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Baseball Swinging Hot Bats as WHAC Schedule Arrives: 8 Games in 7 Days Versus Conference Opponents

Baseball Swinging Hot Bats as WHAC Schedule Arrives: 8 Games in 7 Days Versus Conference Opponents
Posted: Mar 20, 2023

The Siena Heights baseball team is one of the hottest offensive teams in the WHAC as the conference schedule arrives this week.

Among those Saints who have appeared in at least half of the team's games (6 of 12), nine are hitting above the .300 mark. Thomas Bakoway (.450), Matt Love <.435) and Cole Van Wasshenova (.395) have the top three batting averages thus far.

Others above the .300 plateau include Brayden Hill (.391), Kenny Layman (.385), Cole Mason (.353), Matt Scally (.333), Haydn Smith (.308) and Adam Wilding (.308).

As a team, SHU ranks No. 2 in the WHAC in batting average (.317) and third in on-base percentage (.406) and slugging-percentage (.415).

VanWasshenova and Wilding are two players that return to the roster with previous postseason accolades. VanWasshenova won the NAIA Gold Glove and WHAC Gold Glove at third base in 2022. Wilding was named ot the All-WHAC First team in 2021.

SHU is coming off an 18-33 season. It went 6-16 in conference play a year ago. The Saints have started out 2023 with a 3-9 slate, opening with a 1-3 weekend at Midway before going 2-6 on their spring trip to Florida.

The Florida trip was bookended with wins over Lawrence Tech and Calumet (Ind.). The Saints ended a tough week by breaking out the sticks for a 20-3 victory against a Calumet squad they had lost to three times in the Sunshine State.

Through 12 games, Layman has been the biggest bat in the lineup with a team-high five doubles, two homers and 14 RBI. He is second on the team in slugging (.667). The two round-trippers already equals the individual team-high mark of last year's Saints; VanWasshenova and Wilding had two each.

VanWasshenova leads the Saints with 13 runs and four stolen bases while ranking No. 2 on the team with 10 RBI. He also hads two doubles.

Starting pitcher Chase Molnar gave SHU an early highlights in its first game of the season when he tossed a 1-hit shutout in the Saints' season-opening win against Midway.

Molnar is now 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. Ryan Sullivan has provided a solid presence out of the bullpen with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings.

SHU brings back plenty of its top performers from last year, including its top three hitters Cameron Hammer (.331), Love (.324) and VanWasshenova (.299). Layman and VanWasshenova had 11 and 10 doubles, respectively, while Hammer raced around the bags for a team-high six triples.

The Saints' top three run producers last year were Hammer (35 RBI), Layman (28) and Wilding (28).

Molnar tops the rotation. He was 2-4 last season with a 4.08 ERA in 57 1/3 innings. He also had a save. Sullivan led last year's team with three saves.

The Saints' conference campaign begins with a visit from defending WHAC regular-season and tournament champs, Northwestern Ohio, on Monday. The following day, SHU will visit 22nd-ranked Indiana Tech.

Then, on the weekend, the WHAC schedule picks up again with four SHU games at Concordia.