By: Connor Steffens
Mar. 4, 2026
With the beginning of college baseball season already behind us, the Thiel College Baseball team will hit the road to Fort Pierce, FL for a set of eight regular season games against other Division III schools around the nation. The Tomcats will begin their journey on Thursday evening, arriving in the Sunshine State on Friday morning with their first game taking place Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Head coach Joe Schaly (484-524) leads this team in his 27th year at the helm of the Tomcat baseball program. With his experience and a talented roster that has appeared in back-to-back Presidents Athletic Conference Tournaments, it’s safe to say he expects better than this early start. Thiel opens the 2026 season at 0-3 at Tomcat Park dropping both doubleheader games against Juniata (14-3 and 5-3) and another loss to Pitt Greensburg (16-7) where they surrendered a 7-4 lead, allowing 9 runs in the top of the seventh inning. Some early bright spots have been provided by junior third baseman Joey Schimizzi and junior first baseman Max Bihler, batting .273 and .250 respectively. Senior outfielder Colton Brightwell is also batting .250 with 10 plate appearances. The Thiel pitching staff, though still working out the kinks, leaves much to be desired allowing 31 earned runs in just 3 games.
They have a chance to turn it around this week during spring break. The Tomcats will open the trip in a 10 a.m. Saturday morning game against Lebanon Valley. Sunday’s contest will feature the Monmouth Fighting Scots, followed by Monday morning’s fray against in-state foe Gettysburg. They will take on the OAC’s Heidelberg Student Princes on March 10th prior to the trip’s lone doubleheader taking on Kenyon College on the 12th. The team’s getaway concludes on March 13th and 14th after games against Lasell and Washington (Md.).
With a conference tournament streak on the line, the Tomcats will look to use this trip to right the ship and turn things around before they enter PAC play. The PAC opener will be the first two games following the Florida trip, a road doubleheader at Hiram on March 21st. Hopefully Coach Schaly and his upperclassmen laden group can find a brand of baseball that clinches this program its third consecutive trip to the PAC Championship Tournament.
