Baseball to open 2021 season with four HCAC road games this weekend

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Coming off solid seasons the last two years under 14^th-year head coach Derek Woodley, the Defiance College baseball team hopes to continue its winning ways when opening the 2021 season with four Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference road games in Indiana this weekend. Defiance is scheduled to face Hanover College in a doubleheader on Saturday at noon before playing two games with Franklin College on Sunday at the same time.

Despite having their 2020 season cut short because of the coronavirus, the Yellow Jackets were able to win seven of their 10 contests, thus finishing with DC's best winning percentage (.700) in 52 years after the 1968 squad went 19-8 overall (.704). Additionally, it had been 31 seasons since Defiance got off to a better start as the 1989 squad began 7-2-1. This all came after the Yellow Jackets had a 23-16-1 overall record in 2019.

This year, DC returns 20 players from last season and has added a group of 10 newcomers, including nine freshmen. The roster consists of 15 seniors.

In the 2021 HCAC preseason coaches poll, Defiance came in tied for sixth place in the 10-team conference after tying for the league's best overall record a year ago. The Yellow Jackets had four seniors named to the 2021 HCAC Athletes to Watch list in outfielder Nate Kaffenbarger (De Graff, Ohio/Indian Lake), pitcher Cohen Nies (Logansport, Ind./Lewis Cass), pitcher Jack Powell (Commerce Township, Mich./Walled Lake Northern) and infielder Colin Minner (London, Ohio/London).

Kaffenbarger enjoyed a fantastic junior campaign in which he led DC in plate appearances (39), hits (13), extra-base hits (six), total bases (23), doubles (three), triples (two), home runs (one), runs batted in (eight), walks (nine), on-base percentage (.590) and slugging percentage (.793) while batting .448. Nies, who struck out 19 over 13.2 innings last season, is the ace of the pitching staff while Powell, a reliever, collected five strikeouts and a save in four innings with a 2.25 earned run average as a junior. Minner paced the squad in at-bats with 33 while posting a .364 batting average in 2020.

Along with those four seniors, there are several others who Woodley expects to provide leadership and have big years in 2021. That list includes seniors Lucas Thomeier (Wickliffe, Ohio/Wickliffe), an outfielder; Michael Reese (Constantine, Mich./Constantine), a pitcher/infielder; Daniel Tomalak (Tecumseh, Mich./Clinton), a pitcher/infielder; Will Bohlman (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville), a pitcher; and Zac Brazen (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda), a pitcher.

"Nate Kaffenbarger and Luke Thomeier are three-year starters," Woodley said. "Cohen Nies, Michael Reese Daniel Tomalak, Will Bohlman, Jack Powell and Zac Brazen are also seniors who have had significant roles during their careers. Colin Minner is another player who is a great leader and was off to a great start in 2020."

As for the first-year players, Woodley feels that infielders Trent Murdock (Liberty Center, Ohio/Liberty Center), outfielder Joshua Stevenson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Yorktown), infielder Zach Martin (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) and outfielder Mitchell Roever (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) may make the biggest impacts.

"Trent Murdock, Josh Stevenson and Zach Martin will have a chance to contribute immediately," Woodley said. "Mitchell Roever has had a good preseason as well."

The main goal for Defiance heading into the upcoming season is to contend for an HCAC title. A big positive for the Yellow Jackets, which could play a major role in accomplishing this feat, is their corps of starting pitchers.

"Our goal every year is to compete for a conference championship," Woodley said. "Our starting pitching has a lot of experience and should be a strength. They have all played significant roles over the years."

Pitching

DC's pitching staff is probably one of the stronger and deeper areas for this season's squad. Of the 13 players who pitched for the Purple and Gold last year, 10 are back.

At the top of the starting rotation is Nies, who has led the club in strikeouts the past two years. Others who were tabbed as primary starters by Woodley are Reese, Tomalak and lefthander Bohlman.

Versatile hurlers who may get spot starts or work in relief include senior pitcher Kendall Duval (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield), senior lefty pitcher/outfielder Lane Good (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon), freshman pitcher/infielder John Hammerstein (Canton, Mich./Father Gabriel Richard) and sophomore left-handed pitcher/infielder Brant Richardson (Convoy, Ohio/Crestview).

Out of the bullpen, Woodley will rely on freshman lefty pitcher Jeremy Russo (Clinton Township, Mich./Fraser), sophomore pitcher Kole Small (Convoy, Ohio/Crestview), senior left-handed pitcher/outfielder Tyler Hines (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) and freshman lefty pitcher/infielder Billy McNamara (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown).

At the back end of the bullpen, Brazen and Powell both have proved that they can be effective in the late innings and close out games. Brazen recorded two saves and did not allow an earned run a season ago while over the last two years, Powell has saved three contests with a 2.83 ERA over 35 innings.     

Catching

In 2020, catcher was one of Defiance's deeper positions with four on the roster. This season, however, there are just two true catchers. Senior Zach Johnson (El Paso, Ill./El Paso-Gridley) and sophomore Dylan King (Las Vegas, Nev./Ed W. Clark) are slated to share time behind the plate. 

Infield

There are many options at first base for the Yellow Jackets. Reese, Richardson and senior infielder Dominic Kuzujanakis (Centerville, Ohio/Greenon) all made starts there last year with Hammerstein and McNamara also in the mix this season.

Minner is slotted to take over at second base after starting all 10 games at third base in 2020. Sophomore infielder Austin Horning (Archbold, Ohio/Pettisville), freshman infielder Colton Francis (Covington, Ohio/Covington) and Tomalak are other options at second base.

Sophomore infielder Josh Vischer (Genoa, Ohio/Genoa), who started every contest as DC's second baseman a year ago, will slide over to shortstop this season. Minner and Tomalak are other shortstop candidates.

At third base, Murdock is the frontrunner with Martin and Kaffenbarger also capable of playing the hot corner.

Outfield

In left field, Good is at the top of the list. Stevenson and Roever will also be looking for action in left.

Thomeier, who started all 10 games in center field as a junior, is back in the middle of the outfield. Behind Thomeier is senior Nolan Kestner (Maineville, Ohio/Lebanon), who batted .455 (5 for 11) in limited playing time last season.

Kaffenbarger returns to right field. Adding depth in right are senior outfielder Reggie Washington (Laurel, Md./Aberdeen) and Hines. Washington is a former football player who started eight games at quarterback for Defiance in 2019.

Schedule/HCAC

The Yellow Jackets have put together a full 40-game schedule for 2021 with all of the contests being played within the conference. The slate includes 18 doubleheaders with DC taking on each HCAC opponent at least four times.

"This 2021 season will be interesting with only playing conference games and all teams will make the HCAC tournament," Woodley said. "Franklin, Anderson, Rose-Hulman and Transylvania are considered the favorites with Earlham not too far behind. All teams in the HCAC are capable and it is an extremely deep conference.

"Early on, I expect us to have a plan similar to a non-conference schedule and get a good evaluation of our team so players can settle into some roles. Typically, we use our Florida trip to mix lineups and find out more about our team."

With no Spring Break travel to the Sunshine State this year, Defiance will play more regionally and hope to continue the momentum it has built over the past two campaigns.