Baseball

HCAC 2026 Baseball Notebook, Week 2

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

Athletes of the Week:
Player of the Week:
Noah Loveall (Yorktown, Ind.) Franklin College | Designated Hitter | Freshman - Noah Loveall was incredible at the plate during Franklin's perfect 3-0 weekend, posting a 2.500 OPS and delivering some late-game heroics in the process. The freshman was 2-for-3 with two runs, a walk, a double, and a solo home run against Benedictine and 2-for-2 with two runs, an RBI, and two walks in a win over North Central. He then capped it off by going 3-for-4 against Ripon, scoring twice, doubling and hitting a go-ahead three-run bomb as Franklin stormed back from seven runs down for a 10-8 victory.

Pitcher of the Week:
Chase Wagner (Zionsville, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | Freshman - Chase Wagner turned in a complete-game effort in Franklin's weekend-opening rout of Benedictine, allowing just one earned run over seven innings. He scattered eight hits, while striking out five without a walk in earning his first collegiate victory.

Notable Performances:
  • Trey Dorton (Westfield, Ind.) Anderson University | Outfield | Senior - Trey Dorton delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly as Anderson topped Knox in game one in 12 innings. He went 5-for-12 with a triple, three RBI, four runs, and a walk. Dorton turned in a .417 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage, and a .583 slugging percentage for the week.
  • Rex Richter (Hebron, Ky.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Sophomore - Rex Richter struck out 6 batters, issued 3 walks and allowed 3 hits on 6.2 scoreless innings on Sunday against Knox.
  • William Nowakowski (Grand Rapids, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Senior - William Nowakowski tossed four scoreless innings of relief, earning the victory as Bluffton came from behind to defeat Concordia-Chicago 4-3 in Auburndale, Fla. on Sunday afternoon. He allowed just three hits and a walk in four frames.
  • Mitchell Roether (Dayton, Ohio) Earlham College | First Base | Senior - Mitchell Roether led Earlham at the plate in a 3-1 week. The senior hit .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles and one home run. Roether scored five runs and drove in three. He also received two walks and was hit by four pitches, contributing to OPS of 1.667.
  • Kyle Jeffries (Gilbert, Ariz.) Earlham College | Pitcher | Junior - Kyle Jeffries earned the win in game two of a three-game series with Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday with six innings pitched and one earned run on two hits. The junior fanned six batters in the outing.
  • Ben Brittingham (Brownsburg, Ind.) Hanover College | Catcher | Sophomore - Ben Brittingham led Hanover to a 3-1 week as they went 2-1 against Keystone and defeated Methodist. The catcher finished the week batting .500 with seven hits, five runs, and five RBI. He also drew three walks.
  • Dylan Lloyd (Colerain, Ohio) Hanover College | Pitcher | Sophomore - Dylan Lloyd got the start in Hanover’s win at Methodist throwing 4 2/3 innings. He scattered two runs on six hits with five strikeouts. He finished the week with a 3.86 ERA.
  • Zach deSylva (Fort Thomas, Ky.) Mount St. Joseph University | Pitcher | Sophomore - Zach deSylva was outstanding out of the bullpen for the Lions against Adrian on Saturday. He threw 4 2/3 innings of four-hit baseball allowing only a single unearned run, while striking out five.
  • Will Record (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Outfield | Junior - Will Record had a fantastic weekend at the plate for Mount St. Joseph. For the week, he was 4-for-9 (.444) with a .615 on-base percentage. He was 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts, with three walks, two RBI, and four runs scored.
  • Tyler Orr (Newburgh, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | Senior - Tyler Orr picked up the win on the mound in Rose-Hulman's 6-2 victory over Vermont State-Castleton in 11 innings. Orr recorded five strikeouts across four innings, allowing just one hit and no runs, while holding opponents to a .091 batting average.
  • Michael Hines (Redondo Beach, Calif.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Infield | Freshman - Michael Hines played a key role in leading Rose-Hulman to a 3-0 record to begin the season. Across the three games, he recorded a team-best .500 batting average with six hits and four runs. He added one double, one triple, and three RBIs, while leading the Fightin' Engineers with nine total bases.
  • Drew Bowles (Lexington, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | Junior - Drew Bowles picked up his second win in as many outings this week with a victory against Webster University. Bowles pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and three runs with six strikeouts.
  • Ethan Dillon (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Outfielder | Sophomore - Ethan Dillon went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple in Transylvania’s win against Webster. Dillon scored two runs and an RBI in that contest. Then against Baldwin Wallace, Dillon added another run for the Pioneers. In Sunday’s matchup against Denison, Dillon went 1-for-4 with a timely RBI double. 
Looking Forward:
HCAC Baseball Standings