Baseball | 2/20/2024 8:44:00 AM

RICHMOND - The Earlham College Baseball team is set to begin its 2024 season with a weekend series against University of Olivet beginning Saturday, Feb. 24.

THE SCHEDULE

40-games are scheduled for the 2024 Earlham Baseball season, the majority of games will be taking place at Sadler Stadium. After Olivet, Earlham baseball will be hosting the Hornets from Kalamazoo College for a three-game series March 2-3. The Quakers will then host Alma College for another three-game series starting March 8. The Quakers have a Spring Break trip to Fort Pierce, FL. with four games scheduled. Earlham will start HCAC games with a doubleheader at Bluffton University on March 23, followed by a home doubleheader against Anderson University on March 24. The quakers will then host five non-conference games against University of Cincinnati-Clermont March 26, Wabash College April 10, a doubleheader against Principia College April 15, and a single game against Wilmington College April 30. Continuing HCAC conference games, the Quakers will have a three-game series at Mount St. Joseph March 29-30. Quakers will then come back home for another three-game series against Manchester April 5-6, and then have a doubleheader at Rose-hulman April 13. Earlham will then have another three-game series at Franklin College. The Quakers return home to play their last five games at Randal R. Sadler Stadium, with a three-game series against Hanover April 26-27 and a doubleheader against Transylvania May 4. Earlham baseball will finish off their season with a doubleheader at Defiance College May 5.  

THE PLAYERS

The Heartland Conference has selected four Quakers as "Athletes to Watch" ahead of the 2024 season. Dillion Fischer started nine games posting a 3-4 record with three complete games in the 2023 season. Fischer made 65 strikeouts while pitching in 63 innings, he had a pitching ERA of 4.38 and allowed a batting average of .261. Max Fries started all 38 games and posted a career-high batting average at .328. Fries had 16 doubles, three triples, five home runs, stole two bases, and brought home a career high of 44 RBI for Earlham. Sean Jefferies started 20 games as a freshman and appeared in 23 games in 2023. Jefferies had a .385 batting average, had seven doubles, two triples, one home run, and stole 10 bags. Mitchell Roether started 22 games as a freshman and saw action in 31 games. Roether posted a .299 batting average with eight doubles, one triple, five home runs, and brought home a 21 RBI for the 2023 season.


THE COACHES

Steve Sakosits will lead the Quakers in his 14th season as head baseball coach. Sakosits is the program's all-time winningest coach with 263 wins in 13 seasons. Sakosits is joined this season by new faces in the dugout. Dan Wilcher will take the reins as hitting coach for 2024 after the departure of Mike Coduto in the offseason. Wilcher spent one season as an assistant coach at Butler University before joining the Quakers. He was also a member of the Iowa Western coaching staff for three seasons. Blake Peterson returns for his second season leading the EC pitching staff. Under his leadership last season, the Quaker starting rotation had an ERA of 4.95 with seven wins and four complete games. Kevin McGee, Brandon Pennington, Patrick Flanagan and Austin Hatfield all return for the 2024 season. Steven Jimenez is also new to the staff as an assistant coach, and Evan Griswold will be serving as a student assistant coach. 


HCAC LOOKOUT

The Quakers were picked for fifth place in the preseason HCAC poll with 43 votes. Earlham last year was placed first in the preseason polls. The Quakers ended the 2023 season with a 20-18 record.

HOW TO FOLLOW

goearlham.com will have up-to-the minute information on schedule cancellations and alterations all season long.  Additionally, links for live video and live stats will be published as they become available.