Baseball

HCAC 2026 Baseball Notebook, Week 4

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) baseball teams competed in week four of the 2026 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Baseball Schedule

Athletes of the Week:
Player of the Week:
Drew Helton (Whiteland, Ind.) Franklin College | First Base | Sophomore - Drew Helton batted .500 with three walks across four games for Franklin, all Grizzlies wins. The sophomore hit three doubles and drove in 10 runs, including six in a midweek rout of Wilmington and three more on Sunday to cap a three-game sweep of Albion. He posted an OPS of 1.238 for the week and made 33 putouts at first base, several on unassisted plays, without an error.

Pitcher of the Week:
John Girard (Richmond, Ky.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Senior - John Girard pitched outstanding as Hanover took on No. 24 ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The senior threw seven complete innings scattering four hits with 12 strikeouts.

Notable Performances:
  • Landon Gum (New Albany, Ind.) Anderson University | Outfield | Freshman - Landon Gum reached base on 10 of his 12 plate appearances. He posted a .667 batting average, an .833 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Gum went 4-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI, a walk and five hit by pitches.
  • Eli Ketterer (Noblesville, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Senior - Eli Ketterer struck out two batters, issued no walks, and allowed no runs on one hit in two innings.
  • Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg, Ohio) Bluffton University | Third Base | Senior - Ayden Spriggs finished the week 4-for-7 as Bluffton split a pair of games at Beavers Field in Lancaster on Saturday. He finished with four RBI, three runs scored, and a whopping .700 on-base percentage. Spriggs also stole a pair of bases, including what turned out to be the game-winning run when he stole home in Bluffton's 4-3 win over Capital.
  • Riley Reyna (Wellington, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Junior - Riley Reyna went six innings and allowed just two runs on four hits as he moved to 1-1 on the season. Reyna struck out five in Bluffton's 4-3 win over Capital at Lancaster on Saturday. He held Capital to a paltry .200 batting average.
  • Mitchell Roether (Dayton, Ohio) Earlham College | First Base | Senior - Mitchell Roether led Earlham last week in Florida. The senior infielder went 6-for-14 with one double and five RBI. Roether also scored one run, and only struck out once on the trip.
  • Hayden Scalf (Richmond, Ind.) Earlham College | Pitcher | Senior - Hayden Scalf earned the win for Earlham against Franciscan University on Thursday in Florida. Scalf threw five complete innings with no earned runs allowed on five hits, while scoring six strikeouts.
  • Caden Wilburn (Whiteland, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | Senior - Caden Wilburn turned in a strong start to earn a win against Albion, allowing just three hits and an unearned run over five innings. The southpaw struck out six batters and walked just two.
  • Ty Layson (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher | Senior - Ty Layson got the start for Manchester in the Spartans' opening game in a three-game series against Trine. While on the mound, Layson earned the win on 7 2/3 innings pitched, while allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a season high five strikeouts.
  • Cam Bortone (South Bend, Ind.) Manchester University | First Base | Sophomore - Cam Bortone had an efficient weekend at the plate against Trine. Bortone went 5-for-9 at the plate, while driving in four RBI. Bortone also drew four walks and avoided striking out.
  • Sam Huston (West Harrison, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Pitcher | Senior - Mount St. Joseph senior left hander Sam Huston had a fantastic game in his first start of the season. In the Lions 12-2 win over Keystone, Huston went the front five innings, while striking out eight. He only allowed two hits and one run.
  • Austin Buckle (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Second Base | Sophomore - Austin Buckle, Mount St. Joseph’s leadoff hitter and second baseman, put together a solid performance at the RussMatt Invitational. For the week he was 10-for-26 with five runs scored, six RBI, and three triples. He was also 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.
  • Liam Richardson (Blacklick, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | Sophomore - Liam Richardson played a key role in Rose-Hulman's 9-8 upset victory over No. 6 WashU. He appeared in the first 4 1/3 innings on the mound, where he recorded three strikeouts, while allowing just three hits and zero earned runs. Richardson also pitched four innings against Chicago where he struck out six batters, while allowing just one earned run. He finished the week with nine strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings and a 1.08 ERA.
  • TJ Pipkins (Savoy, Ill.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Outfield | Sophomore - TJ Pipkins started the week hitting 3-for-5 with a game-high three runs in Rose-Hulman's 9-8 upset over No. 6 WashU. He added one double and one RBI, while recording a diving catch in right field for the final out of the game. In game one of a three-game series with Chicago, Pipkins hit 3-for-4 and scored one run with one double. He would hit 3-for-4 once again in game three of the series, while scoring two runs with one double, one home run, and one RBI. Pipkins finished the week with a .600 batting average with a total of seven runs, three doubles, two RBI, and one home run.
  • Luke Patton (Ashland, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | Senior - Luke Patton delivered a strong week on the mound for Transylvania. Patton recorded two strikeouts in one inning of work in the midweek matchup against Spalding. He then earned the save against No. 6 WashU on Saturday, pitching 2 1/3 innings, while allowing just one hit and striking out three. He held the nationally-ranked Bears to one hit across eight at-bats to secure the win.
  • Ethan Dillon (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Outfielder | Sophomore - Ethan Dillon had a strong week at the plate and on the basepaths for Transylvania. In the midweek matchup against Spalding, Dillon went 2-for-4 with a home run and scored a run. He continued to contribute in the weekend series against WashU, recording an RBI and a stolen base in Friday night’s contest. Dillon followed with a 3-for-4 performance, scoring two runs, driving in two RBI, drawing a walk, and swiping four bases. He capped the series going 3-for-5 with a run scored, an RBI, and three additional stolen bases.
Looking Forward:
HCAC Baseball Standings