Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University baseball team has been selected to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) outright for the second consecutive season. The league's preseason poll, voted on by the coaches, was released Thursday morning. The Warriors received 33 points and three out of seven first-place votes.

Following Wayne State in the rankings are Grand Valley State with 30 points and three first-place votes, Saginaw Valley State with 27 points and one first-place vote, Davenport with 24 points, Parkside with 14 points, Purdue Northwest with 13 points, and new member Roosevelt in seventh place with six points.

Wayne State is led by head coach Ryan Kelley, who is in his 17th year and has a record of 484-304-1. Kelley is a two-time GLIAC Coach of the Year. The team returns 18 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished with a 29-21 overall record and an 18-12 mark in league play.

Among those returning are six players who were starters at their positions last season: Bennett Hitzelberger (first baseman), Drew Hill (right fielder), Tony Hatzigeorgiou (third baseman), Jacoby Dale (center fielder), Reagan Paulina (second baseman), and Owen Tuccinardi (designated hitter). Mason McGuire, who started all games last season across multiple positions, is also back for another year.

On the pitching side, Wayne State will rely on Evan Langlois as its most experienced returner after losing its top four pitchers by innings pitched from last year. Langlois recorded a 4.50 ERA over 30 innings in the previous season.

Kelley has introduced a group of newcomers consisting of eight transfers and seven high school graduates to bolster the team's roster.

The upcoming season kicks off February 7-9 with four games against Newberry in South Carolina. Following this series, Wayne State will play Ohio Dominican in Mason, Ohio on February 22-23. The team will then participate in the RussMatt Invitational in Florida from March 6-15 where they will face several teams including Ashland and Minnesota Duluth.

Wayne State's conference play begins against Purdue Northwest from March 28-30. Their schedule includes home games against Roosevelt, Davenport, Parkside, and away games at Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State.

The postseason GLIAC Tournament is scheduled for May 8-11 at Jackson Field in Lansing, Michigan.