The Hope College baseball team looks to challenge for a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship this spring.
The Flying Dutchmen, led by head coach Stu Fritz, finished second in the 2021 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with 43 points and one first-place vote.
Coaches could not vote for their own teams. Adrian College, the 2019 champion, was a unanimous favorite with 49 points and all seven possible first-place votes.
All-MIAA centerfielder Evan Maday leads the Flying Dutchmen, who recorded a school record for wins with a 31-11 mark in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic called the 2020 season after three games.
The senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan (East Kentwood) is a career .353 hitter with 82 runs scored, 50 RBIs and 46 stolen bases. Maday needs 13 stolen bases to surpass the school record held by Mitch Van Putten (1982-85).
Hope is scheduled to open the season on Saturday, March 6 with a non-league doubleheader at Millikin University (Illinois).
The MIAA title chase begins the weekend of Friday-Saturday, March 26-27.
The 2021 MIAA Tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, May 12-16, at the site of the regular-season champion. The winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.