INDIANAPOLIS – Just as MLB Spring Training got underway, several programs made their season debuts as the first set of Great Midwest Athletic Conference Baseball Players of the Week was announced on Tuesday.
 
Both Hillsdale and Ohio Dominican enjoyed 4-0 starts to their spring seasons. The Chargers brought out the brooms against regional opponent Maryville and the Panthers toppled league opponent Findlay twice and Notre Dame (OH) twice.
 
Cedarville also has a perfect start to the year with a pair of victories against Ohio Christian. Lake Erie was able to play a three-game slate in Evansville against Southern Indiana and won game two of that series.
 
Baseball Player of the Week
David Silva
Ohio Dominican
Infield
Sophomore
Tontogany, OH (Otsego HS)
 
Batting in the heart of the order at second base defensively, Silva was the catalyst behind Ohio Dominican’s 4-0 start to the year as the Panthers put up 35 combined runs against Findlay and Notre Dame (OH) at PRASCO Park.
 
After getting the opening day jitters out of the way in his season opener, Silva was locked in the rest of the weekend as he finished hitting 8-of-16 (.500) at the plate to go with a pair of extra-base hits and nine RBI.
 
Silva went yard for a three-run shot, his first homer of the spring, in the late stages against Findlay and finished with 6 RBI in a 14-2 win. Silva also scored two with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
 
Silva recorded another extra-base hit, his first double, against Notre Dame as part of a 3-for-3 line on Saturday. He drove in two more runs, walked and swiped two bags. Sunday was more of the same as he went 2-for-4 with another RBI, two runs scored, walk and stolen base.
 
He displayed some impressive speed on the bases, swiping four in as many attempts. The sophomore is currently the early league leader in both hits and RBI. He had two other teammates, Alex Brill and Roger Danison, each have 4 stolen bases already.
 
Baseball Pitcher of the Week
David Toth
Hillsdale
RHP
Junior
Grosse Pointe, MI (South HS)
 
Toth was as close to perfect as you could get in his first turn through head coach Eric Theisen’s rotation, recording a no-hitter against Maryville as the Chargers stampeded their way to a four-game sweep.
 
He was a second inning walk away from the perfect game as Toth went the distance in seven innings. The Saints didn’t threaten past one runner at second base in that frame as Toth punched out the next two batters going down swinging.  
 
The 6-4 righty ultimately recorded 10 strikeouts and was the beneficiary of a Jeff Landis solo home run, one of three bombs launched by the powerful corner infielder in four games. He faced 22 hitters and threw only 86 pitches, including 60 for strikes.
 
It turned out to be the lone run of the game, but his teammates rushed the field in celebration as he induced a line out to end the seventh inning after striking out the previous two hitters.
 
His line in the box score was very similar to another no-hitter in the conference thrown in 2017 by Malone’s righty Joshua Hurford, who was also one walk away from a perfect game. He joins some elite fireballers in conference history who have thrown no-hitters including Minnesota Twins starter Randy Dobnak (Alderson Broaddus) and former New York Mets minor leaguer Matt Pobereyko (Kentucky Wesleyan).
 
Toth made four starts last spring and despite a tough W/L record, flashed plenty of swing-and-miss potential with a 9.82 K/9 ratio. He pitched 14.2 innings and recorded 16 strikeouts.