WEEKEND PREVIEW
The Wayne State University baseball team (12-4, 4-0 GLIAC) will travel to Hillsdale College (6-12, 2-2 GLIAC) for a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon starting at 2:00 p.m. This is the first half of a home-and-home series which will be completed in Detroit on Wednesday, April 20.

Wayne State, off to its best 16-game start since 1987, opened conference play with four victories last weekend at Findlay. The Warriors outscored the Oilers, 25-5, in the series.

Hillsdale split a series against Saginaw Valley State over the weekend, winning both games Saturday and dropping a pair Sunday. The Chargers, who had an eight-game losing streak earlier in the month, had won four in a row before Sunday's two setbacks to the Cardinals.

The all-time series between Wayne State and Hillsdale dates back to WSU's inaugural 1941 season. The Warriors have won 24 of the last 28 meetings, including 13 of the last 14, with the Chargers.


AT THE HELM
Ryan Kelley, the 2010 GLIAC Coach of the Year, is in his third season as the head coach of the WSU baseball program. Kelley guided the Warriors to 25 wins in 2009, the most by any first-year head coach in program history. Last season, Wayne State went 32-20 and won the GLIAC regular-season and tournament championships, advancing to the NCAA Regional for the third time since 2005.

Paul Noce, who earned his 300th career victory at the end of last season, is in his 18th year as the head baseball coach at Hillsdale.


PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
In the 2011 GLIAC preseason coaches' poll released two weeks ago, the Warriors were picked to finish second, while the Chargers were slotted in tie for eighth with Findlay. Hillsdale finished the 2010 season with a 14-30 overall record and an 11-22 conference mark.


SCOUTING HILLSDALE
With no seniors lost to graduation, the Chargers returned every starter from 2010, including outfielder Mike Vanchieri, last season's GLIAC Freshman of the Year. First baseman Brent Opland is off to a nice start with a .295 average, while catcher Chris Stephens is hitting .410 and is tied for the team lead in hits (16) and RBI (11) with shortstop Adam Connell. As a team, however, Hillsdale's .241 batting average is second-lowest in the conference.

Hillsdale starting pitchers are 5-10 with a 7.61 ERA this season. As a staff, the Chargers have more walks (108) than strikeouts (77) and possess the second-highest ERA (6.97) in the GLIAC.


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
Wayne State's early success can be attributed to quality performances at the plate and on the mound, as the Warriors lead the GLIAC in both batting average (.331) and ERA (2.38). Last weekend the Warriors out-hit the Oilers, 39-12, while the pitchers surrendered only two earned runs over the four games.

WSU claimed both the GLIAC Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week awards for the second straight week, as senior catcher Michael Wiseman and junior right-hander Josh Wedesky received the honors Monday afternoon from the league office. Wiseman led the Warriors with eight hits (.500) and six RBI at Findlay, while Wedesky improved to 4-0 with a two-hit shutout Saturday.

Wiseman had three RBI in Friday's 7-3 win, putting him at 155 career runs batted in which surpassed the WSU school record previously held by Hall of Famer John Miele (154; 1996-99). Wiseman also became the fifth player in program history to reach 200 career hits.

Newcomer #C.J. Maszal# continues to impress, as the junior outfielder has reached base in every game this season. Maszal leads the conference in batting average (.472), hits (25), doubles (8), triples (5), total bases (43), on-base percentage (.569) and slugging percentage (.811).

Maszal and Wiseman are among four Warriors hitting over .400 this season, along with junior third baseman Alex Trojan (.408) and junior outfielder Kyle Vesey (.404).

Wedesky has a 1.27 ERA and a staff-best 21 strikeouts this season. The four starters who pitched last weekend – senior Tyler Loehr, senior Brett Shankin, sophomore Alex Pierse and Wedesky – are a combined 10-3 with a 1.64 ERA this season.


WARRIORS IN THE PROS
Former Wayne State University right-hander Anthony Bass made his first Spring Training start of 2011 for the San Diego Padres against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday afternoon. Bass allowed five runs – the only runs he has allowed in four Spring Training outings – on seven hits in 3.1 innings as the Padres fell to the Brewers, 5-4.

A non-roster invitee to the Padres camp, the 2008 fifth-round draft pick made three scoreless relief appearances before being reassigned to minor league camp on March 12. Bass' most recent outing with the major league club prior to Monday was March 10 in a 9-2 win over the Cleveland Indians, as he went 1.2 innings and struck out a pair, including former Detroit Tiger Adam Everett.

Ryan LaPensee, who was signed as a free agent by Arizona last winter, appeared in his first Spring Training game with the big league club Monday. He was a defensive substitution in left field - and recorded a putout - in the top of the ninth inning, and grounded out to short in his only at-bat as the Diamondbacks lost, 6-4, to the Texas Rangers.

LaPensee ended his collegiate career in 2010 as Wayne State's all-time leader in hits (279), runs scored (195), doubles (50), total bases (386), games played (200), and at bats (696). LaPensee posted a .401 career batting average, second only to Hall of Famer Ronald Teasley (1945, 1947) who had a .415 average. He is also the only player in Wayne State history to hit .400 or better three times in a career.

As a senior in 2010, LaPensee broke single-season records for hits and runs scored, and was a First Team All-GLIAC and All-Region selection. He batted .424 with 87 hits, 62 runs, seven homers, 48 RBI and 15 stolen bases.


LOOKING AHEAD
For their 2011 home-opening weekend, the Warriors will host Tiffin on Saturday and Sunday in a four-game series. Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1:00 p.m., while Sunday's is scheduled for noon.

Wayne State will head back on the road next weekend, April 9-10, to face Northwood before playing the front half of a home-and-home series at Saginaw Valley State on Wednesday, April 13.


SAVE THE DATES
The Wayne State baseball program has special alumni events scheduled next month and in September. Alumni are invited to come to the WSU athletic campus on Saturday, April 30, as the baseball team takes on Grand Valley State at 1:00 p.m. The alumni gathering is being held in conjunction with “W” Day, as Wayne State honors 36 years of women's athletics.

In addition, the annual Dugout Club Golf Outing and Alumni Game will take place Sept. 24-25. The golf outing will be held at Northville Hills on the morning of Sept. 24, with a gathering to follow in the evening at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott. The alumni baseball game is scheduled for Sept. 26 at the WSU baseball field.

More information will be announced at wsuathletics.com as it becomes finalized.