Friday, February 15
Huntsville, Ala.
7:30 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne
vs
Indiana State
Photo by: Lucas Carter
2013 IPFW Baseball Season Preview
2/14/2013 11:39:00 AM | Baseball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Baseball season is here as the IPFW Mastodons will travel to Huntsville, Ala. to play in the Bulldog Classic this weekend. The Mastodons will face Indiana State in the season opener on Friday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
IPFW will play four games this weekend as they face Alabama A&M in a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a single game against Morehead State to end the weekend.
The Mastodons return a bulk of the 2012 roster. This year's pitching rotation will feature Chuck Weaver, Jason Kalber, Brandon Pease, and Steve Danielak. Other players to see innings include Travis Reboulet, Kyle Sorensen, Danny Tursell, Kevin Kimball, and Nate White.
Newcomers Connor McLaughlin, Connor Lawhead, Brandon Lane, Evan VanSumeren and Zach Kayser will also have the opportunity to impact the team.
Weaver and Kalber each recorded four wins on the mound for IPFW a year ago. Danielak came out of the bullpen to post the best record on the team at 6-2. Weaver held a 4.30 ERA and led the team in strikeouts with 87. Kalber posted an ERA of 7.43 and led the team in innings pitched at 92.0. Danielak threw 44.2 innings and led the club with six saves.
The IPFW lineup will have lots of familiar faces as the team only lost one player from last year's starting lineup. Clay Hathaway returns as the team's leadoff hitter and starting shortstop. Hathaway led the team with a .274 batting average last spring. He has 12 doubles, two triples and was second on the team with four home runs.
Other players that are sure to impact the Mastodon lineup include Malcolm White, Kristian Gayday, and Shane Trevino. White set a school record last year for most walks during a single-season with 54. He is also a staple of the IPFW defense starting every game in centerfield. Gayday is penciled in as the team's starting third baseman. The Fort Wayne product hit .266 a year ago with nine doubles and 27 RBI's. Trevino came up with a number of clutch hits last year as he ended the season with 11 doubles, three triples and two home runs.
The Mastodons will end the month of February with three games at Tennessee-Martin and then travel to SIUE for three games at the beginning of March. Two teams from the state of Indiana will follow on the schedule as IPFW will travel to Butler and Ball State. One other major road trip before the Summit League season approaches will be March 22-24 when the 'Dons travel to Alabama State for a three-game series.
The IPFW home opener is March 29 vs. Bethel College. Unique games on the schedule also include playing at Purdue on March 27 and a single game at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Ind. as the Mastodons take on Anderson at 6 p.m.
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