Baseball

HCAC 2024 Baseball Notebook, Week 10


CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) baseball teams competed in week ten of the 2024 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Baseball Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week:
Hitter of the Week:
Tyler Smitherman (Westfield, Ind.) Anderson University | First Base | Graduate - Tyler Smitherman went 7-for-16 with 2 homers, 1 double, 6 RBI and 5 runs as Anderson went 2-1 against Rose-Hulman. Smitherman finished the week with a slashline of .438/.471/.875.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
John Girard (Richmond, Ky.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Sophomore - Girard led Hanover to a game two victory over MSJ as the starting pitcher claimed the 10-5 win. He pitched eight complete with eight strikeouts and allowed just two runs on five hits. 

Notable Performances:
Hitting Athletes:
  • Seth Altman (Hilliard, Ohio) Bluffton University | Outfield | Senior - Altman hit .500, going 3-of-6 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. He smashed a homer and double while slugging at a gargantuan 1.167 clip. Altman finished the week with a .625 on-base percentage
  • Gunner Gregg (Graytown, Ohio) Defiance College | Infield | Junior - Gunner Gregg was DC's top hitter over six games last week that featured a pair of three-hit games to close the weekend. Going 7-for-13 with four RBIs and three extra-base hits in conference play against Transylvania (including a go-ahead, three-run homer on Sunday), Gregg went 9-for-24 (.375) with 8 RBIs. Among his nine hits were three doubles and one home run while scoring five times.
  • Max Fries (Cleves, Ohio) Earlham College | Pitcher/Utility | Graduate - Max Fries slashed .471/.474/.941 in five games this week. Fries recorded four extra base hits, including a grand slam to seal the final game of the weekend at Franklin 11-6. He scored four runs and drove in 10 RBI on the week.
  • Andrew Oesterling (Batesville, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior - Oesterling led Hanover as they claimed two games of a three game series with MSJ. The junior posted a .750 slugging percentage going 3-for-8 at the dish. He charted five RBI, including a home run.
  • Jackson Gutzwiller (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Catcher | Junior - Mount St. Joseph catcher Jackson Gutzwiller had an outstanding week at the plate. For the week the junior was 5-for-10 (.500) adding in a walk and two HBPs his OBP was .615 for the week. Among those five hits were a pair of doubles and he drove in four runs.
  • Dalton Busboom (Ludlow, Ill.) Rose-Hulman Insitute of Technology | First Base | Senior - Busboom dominated at the plate all week going 8-16 at the plate with two doubles and a home run. He also drove in seven RBIs and came up with five RBI hits in the three-game series with Anderson over the weekend. He finished the week with a slash line of .500 / .529 / .813 / 1.342.
  • Henry Mitcham (Lexington, Ky.) Transylvania University | Second Base | Junior - Finished the weekend series at Defiance 6-13 with 7 RBI’s.
Pitching Athletes:
  • Landen Southern (Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Junior - Landen Southern earned the Game 1 win against Rose-Hulman, striking out 7, issuing 2 walks and allowing 6 runs on 8 hits in 7 and one third innings.
  • Wyatt Groves (Marengo, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Junior - Groves tossed 4.1 innings of shutout ball at regional-power Wittenberg on Sunday. He allowed just two hits while limiting the Tigers to a .167 opponent batting average. He faced the minimum 13 batters to record the 13 outs thanks to an inning-ending triple play in the 7th!
  • Phoenix Guzzi (Rockwood, Mich.) Earlham College | Pitcher/Utility | Senior - Phoenix Guzzi earned the win in an 11-6 battle with Franklin College with two complete innings pitched in relief. The senior allowed just four scoreless hits and struck out one in the appearance. 
  • Matt Frye (Mt. Orab, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Pitcher | Fifth Year - Lions relief pitcher Matt Frye, helped them avoid a sweep over the weekend at Hanover. In game three of the series he came on in the fifth inning against the Panthers and pitched the final 3-innings in the Lions 16-5 mercy-rule victory. In his three innings he did not allow a single hit while striking out 3, recording his second save of the season.
  • Ian Kline (Frederick, Mich.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | Senior - Kline picked up his fourth win of the season on Saturday as he outdueled Anderson in a 5-3 victory. He threw 7.2 innings and gave up just three runs while striking out five batters. It was the first time this season that the Ravens lost a game when allowing fewer than six runs on the season as they came in with a 15-0 record in those games.

 
Looking Forward:
HCAC Baseball Standings