The Malone University baseball team begins Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) action this weekend with two home doubleheaders against Trevecca Nazarene University. The Pioneers play their home opener on Friday, March 15th in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm. The doubleheader with the Trojans on Saturday, March 16th is slated for a 11:00 am first pitch. All Malone home games this season will be played at Jackson High School in Massillon.
 
The Pioneers are scheduled to play 32 G-MAC games this spring, including 16 doubleheaders – two each with eight opponents. Malone, which earned the number two seed in the G-MAC North last season, is one of just two teams, among 13 in the standings, with a winning record at this point in the season. The top-8 teams at the end of the year advance to the G-MAC Championship in May.
 
GameDay
(3/15) Malone vs. Trevecca Nazarene (DH) – 1:00 pm
(3/16) Malone vs. Trevecca Nazarene (DH) – 11:00 am
Live stats: portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
Twitter: @BaseballMaloneU
 
Series History
Malone is 4-5 against Trevecca all-time, including a 3-4 mark during the G-MAC era (2017-present). Last season, the Pioneers dropped a pair of games to the Trojans in Nashville, including a 3-1 loss in the first game on a walkoff homerun in the ninth.

Team Comparison (as of March 14th)

Malone	Category	Trevecca
10-5	Record	6-8
.273	Avg	.229
.369	OBP	.322
.353	Slugging	.304
5.7	Runs/GM	4.6
3	HR	3
33	SB	20
3.30	ERA	4.60
1.36	WHIP	1.56
8.9	k/9IP	8.2

Malone Notes

• The Pioneers are coming off of an 8-3 mark during spring break in Florida, including five wins in their last six games. Malone is the only team in the G-MAC with more than six victories.
• The Pioneer pitching staff has been outstanding early on, leading the G-MAC in ERA and ranking second in WHIP. The defense is also sixth in NCAA Division II with 19 double plays turned.
• Junior Tommy Walker (1-0) has 15 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched and leads the G-MAC with a 1.04 ERA.
• Redshirt sophomore Clyde Yoder (3-0, 2.12 ERA) is tied for the G-MAC lead in wins and ranks fifth in strikeouts (22) and sixth in ERA.
• Reigning G-MAC Pitcher of the Week Christian Specht (1-0, 2.65 ERA, 15 K, 17.1 IP) is coming off of eight shutout innings and a career-high eight strikeouts in his last start.
• Junior Eric Mullet, an All-Region pick last season, is 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA and ranks third in the G-MAC with 24 strikeouts. He gave up just one unearned run and struck out nine batters in a loss at Trevecca last season.
• Malone is 10-1 this season in games started by Mullet, Specht, Yoder, and Walker. Malone is also 10-1 when holding opponents to five runs or fewer.
• Tyrus Jones (1-0, 2.63 ERA, 12 K, 13.2 IP) and Clay Cooper (1-0, 1 SV, 3.75 ERA, 11 K, 12 IP) have pitched well in relief roles, eating up plenty of extra innings.
• Offensively, first baseman Austin White is batting a team-high .333, including a .378 average over spring break. White heads into the weekend on an eight-game hit streak, which features five multi-hit games.
• Freshman leftfielder Josh Haygood has turned heads in the early part of the season, ranking second on the team in batting average (.321) and leading Malone in homers (2), slugging (.547), RBI (12), steals (7), and multi-hit games (7).
• Redshirt freshman shortstop Tyson Gingerich has worked his way into the leadoff spot where he is hitting .286 and tied for the team lead with seven stolen bases. Gingerich has scored 12 runs over the last 10 games.
• Junior second baseman Zach Mottice (.290 avg) leads the team with a .455 on-base percentage while younger brother and starting centerfielder Jacob Mottice has six steals and leads the team with 13 runs scored.
• Sophomore Turner Hill, the 2018 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, has done a little bit over everything, reaching base in 13 of 15 games, scoring 10 runs, driving in nine, and stealing five bases.
• Senior catcher Matt Noel is tied for the team lead with 12 RBI. His primary understudy Bryan Yoder has 10 RBI in just nine games.
• Slick-fielding third baseman Clay Wisner, one of four Pioneers to start all 15 games this season (along with Noel, Hill, and Jacob Mottice), tallied a .391 OBP during spring break.
• Malone, which is currently ranked seventh in the NCBWA Midwest Region Poll, posted an 18-9 record in the G-MAC last season and went 16-6 at home.

Trevecca Nazarene Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Trojans went 26-23 overall and 15-9 in GMAC play last season and earned the number two seed in the G-MAC South. They were eliminated on day two of the G-MAC Tournament.
• Trevecca boasts the third-best pitching staff in the conference in terms of team ERA. Sophomore Drew Pierce, an All-Conference nod in 2018, has a team-high 24 strikeouts while senior lefthander Jake Roberson is 2-2 with a 3.76 ERA and 22 strikeouts in a team-high 26.1 innings.
• Freshman designated hitter Bryant Goolsby leads a young offense with a team-high .367 average, five doubles and eight RBI. Second baseman Dalton Mauldin is hitting .327 with a team-high 13 RBI.
• Trevecca is 3-0 on the road this season. Of their six total wins, five have been by one run.