LIVE STATS ON SUNDAY - GALLAUDET (GAME 1) | GALLAUDET (GAME 2)
LIVE STATS ON MONDAY - SKIDMORE | LAKELAND
LIVE STATS ON TUESDAY - ST. MICHAEL'S (GAME 1) | ST. MICHAEL'S (GAME 2)
LIVE STATS ON WEDNESDAY - COAST GUARD
Story by Alec Robinette
WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College baseball team is Florida bound as it heads to Fort Myers looking to obtain its first win of the 2018 season.
The Schedule: The Fightin' Quakers will be playing seven games over the span of four days. Wilmington opens up its spring break trip with a two game series against Gallaudet University, with the first game beginning Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The second matchup of the day is scheduled for noon. On Monday, the Quakers will be off to face Skidmore College scheduled for 9 a.m. followed by a second game against Lakeland University at noon. Tuesday is another two-game series for Wilmington as they play St. Michael's college beginning at 9 a.m. and again at noon. Wilmington ends its road trip on Wednesday playing the Coast Guard Academy scheduled for 9 a.m.
The Teams: Wilmington (0-4) looks for its first win of the season as they come off a tough series against Earlham. Gallaudet University sits at 2-6-1 so far for the 2018 season after a 9-2 loss to Christopher Newport University. Skidmore College looks to open up its 2018 season strong after a rough 10-24 season last year. Lakeland University opens up the season with a doubleheader against Hiram College in hopes for a strong start to the 2018 season. Saint Michael's University goes into spring break hoping to put up numbers in the win column as they are just 0-4 to start the season. The Coast Guard Academy looks to open its 2018 season on a high note after going 12-33 last season.
The Coaches: Dan Cleaver is in his sixth season with the Quakers baseball team; the previous four seasons have been as head coach. Cleaver will look to lead his team to its first win for the 2018 season. Coach Curtis Pride begins his 10th season at the helm with the Gallaudet Bison in 2018. Ron Plourde enters his 20th season at the helm of Skidmore baseball in 2018. A veteran of the baseball program for well over a decade, Mike Bachar returns for his seventh season as head coach of the Lakeland Muskies. A college and summer ball veteran coach, Jason Szafarski heads into his second season as the head coach of the Saint Michael's baseball team. C.C. Grant is in his 12th season as head coach for the Coast Guard Bears after serving seven seasons as top assistant coach.
Hitters to Watch: Senior Joshua Chua is at a solid .400 batting average, along with scoring two runs, and gathering two RBIs so far this season. Look out for junior Jake Hyatt as well, though just hitting .188 so far, he has a slugging percentage (SLG) of .438, with four RBIs, one home run and a stolen base this season. Junior Cameron Upton leads Gallaudet in batting average (.448) and also picked up eight RBIs and three stolen bases on the way. Will Potter, a junior for Skidmore College lead the team last season with a batting average of .406 Along with that he picked up five RBIs and four stolen bases. Lakeland Junior Travis Regalado lead the team last season in RBIs (31), runs scored (25); home runs (6) and batting average (.415). So look for Regalado to continue as one of the Muskies top offensive player. Connor Hopkins, a junior for the Saint Michael's Purple Knights looks to continue his power start hitting .400 so far this season with three RBIs and one home run. Sophomore Will Stephens had an average of .275 last season for the Coast Guard Bears as well as knocking in 10 runs and had three stolen bases.
Pitchers to Watch: Junior Jarett Trautman leads the Quakers in innings pitched (6.0) so far this season as well as ERA (0.00), and he picked up three strikeouts along the way. Junior Joey Hollback also looks to continue his performance on the mound as he has thrown 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs and striking out seven. Though giving up 18 earned runs, Ethan Denson leads Gallaudet in innings pitched (18.1) and strikeouts (16). Skidmore senior Andrew Atkins obtained a 2-5 record last season while hurling 46 innings and striking out 33, as well as grabbing two complete games along the way. Connor Hillburn, junior at Lakeland University, made 10 appearances for the Muskies last year, nine of which were starts. Hillburn threw 46.2 innings while striking out 30 and grabbing a 3-5 record on the season. Drew Farris, a junior right hander from Saint Michael's, has not given up a run through his team leading, five innings this season. Farris has also picked up four strikeouts through those five innings pitched. Brett Sullivan made 12 appearances for the CGA Bears as a freshman last season. Sullivan threw 32.1 innings while striking out 30 and picked up 3 wins on the season.
Coverage: Live statistics will be available for all games – visit links above.
Up Next: After spring break trip, the Quakers will head back north as they face Bluffton on the 17th for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
