COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican baseball team returns to Sunbury Road to welcome Tiffin for its first home and Great Midwest Athletic Conference series of the 2022 season.  

SERIES INFO 

• The Panthers (5-6) and Dragons have revised their series schedule and will now open with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., Thursday, March 10.  

• Following the nine- and seven-inning doubleheader on Thursday, ODU and TU will play a seven- and nine-inning doubleheader on Friday, March 11, with a noon first pitch.  

• This will be ODU's first chance to play at Frank Damian Field at Panther Valley this spring.  

• ODU was 12-2 at home last season, winning all four of its home series. 

• The Panthers enter their series with Tiffin having won six consecutive games at home, which is the second longest active streak in the G-MAC (Trevecca, 7 games). 

• ODU and Tiffin will be facing off for the first time since the 2019 season. The Panthers won all four games of a regular season series but dropped a G-MAC Tournament contest to the Dragons. 

• Since the start of its Division II era (2011), ODU is 20-13 versus Tiffin, including a 12-5 mark at Frank Damian Field. 

LAST WEEK RECAP 

• The Panthers fell victim to late offense from East Stroudsburg in three games of the four-game set, including a pair of walk offs by the Warriors.  

• ODU lost three of the four games by a combined four runs.  

• The Black & Gold found the long ball last weekend, hitting their first three home runs of the season.  

• Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) went deep while also hitting .308 over four games. Brill had three extra-base hits and drove in three runs.  

• Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) appeared in the first three games, leading ODU with a .400 average. Hunt also stole three bases.  

• Continuing his strong start to the season was relief pitcher Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio). Bolander tossed 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit.  

OFFENSIVE NOTES 

• ODU has seven batters hitting over .300 through three non-conference series this spring. 

• Hunt paces the Panthers with a .410 average, which also ranks sixth best in the G-MAC. The junior also leads ODU with eight runs scored and 12 stolen bases, the latter leading the conference. His 1.20 stolen bases per game rank fourth across Division II.   

• Michael Knapp (Elyria, Ohio) leads ODU with nine RBI and hit his first collegiate home run during the ESU series. The sophomore is batting .368 and slugging .500.  

• Brill has hit safely in four of the past five games, including a pair of multi-hit performances to raise his season average to .314. The junior has a team-high four extra-base hits this spring.  

• Thomas Staab (Bellville, Ohio) made his 2022 debut during the ESU series, registering two hits in six at-bats, including a two-run home run in the series finale. Staab is coming off a 2021 campaign where he batted .303 with 36 runs scored and 33 stolen bases, the latter ranked second nationally.  

PITCHING NOTES 

• ODU has three complete game performances this spring, which are tied for the most of any G-MAC school this spring and ranks fifth across Division II.  

• Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) has tossed a complete game in both of his appearances this season, tossing 13.1 innings with a 1-1 record and 4.73 ERA.  

• Scott Rouse (Hinckley, Ohio) has made three starts and four appearances this spring. Rouse has a 1-1 record with one save and a 3.44 ERA. He also leads ODU with 22 strikeouts, while his 10.8 K's per nine innings ranks fifth in the conference.  

• Four relief pitchers are yet to allow a run this season for ODU, led by Bolander and Myles Martinez (Columbus, Ohio). The duo has combined to throw 13.0 scoreless frames, conceding just five hits to 13 strikeouts.  

ABOUT TIFFIN 

• Tiffin is 5-10 this spring and is coming off a seven-game swing in Florida last week, a stretch that saw the Dragons go 2-5. 

• Tiffin is coming off a successful 2021 campaign, going 29-16 overall and 20-12 in G-MAC action. The Dragons lost their first game of the 2021 G-MAC Tournament but rallied to appear in the championship game where they fell to top-seeded Trevecca. 

• Last year was TU's first full winning season since the 2017 campaign. 

• The Dragons were picked to finish third in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, one spot ahead of ODU. Tiffin tied for the most first-place votes with four.  

UP NEXT 

• Ohio Dominican will travel to G-MAC preseason favorite and currently ranked No. 4 Trevecca Nazarene for a four-game series. 

• ODU and TNU are scheduled for doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19.