Baseball Set for Home Opener

Posted: Mar 26, 2019

TIFFIN, Ohio - After 24-straight road games to open the season, Tiffin baseball has finally returned home and will host conference doubleheaders against Findlay tomorrow and Hillsdale on Saturday and Sunday.

Game Information:

Tiffin Dragons (5-19, 2-6 GMAC) vs
Findlay Oilers (8-9, 3-5 GMAC)
Wednesday, March 27 | 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Tiffin, Ohio | Paradiso Baseball Field
Video | Live Stats (GM1) | Live Stats (GM2)

Series History:

Tiffin and Findlay have met 35 times in baseball since TU joined the Division II ranks, and the Dragons hold a 22-13 record in the series. The last matchup came two season ago when both schools were still members of the GLIAC, as Tiffin took three out of four from Findlay over April 28-30, 2017. Brayden Callihan started all four games in the outfield for the Dragons, recording four hits and five runs scored in the series.

During the same time frame, Tiffin and Hillsdale have faced off 32 times, with the Dragons again holding an advantage of 23-9 overall. The two teams also last met as GLIAC members in 2017, with TU sweeping the four-game set on March 19-21. Hunter Carson picked up wins in games two and four after entering both contests in relief.

Dragon Details:

Things are looking up for the Dragons after last week's performance, as TU defeated Malone 4-3 on Tuesday before splitting with Cedarville over the weekend to go 3-2. Zach Campbell (.409, 2nd in G-MAC) and John Heckman (.370, 8th) continue to rank among the conference leaders in batting average. Heckman also leads the conference with 10 doubles, three more than any other player, is tops with 54 total bases, fifth with 20 RBI, and sixth with a .667 slugging percentage. Cody Orr has also been very productive, leading the GMAC in triples with three and coming into the week sixth with 19 runs scored.

Scouting the Oilers:

Findlay has played two conference series' thus far, dropping two of three to Hillsdale to begin before splitting with Ohio Valley last weekend. The Oilers lead the GMAC as a team with a .287 batting average, led by Casey Gould's .339. Trevor Anderson hits .323 and is tied for second in the conference with seven doubles. Findlay's team ERA is also solid, ranking third in the GMAC at 4.42. Tyler Kennedy has racked up the most innings (21.0) thus far, going 1-1 in four appearances with a 2.57 ERA and 25 strikeouts.

Scouting the Chargers:

After taking three of four from Findlay, Hillsdale struggled at Kentucky Wesleyan last weekend, managing to salvage the final game with a one-run victory after dropping the first three of the series. Colin Boerst is hitting .404 (3rd in GMAC) to lead the Chargers, while Steven Ring is first with 20 walks, tied for second with 21 RBI, tied for third with four home runs, and seventh with a .482 on-base percentage. On the mound, Andrew Verbrugge has recorded the second-most innings (33.0) of any GMAC pitcher this season, while David Toth leads the team with a 3.13 ERA in 23.0 innings pitched.