DETROIT -- With 23 games in the rear view, GLIAC play is here for the Wayne State University baseball team (10-13 overall). League action will begin this week with a four-game series at Purdue Northwest (8-9 overall) on Friday through Sunday. Game one is slated to begin at 4 p.m., Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m., all in eastern time.
Starting at the plate for Wayne State, the offense has been paced by a quartet of regulars in
Bennett Hitzelberger (.375 average),
Mason McGuire (.354),
Owen Tuccinardi (.317), and
Reagan Paulina (.316). Not far behind those four average wise is
Jacoby Dale with a clip of .291.
Logan Van Sicklen leads all Warriors in home runs with four while Hitzelberger and Tuccinardi have each driven in 19 RBI. McGuire has drawn a team-high 12 walks while he (7-for-8) and Hitzelberger (7-for-7) have stolen seven bases apiece. Hitzelberger has accounted for seven doubles and Tuccinardi has stretched a base knock to a triple twice.
On the mound,
Macio Miller and
Gabe Nazelli have been responsible for the most innings pitched thanks to 24.2 and 21.1, respectively. Miller has a 4.38 ERA, 2-2 record, 21 strikeouts, 15 walks, and a .320 batting average against. As for Nazelli, he has a 4.15 ERA, 3-1 record, 18 punchouts, 13 free passes, and .228 opponent average.
The reigning GLIAC Pitcher of the Week and first time honoree,
Ethan Getting, has begun to make some strides as well. After five shutout innings of relief in the Warriors' 4-3 win at No. 20 Florida Southern, Getting's ERA is down to 3.29 in 13.2 frames. The junior has struck out 17 batters and walked eight with a batting average against of just .136.
After starting at 8-4 overall, Purdue Northwest has dropped five in a row to fall below the .500 mark at 8-9. Ten of those 17 games have come at home where the Pride are 5-5 so far. In his 12th season, PNW is coached by Dave Griffin, and he's leaned on six batters above or around the .300 mark. Those six are AJ Reid (.474), Kam Earley (.344), Ethan Imlach (.333), Dan Puplava (.333), Cole Olson (.300), and Joey Guiliano (.298). As a team, Purdue Northwest comes in with a batting average of .312.
On the bump, the Pride's team ERA stands at 6.77. PNW's team leader in innings pitched is Conor Pangburn with 19.2 and a 7.32 ERA. The squad's most productive arm has come from Jake Nightingale and his 2.92 ERA through 12 and one-third frames. Pangburn is on top for both pitching victories (3-1) and strikeouts (18).
