2019 Olivet College Baseball Preview
The Olivet College baseball team begins its 2019 season this weekend with a trip to Danville, Kentucky, where it will play Dominican (Ill.) University and host Centre College. The Comets feature talented new faces, as well as many key returners, who all look to help them make a move up in the standings in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
Olivet returns a talented middle infield, with junior Riley Bennett and sophomore Ben Compton forming one of the top combos in the MIAA. Bennett is coming off a season where he set the school record for assists in a season, as well as hitting .380 in conference play. Compton returns a .314 league batting average and finished the season on a seven-game hitting streak.
Freshmen Dyre Leonard (1B) and Dayton Regier (3B) are expected to get the bulk of the time on the corners, with senior Jake Robinson returning behind the plate. Robinson hit .305 in MIAA play in 2018 and threw out more than 42% of baserunners.
Senior Dugan Dieselberg returns his experience and leadership to the squad and is going to split time between designated hitter, catcher and first base. Sophomore Logan Sella is back after starting as a freshman last year and provides versatility and a valuable lefty bat.
Freshmen Hayden Zimmerman (3B), Myles Geiger (3B), and Dalton Giddings (1B), alongside returners Bruce Allen (1B) and Elijah Huebner (SS) are all going to compete for time and provide valuable depth in the infield. Talented freshman catcher Jake Allen should see action early on and freshman Trevor Walters provides another option behind the plate.
The Comets' outfield looks to be one of the most athletic and improved position group in the MIAA. Junior Brandan Settles is one of the most improved players on the team and looks to be an impact player for 2019 as the everyday leftfielder. Junior Aaron Gillespie returns from an injury-plagued 2018 season, following a freshman year in which he batted .411 with 14 stolen bases and 19 extra-base hits. Freshman Matt Hewitt is expected to get the majority of the time in right field, with transfer Jake Csizmadia, sophomore Seamus Mitchell, and freshman Trevor Savage all competing for innings and contributing in different ways.
The pitching staff features many new faces in 2019 and is expected to be much improved. Freshman lefty Zack Ostrowski, freshman Hunter Henson and junior transfer Tim Sines are expected to lead the rotation in 2019. Sophomore Max Daust has been one of the most improved young arms over the offseason and is expected to make a jump in innings after limited action last year.
The Comets return Zac Walter, Ryan Rivard and Zach Oshinsky, joining freshman Jake Buchs as candidates for starts on the mound and long relief this season. Huston Snyder, Travis Petts and Spencer Naffziger return to the bullpen. Matt Rehfeldt, who converted from the infield, is another candidate to throw the ball in relief.
Freshmen Brendan Redding, Holden Lockhart, Chris Erxleben, Drew Smith and Ethan Miller are promising young arms who are new to the program and look to compete for time. Junior lefty Joby Kawaski, a Kellogg Community College transfer, is a wild card and expected to contribute after finishing rehab from surgery in early 2018.
Olivet has improved its win total in each of the last two seasons and has set its goals high going into the 2019 season, with postseason aspirations. After their trip to Kentucky, the Comets make a weekend trip to Dayton, Ohio, followed by eight days in Florida and a visit to southern Indiana to play Earlham (Ind.) College. Olivet opens MIAA play at home on Saturday, March 23, against Albion College.