The Trine University Thunder baseball team played a pivotal 4 game series with Adrian College of Michigan over this past weekend.
Pivotal not only in the fact that if Trine at least split the series, they would guarantee themselves second place in the MIAA, and a first round home playoff game, but pivotal in its implications in the rise and future success of Thunder baseball.
Adrian has been the class of the MIAA for many years. They came into the weekend series having already clinched first place in the conference, and they were ranked 8th nationally in NCAA division 3 college baseball.
Trine lost a heartbreaker in the first game of the doubleheader at Adrian on Friday, 4-3, as the Thunder gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the last inning.
The second game saw junior righty Jake Rightnower throw a 2 hit shutout, and Trine was a winner by the score of 1-0.
On Sunday, Adrian came out fired up, and won the first game at Trine 6-3. Again, a sparkling pitching performance, this time by senior Mike Sentman, enabled the Thunder to get the split, again by the score of 1-0.
Adrian had not been shutout in over 250 games, and Trine was able to do it twice in 3 days.
With the wins over the weekend, Trine set a season record for victories with 24.
Trine will play in the conference tourney on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, as they will host Hope College.
Success in this tourney will only be icing on the cake for this fine squad of young men.
Continued success in the coming years only seems inevitable.
The groundwork has been laid.