Baseball

HCAC 2024 Baseball Notebook, Week 9

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) baseball teams competed in week nine of the 2024 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Baseball Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week:
Hitter of the Week:
Brennan Martin (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | First Base | Junior - Lions first baseman Brennan Martin tied a pair of school records this week. In the Lions win in game two vs. Franklin he was 3-for-5 with a school record tying 3 homeruns and a 9 RBIs. In three consecutive at-bats in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, Martin hit a 2-run, 3-run and grand slam homeruns. For the weekend he drove in 11 runs.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Chris Hautman (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Junior - Hautman led Hanover to a complete three game sweep of Manchester, pushing their win streak to six straight games. The junior pitched a complete game allowing just two runs. He tallied 10 strikeouts with only 35 batters faced. Hautman currently ranks second among the HCAC in ERA (1.92), second in hits allowed (24), and second in ERA (8).

Notable Performances:
Hitting Athletes:
  • Charlie Jones (Portage, Ind.) Anderson University | MIF | Junior - Charlie Jones went 2-for-8 with 2 homers, 3 walks, 4 runs and 3 RBI as Anderson swept Defiance on Sunday. Jones cranked 2 homers in Game 2 to lift Anderson to a 13-3 victory. He finished the week with a slashline of .286/.500/1.143.
  • Phoenix Guzzi (Rockwood, Mich.) Earlham College | Pitcher/Utility | Senior - Phoenix Guzzi led the Quakers at the plate this week with a .400 batting average and two RBI.
  • Alex Christie (Greenwood, Ind.) Hanover College | Outfield | Senior - Christie helped lead the Panthers to their sixth straight win and second three game HCAC series sweep at Manchester. The senior posted an impressive 1.273 slugging percentage going 6-for-11 at the dish with two home runs and six RBI. He was walked five times and plated 10 runs.
  • Rocco Hanes (Ossian, Ind.) Manchester University | Catcher/Utility | Junior - Rocco Hanes hit .444 in a three-game series against Hanover. The junior finished the weekend with two sac flies, two doubles, and a stolen base. 
  • Connor O'Connell (Fort Myers, Fla.) Rose-Hulman Insitute of Technology | Third Base | Sophomore - O'Connell finished the week 8-18 at the plate with 6 extra-base hits and he totaled 4 doubles, a triple, and a home run on the week. He added 7 runs scored and 10 RBIs en route to a .444 batting average, .474 on-base percentage, .944 slugging percentage, and 1.388 OPS as Rose-Hulman scored 44 runs in four games in their 3-1 week.
  • Henry Mitcham (Lexington, Ky.) Transylvania University | Second Base | Junior - Mitcham finished the week 7-13 with 9 RBI's and 4 extra base hits while leading the team to a sweep over Bluffton this weekend. He had 5 RBI's in game 1 on Saturday.
Pitching Athletes:
  • Landen Southern (Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Junior - Landen Southern fanned 8 batters in 7 innings during Sunday's no decision against Defiance. He issued 1 walk and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits in 7 innings.
  • Braeden Lewis (Oshawana, Ontario) Earlham College | Pitcher | Sophomore - Braeden Lewis threw 1.1 innings out of the bullpen this week with two strikeouts and one hit allowed.
  • Aidan Post (Fairfield, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Pitcher | Fifth Year - Lions fifth year senior Aidan Post was outstanding the Mount's win over Franklin Sunday morning. With the wind blowing out in Franklin's homer friendly park, Post went the front 7.0 innings allowing 6 hits and only a pair of earned runs. He did so while striking out three Grizzlies. 
  • Ian Kline (Frederick, Mich.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | Senior - Kline pitched 6 innings of 1 run baseball on Saturday en route to his fourth pitching win of the season. He struck out three batters, and his one run allowed snapped a streak of 13 consecutive innings pitched without a run allowed in his last two starts.
  • Henry Craig (Lousiville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | First Year - Craig pitched 5 innings and gave up just 2 his while striking out 5 batters in the win over Bluffton.

 
Looking Forward:
HCAC Baseball Standings