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The Malone University baseball team opens the season this weekend with four games at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, site of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship in May.
 
The Pioneers are coming off of their fourth straight postseason appearance last season after posting a 34-18 overall record and an 18-9 mark in the G-MAC. Last May, Malone earned come-from-behind victories on days one and two of the G-MAC Championship, but suffered a disappointing exit with two losses on day three.
 
The Pioneers entered the final week of the regular season in sixth place in the Midwest Region rankings, but finished in ninth place in the final poll, just one spot short of clinching its first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. The majority of last year's roster is back and eager to make another deep postseason run.
 
"Our guys have put in the work in the offseason and they are hungry to get back there and finish it off," said head coach Tom Crank, who enters his 16th season as the Pioneer skipper.
 
Malone was voted fourth in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll and 13th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Midwest Region Preseason Poll earlier this winter.
 
Graduation claimed starting pitchers Roscoe Blackburn, the two-time G-MAC Pitcher of the Year, and All-Midwest Region performer Joshua Hurford, who begins his first season as the Pioneers' pitching coach this spring and has earned the respect of the young staff.
 
"Josh is going to be a great pitching coach," Crank beamed.
 
Reliable relievers Jordan Yoder, Cody Ballay, and Trevor Beerman are also gone from last year's team as are All-Conference first baseman Todd Ropp, outfielder Andy Fletcher, and utility man Dyllan West.
 
Junior righthanded ace Eric Mullet returns to lead the pitching staff after a fantastic sophomore season in which he was voted First Team All-Midwest Region. Mullet went a perfect 9-0 with a sparkling 2.14 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 71.1 innings pitched last spring. Junior Christian Specht, who posted a 3.90 ERA and led Malone with five saves in 2018, is expected to join Mullet in the starting rotation.
 
Braun Miller, Clyde Yoder, and Shawn Mills, who all missed the entire 2018 season with injuries, return fully healthy this spring. The highly-touted Miller registered a 3.27 ERA and did not allow an earned run over his final 22.2 innings of work during his sophomore season. He was listed among the top lefthanded professional prospects in NCAA Division II prior to his injury last season.
 
Hard-throwing junior Kyle Kovach, who started six games in 2018, and sophomore Alex Widmer, who started a pair, add to the depth and flexibility in the rotation. Among the returners out of the bullpen are Anthony Stillwagon, the only senior pitcher on staff, juniors Tyrus Jones, Tommy Walker, and Chandler Stahl, and sophomores James Kontur and Clay Cooper. Sophomore Preston Stanley, a transfer from Indiana Wesleyan, and freshman Tyler McKee give the Pioneers even more relief options.
 
Pitching and defense were crucial to the Pioneers' success last season and will be again this spring. Malone ranked second in the G-MAC last year with a 4.60 ERA and produced a G-MAC leading eight shutouts. The Pioneer defense, meanwhile, set a school record and led the G-MAC with a .970 fielding percentage. "In any sport, doing the small things and playing good defense are going to lead to championships," Crank noted.
 
Offensively, the Pioneers are built to put pressure on opposing defenses with elite team speed. In an era where exit velocity and launch angle are becoming more and more important, Malone has won using somewhat of a "small ball" approach. The Pioneers hit only 16 homeruns in 52 games last season, but were second in the conference with a .398 on-base percentage and led the G-MAC with 90 stolen bases. Malone also ranked third in the nation with 76 sacrifice bunts.
 
"Not everybody can hit homeruns, but anybody can bunt the ball," commented Crank. "We're all about hitting line drives, running, using our speed, and taking the extra bases."
 
The Pioneer lineup is led by senior catcher Matt Noel, the prototypical line-drive hitter. Noel, a Second Team All-Midwest Region backstop and Academic All-American in 2017, led Malone with a .343 batting average and 17 doubles in 2018. Noel batted .561 with 15 RBI over the final 10 games and will look to keep up the pace as he enters the 2019 campaign. Backing up Noel behind the plate are junior Trey Davis, redshirt freshman Bryan Yoder, and true freshman Weston Garman.
 
Senior shortstop Joe Crank returns to anchor the infield following an outstanding junior season in which he was named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Crank batted .282 and led the team with 36 RBI, a .476 slugging percentage, and 23 extra-base hits, including 16 doubles, four triples, and three homeruns. He also posted a .421 on-base percentage and went 9-for-9 in stolen bases.
 
Crank's double-play partner, junior Zach Mottice, started 42 games at second base in 2018, but could see time at third base this spring. Last season, Mottice hit .289 and finished second on the team with a .447 OBP and 18 stolen bases.
 
Senior Austin White and sophomores Clay Wisner and Stone King are the leading candidates to hold down first base. White hit .316 with two homers and 30 RBI while starting 39 games as the Pioneers' designated hitter last season. Wisner, meanwhile, hit .339 with a homerun and 11 RBI in 25 games as a freshman, including 17 starts at third base where he will also see action this season.
 
Along with Wisner and Zach Mottice, redshirt freshman Cade Mottice and true freshman Jordan Hite provide depth at the hot corner. Redshirt freshman Tyson Gingerich and sophomore Andrew Hanna are the primary understudies in the middle infield.
 
In the outfield, sophomore Turner Hill, the 2018 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, will likely man rightfield once again. Hill posted a .340 batting average as a rookie with eight extra-base hits and 24 RBI. He struck out just 11 times in 156 at bats last season, marking the second-lowest strikeout rate in the conference, finished eighth in the G-MAC with a .461 on-base percentage, and stole 11 bases while playing gold glove caliber defense.
 
Nate Cobb, another gold glove level defender in centerfield, will miss the 2019 campaign after needing offseason surgery. Cobb, who has served as the Pioneer leadoff man for each of the last two season, led Malone with 30 stolen bases in 2018. In his stead, sophomore Jacob Mottice will have the first shot at the starting centerfield job. Mottice started 30 games in leftfield as a freshman and hit .289 with four triples, 20 RBI, and eight stolen bases.
 
Promising freshman Josh Haygood leads a young contingent of contenders for the starting nod in leftfield. Cade Mottice and Hite could also have opportunities as the team looks to solidify the position.
 
Joining Crank and Hurford on staff are hitting coach John Thompson, bench coach Jack Sholtis, catching coach Matt Davis, and assistants Chad King, Jon Crank, Bob Eaton, Ryan Sarbaugh, and Branden Carey.
 
Malone opens the season against West Liberty this Thursday, February 21st at Prasco Park as part of a four-game opening weekend, which features two games against the Hilltoppers and two games against Quincy University. The following weekend, Malone travels to Winter Park, Florida to play 11 games over spring break at Rollins College's Baseball Week. The Pioneers then host Trevecca Nazarene for their home opener on March 15th. The G-MAC Championship begins on May 8th.
 
Links to the full schedule, as well as photo day are the top of the page.