The Wayne State University baseball team is set to travel to Cincinnati for a regional series against Findlay this weekend. The Warriors, currently holding a 7-1 record, will play the Oilers (4-4 overall) with the first game scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon and the series finale on Sunday at noon.
Wayne State began its season with a sweep of Tiffin in Cincinnati at UC Baseball Stadium, then took three out of four games against Lewis at USA Stadium in Millington, Tennessee. This upcoming matchup marks their third consecutive in-region series, with games being played at Xavier University’s Hayden Field.
Last weekend, Wayne State won three of four games against Lewis with scores of 10-5, 8-4, and 6-4. Lewis claimed one victory in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader with a score of 4-1.
Wayne State and Findlay have played each other 79 times as former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponents. Wayne State leads the all-time series 54-25. Head coach Ryan Kelley has posted a 33-7 record against Findlay during his tenure. The upcoming series will be the first time these teams meet at a neutral site.
After eight games this season, five Warriors are batting over .300: Rhett Roeser (.643), Drew Hill (.500), Gabe Zeldes (.400), Tony Hatzigeorgiou (.375), and Bennett Hitzelberger (.345). Hitzelberger leads with 12 runs scored; Owen Tuccinardi has hit three home runs and driven in 13 runs while stealing 20 bases. Roeser holds a slugging percentage of .857 and an on-base percentage of .706. The team has drawn 45 walks so far, with Hill leading individually at eight walks.
On the pitching side, Wayne State maintains a team ERA of 3.14. Will Lowery leads in innings pitched (10) with an ERA of 2.70 and is one of three pitchers—alongside Nick Baker and Philip Miller—with two wins each. Gabe Nazelli has recorded nine strikeouts over 9.2 innings and holds an ERA of 0.93.
Findlay enters under fifth-year head coach Matt Palm (106-106 record). The Oilers have gone up against ranked opponent Seton Hill and split recent games against McKendree after dropping one to Wingate. Key hitters for Findlay include Casey Maruniak (.400 average), Mason Myers (.370), and Keelan Daniel (.353). On the mound, David Jimenez leads in innings pitched (10.2) but Colin Becker holds the lowest regular ERA (1.13).
Following this series, Wayne State will compete in six games over six days at the RussMatt Invitational in Florida from March 9 to March 14.
The Wayne State Warriors Men’s Baseball program plays its home games in Detroit, Michigan (official website) and competes in NCAA Division II as part of the GLIAC (official website). The team’s nickname is “Warriors,” and their mascot is W the Warrior (official website). In program history, they captured the GLIAC Tournament title in 2010 (official website).
