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Friday, May 1 | Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex – Ashland, Ohio
Hillsdale College (21-24, 15-13 G-MAC) at Ashland (32-14, 20-8 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, May 2 | Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex – Ashland, Ohio
Hillsdale College (21-24, 15-13 G-MAC) at Ashland (32-14, 20-8 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Saturday, May 2 | Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex – Ashland, Ohio
 
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ashland Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Preview
Hillsdale took care of business against Tiffin this past weekend to lock up a berth in the G-MAC Tournament for the second straight season. The Chargers are currently the fifth seed in the tourney entering the final series of the regular season, and can climb as high as fourth with a strong showing on the road this Friday and Saturday.

The Chargers' host and opponent will be Ashland, who sits in the third seed spot now with a 32-14 record overall and 20-8 in the G-MAC after sweeping Northwood this past weekend. Ashland can't fall from third but still have a shot at the top seed and the G-MAC North Division title, as it sits two games back of leader Findlay and can overtake the Oilers with a strong weekend and if Findlay falters.

Ashland's strength this season has been a top-notch pitching staff that leads the G-MAC in ERA by nearly a full run at 4.47. The Eagles have reloaded impressively after graduating their entire starting rotation from 2025. Sophomore Drew Becker has returned from an injury that held him out all of 2025 to become the team's ace, with a 2.97 ERA and a 6-1 record, but JuCo transfer Jackson Grine is close behind with a 3.51 ERA and a 4-0 mark, and sophomore Josh Stalnaker and junior Griffin Ailes have been solid as well. In the bullpen, the Eagles have a pair of solid closers in Chase Carter and Ben Zink who have combined for seven saves and six victories, while David Smith has a 1.42 ERA as a setup man and Ben Sibert has been solid as well. Just five Eagles have eight or more relief appearances on the season so far, a testament both to the strength of Ashland's starters and the effectiveness of their core bullpen group.

Ashland's offense is no slouch, either, standing up to some of the G-MAC's top performers in most categories. The Eagles have spread their power around a variety of hitters with a deep and talented lineup that gives pitchers few breaks. Six different players have four or more home runs for Ashland and five of those six are hitting above .300, led by returning G-MAC Freshman of the Year Sean Krueckeberg and returning All-G-MAC honoree Collin Overholt. Ryan Shimek tops the team in batting average, and Drew Stevens and Chris Franks are key hitters as well.

Hillsdale has been solid offensively to get back to the G-MAC Tourney, ranking in the middle of the pack in batting average and RBIs in the G-MAC to this point. Junior Rocco Tenuta is the top power bat for the Chargers, leading Hillsdale with 13 doubles, six home runs, a .957 OPS and 39 RBIs. Close behind is leadoff hitter Gaard Swenson, with 16 extra base hits, 34 RBIs and a .925 OPS.  Jake Figman is hitting .364 with 13 extra base hits for Hillsdale, and freshman Nolan Coppens has a team-high 13 doubles as well. Tyler Turner bats .311 for the Chargers, while Billy Porotsky and Aaron Jasiak give Hillsdale speed at the back of the order and Carson Tucker has been impressive with a .340 average in spot situations as well. Swenson and Jasiak are dangerous base-stealers for Hillsdale, with 32 stolen bags between them.

After ups and downs throughout 2026, Hillsdale has solidified its starting rotation, and that stability played a big role in taking three from Tiffin last weekend. Senior Patrick MacLean pitched a shutout against the Dragons after moving from the bullpen and has a 2.38 ERA, while veteran starters Logan McLaughlin and Jacob Pallo have been stringing together strong starts for the Chargers as well.  Sophomore Brenden Smith is in the midst of a breakthrough season on the mound for Hillsdale but must recapture his midseason form after a couple of rough outings.

With MacLean in the starting rotation now, Hillsdale is thinner in the bullpen, though still with good options. Redshirt sophomore Josh Novak has excelled as the team's closer, with a 2.05 ERA and six combined wins and saves in 16 appearances, while Hayden Hoffpauir has posted a 2.89 ERA in nine strong outings as a setup man. Winston Delp, Collin Lange and Nate Albanese are other commonly used relievers, while Hillsdale also can turn to freshmen Isaac Scavarda and Jeff Klominek, who have starting experience this season, and Drew Law may be in the mix as well.

As one of the top teams in the Midwest Region for several decades, Ashland has a 67-30 lead in the all-time series with Hillsdale since 1996. Hillsdale hasn't lost a series to the Eagles since 2016, however, either splitting or taking three from Ashland in 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2025, and will be looking for a similar performance on the road this weekend to boost their tournament seed.