COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican baseball team will look to build on its unbeaten start to the 2021 season when it opens Great Midwest play this weekend at Hillsdale.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

• The Panthers and Chargers are slated to open a four-game series with a single nine-inning game at 2 p.m., Friday, March 12.
• A revised weekend schedule now has another single nine-inning game, beginning at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 13.
• ODU and HC will then close out the weekend with a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday, March 14, starting at noon.

UNDEFEATED START

• Through play on Wednesday, March 10, 17 teams hold an undefeated record in NCAA Division II.
• The Panthers currently have the second-best undefeated record in the country at 8-0.
• Ohio Dominican's eight-game winning streak is the sixth-best active streak in Division II.
• The 8-0 start is the program's best undefeated in its Division II era and is five games shy of tying the school record of 13 (1997).
• As a result, to its strong start, ODU is receiving votes in the national NCBWA Top 25 poll.

PANTHERS GO BACK-TO-BACK IN G-MAC AWARD

• One week after sophomore David Silva (Tontogany, Ohio) received the inaugural G-MAC Player of the Week award, graduate senior Jace Komminsk (Westerville, Ohio) was honored by the conference.
• Komminsk hit .600 (6-10) during a four-game sweep over Fairmont State last weekend.
• The senior added seven RBI, seven runs scored, and four extra-base hits -- three doubles and one home run.
• Komminsk opened the series with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, adding three RBI, three runs, one double and one home run.

BASEWAY ROBBERY

• The Panthers success on offense can be pointed to their ability to run on the base paths.
• ODU leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally with 37 stolen bases this spring.
• The team's 4.32 swipes per game leads Division II. The average mark is seventh-best across all three NCAA divisions and the most of any school in the country that has played at least eight games.
• A trio of Panthers rank in the top six in the G-MAC in stolen bases, led by junior Thomas Staab (Bellville, Ohio).
• Staab paces the G-MAC and ranks inside the top five nationally with 11 stolen bases. The junior swiped five bags in a game against Fairmont State, tying a single game G-MAC record.
• Sophomores Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) and Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) ranked third and fourth in the G-MAC in steals with seven and six, respectively.

LEADERS AT THE PLATE

• Ohio Dominican's offense has been among the best in the conference so far this spring, as the team's .300 batting average is the second highest mark.
• ODU has scored 10-plus runs in five-of-eight games this season and its 9.4 runs per game are inside the top 25 nationally.
• Five Panthers are batting over .300, led by Komminsk and Staab at .417 and .400, respectfully. Komminsk has 10 hits, including six extra-base hits, and is tied with Silva for the team high in RBI with 12.
• To go with his stolen base and batting average, Staab paces the Panthers with 12 hits. The junior has driven in five runs and scored eight times.
• Silva, junior Zac Wilson (Hamilton, Ohio) and sophomore Derek Kutrubs (Brunswick, Ohio) are all batting .333 or better this spring. Both Wilson and Kutrubs have seven RBI, while Silva has added four steals.

ON THE BUMP

• Pitching has also aided the team's early season success, as ODU's team ERA of 2.91 is second-best in the conference and ranks 18th in Division II.
• Three Panther pitchers have tossed over eight innings and have sub-3.00 ERA's.
• Redshirt freshman Tyler Sullivan (Cincinnati, Ohio) has made four appearances, all in relief, and is yet to allow a run over 8.2 innings of work. Sullivan has conceded just two hits and has struck out 12 batters.
• Freshman Scott Rouse (Hinckley, Ohio) and sophomore Grayson Hamilton (Lebanon, Ohio) are both 2-0 with 2.63 and 2.13 ERA's, respectively. Rouse has 14 strikeouts in 13.2 innings, while Hamilton has K'd 12 batters over 12.2 frames.
• Freshman Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio) has made an impact in the bullpen, earning three saves in three appearances. Bolander ranks second in Division II in saves, just one behind the national leader. In 5.1 innings, Bolander has allowed four hits and two unearned runs and has four strikeouts.

ABOUT HILLSDALE

• Hillsdale opened the season 4-0 but dropped all four games last weekend against an Illinois Springfield team that is now ranked 16th nationally.
• The Chargers were 5-9 last spring before being shut down.
• This weekend will mark the first home games of the season for Hillsdale, but the Chargers are 14-7 at Simpson Field since the start of the 2019 campaign.
•  Since 2010, Ohio Dominican is 21-9 against Hillsdale, including a four-game road sweep in 2019.
• The Panthers have won seven straight meetings with the Chargers and are 8-2 in the past 10 contests between the two sides.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu