It was a busy and successful week for the Thunder baseball team as they played six conference games in six days, dropping the first two to Elmhurst before winning four straight against Carroll, North Park and Carthage.
The offense has been spectacular, scoring 50 runs over the course of the week largely due to a massive power surge from the entire team. The Thunder hit 13 home runs with eight different players going deep. To put that in perspective, last year the team hit 12 home runs over the course of the entire season. Senior Peter Newman and sophomore Brett Albaugh combined for seven of those home runs, with Albaugh adding three doubles on top of that.
The defense looks to have recovered, as well, with the Thunder averaging one error per game over the recent span. Wheaton’s conference record is now 6-4, putting them fourth in the standings. All of this bodes well for the rest of the season.
“Our hitting has been outstanding and has really backed up our pitchers in a big way,” senior Johnny Schmitz explained. “It’s fun to watch them roll knowing that no matter what happens on defense, the offense will pick them up. We’re putting ourselves in a good position to be the hottest team going into the conference tournament at the end of the year.”
As we head into Easter weekend, the men will take on Carroll University in a doubleheader on Friday at Lee Pfund Stadium before heading up to Kenosha, Wis. on Saturday to take on Carthage in another doubleheader. Things are looking bright and the hope is that the team can continue to combine their recent hitting success with their elite pitching as the conference tournament draws nearer.