When sophomores Seth Capelli and Charlie Albus took over leadership of the club baseball team this past spring, there was very little to be excited about. 

“It was definitely a sandlot operation,” Albus said. “There were no tryouts, uniforms, helmets or bats. Practice rarely happened, and the only opponents the club could find were through a men’s league in Ann Arbor.” 

Senior Ethan Tong said their competitions are very different from week to week.

“Sometimes we would play a squad of guys in their twenties, most of whom were picking up a bat for the first time,” Tong said. “Other weeks we would face a team of former minor leaguers in their seventies who were still throwing fastballs in the eighties.” 

Playing in this fall league required the club to travel to Ann Arbor every Sunday for a double-header, often taking up most of the day. 

“It was just too much of a commitment for most guys,” Capelli said. “Because of this we rarely had enough to field a full team.” 

The club has competed in the Ann Arbor league since its founding in 2014, with the number of students participating varying greatly every year. Sometimes nearly twenty players would make the trek, while other games Hillsdale was forced to forfeit. 

That all changed this spring when Capelli and Albus took over the club. They left the Ann Arbor league and started reaching out to other colleges with club teams in the area. Their focus was to find the balance between competitive baseball and a low commitment club sport. 

With only a handful of players planning to return for fall, joining a club league was off the table, and scheduling games without enough players was dangerous. Albus and Capelli decided to take the risk by scheduling games with nearby schools such as Oakland University and Adrian College, betting on a large enough freshmen class to fill the gaps in their roster. 

Luckily, the class of 2026 delivered, with nearly 20 sign-ups at the Source, and 10 players who have been regularly coming to practices. 

“I support Charlie and Seth in the new direction they are taking the team,” Tong said. “While it’s been fun playing the older guys, we much prefer playing seriously against other college club teams.” 

Along with the schedule changes, uniforms have been ordered, and ball caps are in the works. The team also now has an official practice time and location: 2-4 p.m. at the varsity field on Sundays. The club baseball team is an opportunity for anyone who’s interested in dusting off the glove and hitting a few balls. 

Capelli emphasized that the team is always looking for more players. 

“Even if you can’t make it to the practices, show up to a game and we’ll get you into an inning,” Capelli said. 

Competitive opportunities will continue to increase as interest in the club grows, bringing Hillsdale club baseball to new horizons in the coming years.