Baseball 3/30/2026 9:09:00 AM Cooper Weidenthaler, Assistant Director for Media Relations

Baseball Set for Home Opener on Tuesday Against Ohio Dominican

The Warriors finally will return to Harwell Field after two games were postponed just under two weeks ago.

DETROIT -- Home Opening Day is finally here for the Wayne State University baseball team (21-5 overall, 5-3 GLIAC), as the Warriors will begin a stretch of nine-straight games within the friendly confines of Harwell Field. That begins on Tuesday at 1 p.m. when Ohio Dominican rolls into Midtown Detroit for a single nine-inning affair between the Warriors and Panthers. WSU and ODU were originally scheduled to play on back-to-back days on March 17 and 18, but were not contested due to weather.

National Spotlight
With a strong 21-5 overall record through just about two months of the campaign, Wayne State continues to be a staple in the rankings among multiple national polls. The Green and Gold are placed seventh for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, 19th for D2 Baseball, and 22nd for the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).

Pitching Prowess
WSU has begun its 2026 season with one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. The Warriors ranks first in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.6), first in WHIP (1.13), first in ERA (3.00), 12th in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (3.53), and 25th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.29).

Individually, Will Lowery's impressive start to the season, including a no hitter at Parkside on March 20, has him within the upper echelon of Division II. The redshirt junior ranks second in WHIP (0.72), third in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.21), 13th in ERA (1.73), and tied-for-38th in pitching victories (five). The first-year Warrior has nine walks through 36.1 innings pitched, and a batting average against of just .135.

Following last season's chaotic pitching rotation due to a rash of injuries, the Warriors have had a relatively stable assortment of starters in 2026. Lowery is one of three starters to have made six starts, joining Keegan Pulford-Thorpe (Aurora, Ont. / Newmarket [Central Florida / Georgia Highlands College]) and Gavin Nash (Howell, Mich. / Hartland). Pulford-Thorpe (3-0 record) has a 5.58 ERA through 30.2 innings, while Nash has a 3.69 ERA following 31.2 frames.

In relief, five Warriors have made five or more appearances, including Nick Baker (Brighton, Mich. [Lansing C.C.]), Rocco Cardinale (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), TJ McAllister (St. Clair Shores, Mich. / South Lake), Will DeMasse (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota), and Philip Miller (Flat Rock, Mich. / Woodhaven [Schoolcraft C.C. / Tusculum]). Miller made his first WSU start in the previous contest at Davenport and was a winner with six innings of three-run baseball for a quality start.

Getting Offensive
To this point in 2026, Wayne State maintains a .289 (248-of-858) team batting average. The offensive attack has been led by Drew Hill (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), who is hitting over .400 at .409 (36-of-88). Hill is one of just three players in the GLIAC to have an average over .400, among qualified hitters. His 1.214 OPS ranks third in the conference, while his five home runs are tied-for-fourth in the league. The junior outfielder also has five doubles, three triples, 27 RBI, and 21 walks (tied-for-fourth).

While Hill is the only Warrior over a .400 average, he is joined in the .300+ club (25 or more at bats) by Bennett Hitzelberger (Richmond, Mich.) at .351 (34-for-97), Rhett Roeser (New Baltimore, Mich. / Warren De La Salle) at .342 (26-for-76), and Nick Sandiha, Jr. (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Brother Rice [Macomb C.C.]) at .328 (21-for-64). Hitzelberger and Owen Tuccinardi (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Skyline) lead the Warriors in home runs with six apiece.

Scouting Ohio Dominican
The Panthers are off to an 11-13 start, with a 6-6 G-MAC record, in Christopher Antonides' 10th season as head coach at ODU. Ohio Dominican is coming off a four-game split at nearby Hillsdale, in which they swept its Saturday doubleheader (3-2 and 14-7) but lost on both Friday (8-0) and Sunday (5-4).

Ohio Dominican has a combined .248 team average at the plate, while cranking 14 home runs as a squad. The leader offensively is redshirt senior Steven Chapman, who owns a team-best .370 average (min. 10 at bats). His 30-for-81 mark at the dish contains eight doubles, five home runs (team best), and 27 RBI (also a squad best). Chapman has also shown patience at the plate, as his 19 walks are six more than anyone else on the Panthers. Another notable is freshman Gavin Lawler with his 1.293 OPS in 17 games and 57 at bats. Lawler paces ODU with 11 doubles as well.

ODU owns a team ERA of just over seven (7.05), along with a 1.68 WHIP. Among those with at least five innings pitched, freshman Andrew Holcomb and senior Jeremy Ramirez garner the top ERA at 1.04 for both in the same 8.2 innings thrown. Both Holcomb and Ramirez have surrendered just one earned run and have struck out 15 and 18 batters, respectively, while on the mound.

Up Next
Wayne State will remain at home to face No. 12-ranked Grand Valley State in a four-game set that will affect the top of the Midwest Region rankings. As of Monday, the Warriors and Lakers are the top two squads in the region according to the NCBWA. The schedule will shift up one day from usual due to Easter Sunday, so WSU and GVSU will play single nine-inning games on Thursday and Saturday, with a Friday doubleheader sandwiched between those days. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. on Friday for game one of the series.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#25 Nick Baker: LHP; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior; L/L

#8 Rocco Cardinale: RHP; 6' 2"; Sophomore; R/R

#34 Will DeMasse: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#13 Drew Hill: RF; 5' 10"; Junior; L/L

#24 Bennett Hitzelberger: 1B/LF/LHP; 6' 2"; Senior; L/L

#12 TJ McAllister: RHP; 6' 1"; Graduate Student; L/R

#21 Gavin Nash: RHP; 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; R/R

#32 Rhett Roeser: RHP/2B/3B; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R

#2 Owen Tuccinardi: DH; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#35 Will Lowery: RHP; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#25 Nick Baker
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior; L/L
: LHP

#8 Rocco Cardinale
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#34 Will DeMasse
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#13 Drew Hill
: 5' 10"; Junior; L/L
: RF

#24 Bennett Hitzelberger
: 6' 2"; Senior; L/L
: 1B/LF/LHP

#12 TJ McAllister
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student; L/R
: RHP

#21 Gavin Nash
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#32 Rhett Roeser
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R
: RHP/2B/3B

#2 Owen Tuccinardi
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: DH

#35 Will Lowery
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior; R/R
: RHP