Barnhart during his senior year as a Charger. Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department
Zane Barnhart ’24 will begin the 2026 season as a pitcher for the Double-A team of the Baltimore Orioles.
“I couldn’t be more happy where I’m at,” Barnhart said. “Great, great organization technology-wise, and a good environment for pitchers.”
The right-handed Barnhart will start the year with the Chesapeake Baysox. He was drafted by the Orioles in the 17th round of the MLB draft in 2023, and is the highest-selected baseball player ever taken from Hillsdale.
At Hillsdale, Barnhart transitioned from a two-way player to exclusively pitching. Barnhart became a closer for the Chargers, recording six saves in 20.1 innings of work with a 2.21 ERA in 2022. Barnhart’s 13 career saves remain the second-highest all-time by a Hillsdale pitcher, a record he set in his junior year.
“Some of the most important times in my development were at Hillsdale,” Barnhart said. “Going into Hillsdale, I was throwing 85 miles an hour, and I got out of there throwing up to 98 my junior year. Huge leaps.”
Assistant coach for the Chargers, Cody Kanclerz, played with Barnhart for three years and witnessed his development.
“He came in as a young, quiet kid, and left as a leader, as someone to look up to,” Kanclerz said.
In the minors, Barnhart has a 3.18 ERA and six saves in nine opportunities through 110.1 innings pitched. With one of the youngest rosters in the MLB — an average age of 28 — the Orioles are looking to rebound from a down year after back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024. Barnhart played on the Baltimore Orioles spring training team and struck out two batters during their Feb. 24 game.
In three spring training outings, Barnhart struck out three batters across 2.1 innings of work. He also earned a save. In one appearance for the Baysox so far this year, Barnhart struck out two in a scoreless inning of work.
Barnhart said the Hillsdale team culture was critical to his development as a player during his time as a Charger.
“It’s really like a brotherhood,” Barnhart said. “You’ve got 30 guys you can count on at all times. It’s like no other program I’ve heard of.”
Echoing Barnhart’s sentiment, Kanclerz said the players act as each others’ family.
“You’re with somebody from the baseball team at all times,” Kanclerz said. “You go to class together, eat lunch together, practice together, go home and study together. Everyone is super tight.”
Barnhart faced some challenges in spring training, finishing with an ERA of 7.71 and a WHIP of 1.71. Hillsdale’s motto, he said, still holds a personal significance.
“You’re not going to go out there and perform as you’d like to every single outing,” Barnhart said. “So you’re going to struggle, and it’s about how you bounce back from that struggle.”
Hillsdale baseball head coach Tom Vessella said he has confidence in Barnhart, who he said was “one heck of a competitor.”
“He had a constant drive to be first and be the best in everything we did,” Vessella said. “Whether it was conditioning, time in the weight room, or stepping on the field, he brought a laser-like focus and an edge that elevated everyone around him. That competitive mindset and attention to detail are exactly what will serve him well now — he’s built to embrace challenges and push through them.”
Vessella credited Hillsdale’s vigorous approach to academics and athletics as key to success stories like Barnhart’s.
“Hillsdale College as a whole is a special place that challenges our players to grow on and off the field,” Vessella said. “We focus on developing the whole person, helping them become the best versions of themselves as athletes and as men.”
Kanclerz agreed that Hillsdale offers athletes a formidable challenge.
“You have to have a ton of discipline,” Kanclerz said. “Athletes don’t get to cut any corners, so they have the same academic responsibilities as everyone else. So whether they have 15 or 20 hours of practice per week, they still have to manage their time and perform well.”
