Last Thursday, the Hillsdale Chargers baseball team upset the third best team in the country, beating University of Tampa 2-1 in a game that set the tone for the upcoming season.
“Beating such a good team as Tampa shows that we can beat anybody,” freshman pitcher Lucas Hamelink said.
During the weekend trip to Florida, the team won the second of two games against Tampa, and both games against SUNY Canton.
Hamelink, who was highly-touted during the offseason, pitched the second game against Tampa, earning his first college win. He pitched five innings, striking out five and allowing one run.
Freshman Luke Ortel and sophomore Nolan Breymaier each contributed two hits to the win.
“We came in very focused with a purpose in mind to beat Tampa,” freshman Lincoln Reed said. “We had a mission. We had a goal. Even though we lost the first game, it didn’t deter us at all.”
“After the game, we were ecstatic,” Hamelink said. “We were really happy we could steal a win from them.”
“It’s really great watching Lucas pitch,” Reed said. “He’s kind of a surgeon out there. Every pitch has a purpose and he’s very conscientious. He’s an artist out there. He’s in control of the game.”
“Lucas did a great job,” head coach Paul Noce said. “To beat Tampa for your first win, that’s something he’ll never forget.”
Hillsdale followed their first win by sweeping SUNY Canton in Friday’s doubleheader. They won the first game 6-5 and the second 13-7.
In game one, sophomore Dan Pochmara got the win, pitching 3 ⅔ innings, providing a chance for the Chargers to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Ortel doubled and scored twice, and freshman Zak Northrup had a single and double and scored the go-ahead run for the Chargers.
Hillsdale scored runs in five consecutive innings of the second game, putting up three runs in four different innings. Breymaier scored three runs, and freshman Chris McDonald pitched five innings, earning his first win of the season.
“As a team, we expected good things,” McDonald said. “We had a very good offseason and worked harder than any team I’ve been a part of. We had very high expectations and proved we were a very good team this weekend.”
Noce said the team’s greatest success during this trip was winning close games and coming back from a three-run deficit. He said last year, the team had 19 one-run games and lost 12 of them.
“We had a lead, and we held on to it, which was crucial for this year,” Noce said. “The guys showed a lot of character. It’s good to win close games like that because that’s how you learn to win.”
The team swung the bat well, putting up 30 hits over three games with 13 of those being extra-base hits.
“We had a lot of good at-bats against both teams,” Noce said. “We were pleased with what we saw against Tampa. They had some really good pitching, but we squared up a lot of balls.”
Senior Brad Hayden, who doubled and drove in two runs against SUNY Canton, said the trip provided an encouraging start to the season.
“I’m very happy with the way things went this weekend and I think it’s a great indication of what we’re capable of, but we’re not quite there yet,” he said. “One thing’s for sure, there’s no other group of guys I’d rather be doing it with.”
Not only did the freshman pitchers such as Hamelink and McDonald make an impression on the team, but also many of the freshman position players. Noce said he was impressed with the performance of the freshmen, many of whom got their first collegiate hits.
“They got their feet wet and got over the nerves that come along with your first collegiate game,” Noce said. “We were able to play a lot of players and it worked out perfectly.”
“I can’t say enough about this freshman class,” Hayden said. “They’re extremely talented, but more than that, they are extremely hard-working. The work they’re putting in has a direct result on the field.”
“Beating Tampa kind of sets the stage for us,” Hayden said. “We’re setting the bar pretty high, but we’re embracing it and looking forward to it.”
The baseball team is scheduled to travel to Kentucky Wesleyan College where they will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a third game on Sunday.
