The Hope College baseball team opens MIAA Tournament play on Wednesday at Calvin College.
First pitch is 3:30 p.m. The Flying Dutchmen (22-17 overall) are seeded third after tying for third place with Kalamazoo during the regular season.
After today, the MIAA Tournament shifts to top-seeded Adrian for the remainder of the double-elimination tourney. The Hope-Calvin winner will play at noon Thursday, while the Hope-Calvin loser plays the Adrian-Kalamazoo winner at 3 p.m. An elimination game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Click here for Adrian's MIAA Tournament page — http://adrianbulldogs.com/sports/m-basebl/2014-15/miaa_tournament_central
This is Hope's fourth appearance in the MIAA Tournament. The Flying Dutchmen have qualified every season since the format to determine the winner of the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Hope owns a 4-6 MIAA Tournament record. The Flying Dutchmen reached the championship game once, falling to Adrian in 2012.
Hope is 1-2 all-time against Calvin MIAA Tournament play. The Flying Dutchmen beat Calvin 7-3 in the 2013 opener, but lost 5-2 and 5-3 last season.
Hope split its season series with Calvin 2-2. The Flying Dutchmen lead the all-time series 109-60.
Hope won the series finale at Calvin on March 30 in an unusual fashion. The Flying Dutchmen rallied for a 14-7 win by scoring 14 runs in the top of the seventh inning. Eight different batters collected RBIs as the Flying Dutchmen sent 21 batters to the plate during the seventh. Hope totaled only two hits and five baserunners the previous six innings combined to trail 5-0 entering its final at-bat.
Hope is 0-2 against Adrian in the MIAA Tournament. The Flying Dutch lost 11-6 in 2013 second-round play and lost 17-2 in 2012 title game. Hope leads the all-time series by an 86-72 margin. The Flying Dutchmen won one game of this season's four-game series against Adrian.
Hope is 1-0 against Kalamazoo in MIAA Tournament history winning 10-3 in 2014 second-round game. The Flying Dutchmen won three of four games during the regular season and lead the all-time series 130-42.
Senior second baseman Devin Schaefers of Lake Forest, California (El Toro HS), was named an All-MIAA First Team selection this week. He is a first-team selection for the first time in his career.
Schaefers is third among Hope's starters with a .344 batting average and first with 17 stolen bases. His is tied for third in the MIAA in stolen bases.
Three of Schaefers' teammates received All-MIAA Second Team honors: junior pitcher Jake Chipka of Waterville, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS), junior leftfielder Ryan Konkle of Marshall, Michigan (Marshall HS), and junior shortstop Brady VanderWeele of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Parchment HS).
Brady VanderWeele leads Hope's starters with a .371 batting average. He has 46 hits, including 12 doubles, one triple and two home runs.
Ryan Konkle tops the Flying Dutchmen with 31 RBIs. He is second among Hope starters with a .365 batting average and three home runs. He is tied for fourth in the MIAA in RBI.
Freshman centerfielder Tyler Gulick of East Lansing, Michigan (East Lansing HS), is first on the Flying Dutchmen with five home runs. He is tied for fourth in the MIAA.
Jake Chipka ranks fifth in MIAA with five pitching wins. Junior Austin Goodyke of Grandville, Michigan (Calvin Christian HS), is second with four wins and first on the team with five complete games.
Hope College second baseman Devin Schaefers has been selected to the 2015 All-MIAA Baseball Team.
The senior from Lake Forest, California (El Toro HS), is one of 12 first-team honorees. He is a first-team selection for the first time in his career.
Schaefers started all 28 league games for the third-place Flying Dutchmen and batted .316 in MIAA play. He recorded a team-high 31 hits and 98 at-bats while totaling 16 runs and nine stolen bases.
Schaefers also committed only one fielding error in 118 total chances. He helped turn six double plays.
Three of Schaefers' teammates received All-MIAA Second Team honors: junior pitcher Jake Chipka of Waterville, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS), junior outfielder Ryan Konkle of Marshall, Michigan (Marshall HS), and junior shortstop Brady VanderWeele of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Parchment HS).
