The Hope College baseball team is making its 11th appearance in the MIAA Tournament that's hosted this year by Kalamazoo College. The Flying Dutchmen have qualified for every postseason tournament held since the league debuted the format in 2012. 

On Wednesday, May 10, the fourth-seeded Flying Dutchmen will play at top-seeded Kalamazooat 4 p.m. The winner advances to play the winner of the Adrian College at Alma College game on Thursday, May 11, at 10 a.m. The Hope-Kalamazoo loser will face the Adrian-Alma loser at 1 p.m. It is a double-elimination tournament. Alma is seeded second, Adrian College third.

Hope is seeking its first MIAA Tournament championship. The Flying Dutchmen have finished runner-up six times: 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2013. Hope is 17-20 all-time in MIAA Tournament play. Hope has faced all three teams in this year's field: 4-1 against Alma, 2-5 vs.  Kalamazoo and 0-8 against Adrian.

The Flying Dutchmen enter the MIAA Tournament with a winning record against each of the other three teams in the field: 127-62 against Kalamazoo, 101-83 vs. Alma and 91-83-1 against Adrian.

Head coach Stu Fritz is in his 30th season leading the Flying Dutchmen. He owns a 652-482-2 career record, including a 20-18 mark this season. Fritz is tied with Adrian College coach Craig Rainey for the most MIAA seasons coached, second with 444 MIAA wins and second with 10 MIAA regular-season championships.

The Flying Dutchmen have scored 292 runs this season, the seventh-most in program history. Last season, Hope set a school record with 389 runs. Four Flying Dutchmen have collected 30 or more runs: designated hitter Spencer Cable (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) with 35, center fielder Robbie Stuursma (East Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) with 34, right fielder Kainan Bayn )Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland East) with 33 and first baseman Owen Krizan (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven) with 30.

Right fielder Kainan Bayn tops the Flying Dutchmen with a career-high .331 batting average. The fifth-year senior has collected 46 hits this season, including four home runs and five doubles.

The Flying Dutchmen have stolen 108 bases in 124 attempts so far this season, the third-most stolen bases in program history. They have reached 100-plus stolen bases in three of the past four completed seasons: 133 in 2019 and 112 in 2021. Five Hope players have at least 12 stolen bases. Center fielder Robbie Stuursma leads the Flying Dutchmen with 17 stolen bases.

With a 7-1 record, junior Grahan O'Gorman (Champaign, Illinois / Champaign Central) is the 18th Hope pitcher to record at least seven wins in a single season. The right-hander is tied for fifth all-time with the Flying Dutchmen. Three Hope pitchers have eight wins: Adam Clements with an 8-2 record in 2012, Nate De Visser with an 8-1 mark in 2001 and Dick Nordstrom with an 8-5 record in 1970. Sean Hoey set the Flying Dutchmen wins record with a 9-0 mark in 2022. O'Gorman is tied for second in the MIAA in pitching wins.

Fifth-year senior Shane Hykin (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Eastern) is looking to join O'Gorman in the seven-win club. The right-hander is 6-1 on the season. Hykin ranks fifth in the MIAA with 60 strikeouts.