RICHMOND, Ind. – The Earlham College baseball team is set to begin its 2025 season with Opening Day against The University of Olivet on Sunday afternoon. 

THE SCHEDULE

Earlham begins the season with a four-game weekend series against Olivet starting on February 23 at 12pm. The Quakers then host Kalamazoo for a three-game series on March 1-2. The Quakers host Asbury University on March 4th before heading out on their Spring Break trip to Fort Pierce, Fla. In Florida, Earlham is slated to take on Heidelberg University, Centenary University, The United States Merchant Marine Academy, and Penn State Behrend. Principia College is up for the final doubleheader before conference play on March 15th in Sadler Stadium. Conference play begins with doubleheaders against Rose-Hulman and Hanover on March 22nd and 23rd, with a road trip to Berea College on March 29th and 30th. Asbury will host the Quakers for a midweek matchup on April 2nd, before a three-game series against Bluffton the following weekend. The Quakers take on Anderson and Transylvania in a pair of doubleheaders on April 12th and 13th. Earlham travels to Manchester for a three-game series on April 18th and 19th, with single games against Wabash and Ohio Wesleyan on April 22nd and 23rd respectively. Earlham hosts Franklin for the final weekend series of the season starting on April 25th, with the final non-conference matchup against Kenyon College on April 29th. The Quakers host Mount St. Joseph on May 3rd for Senior Day in Sadler Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 12 pm. 

THE PLAYERS

Earlham had five players labeled as "Athletes to Watch" by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference prior to the season. Mitchel Roether earned honorable mention status from the HCAC last season with a .351/.449/.581 slashline which included eight doubles, three homers and 15 RBI. Despite only seeing action in 21 games, Roether was walked 12 times. Hayden Scalf led the Quaker rotation last season, tossing 58.2 innings with a 6.6 ERA. As a sophomore, Scarf posted a 3-2 record with one complete game, 50 strikeouts, and a 1.62 WHIP. Ian Bullis saw action in 29 games with 28 starts last season, slashing .333/.395/.438 at the plate. Bullis recorded seven doubles, two triples and 32 RBI with three steals. Reece Zonts saw action in 35 games last season, and led all returning players with 33 RBI and five triples. Zonts hit two homers, and slashed .325/.423/.500 as a junior last year. Sean Jeffries started all 37 games last year, primarily in the leadoff position. He led all returning players with 43 hits and 11 doubles in his sophomore campaign. The speedy shortstop also took 13 bags, and was only caught twice on the basepaths. 

THE COACHES

Gearing up for his 15th season with the Quakers, head coach Steve Sakosits has a 278-244 career record, including two HCAC championship wins in 2017 and 2022. Sakosits is the program's all-time winningest coach. He has coached 67 All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) performers. Since 2011, nine Quakers have gone on to sign a professional baseball contract after playing at Earlham. Blake Peterson takes up a new role for 2025 as Associate Head Coach after running the pitching operation for two years. Peterson's pitching staff allowed the fewest walks in the HCAC in 2024 at 165. The Quaker starting rotation tossed five complete games in 2024, and recorded 201 innings. As a staff, the Quakers had a 1.58 K:BB ratio.In 2023, Peterson's starting rotation recorded a 4.95 ERA with seven wins and four complete games. In total, the Quaker pitching staff recorded 270 strikeouts with a 6.75 ERA. Brandon Wilson joins the Quaker staff this season after spending six years in the HCAC with Bluffton University. Wilson played for the Beavers for four seasons as an infielder, and spent two years as a graduate assistant at Bluffton. In 2023, the Beaver coaching staff was named Coaching Staff of the Year. Also new to the staff is Matthew Rehfeldt. Rehfeldt was a part of the 2024 MIAA Championship staff at Kalamazoo, which oversaw a 30-win season. In 2024, 11 individual records were broken, with six all-conference players and one All-American. Brandon Pennington, Kevin McGee, Patrick Flanagan and Stephen Johnson all return for 2025 in their coaching roles. 


HCAC OUTLOOK

The Quakers were picked to finish seventh in this year's HCAC preseason poll, slotting into their finishing position in last year's standings. Earlham earned 31 votes, and is chasing MSJ anf Franklin, who earned 45 and 46 votes respectively. 

HOW TO FOLLOW

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