Baseball Begins Florida Trip With Rout Of No. 17-Ranked Griffins

The first win over a nationally-ranked team in 2026 was an impressive one for Ashland University's baseball team, as the Eagles (5-5) began their annual Florida trip on Thursday (March 5) morning with a 12-5 win against No. 17-ranked Seton Hill (8-3).
 
Thursday's victory featured crooked numbers in four innings – the Eagles scored four runs each in the fourth and seventh innings, and two each in the first and fifth frames.
 
Ashland wasted little time getting on the board down south, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out, two-run single from graduate right fielder Chris Franks.
 
Seton Hill, however, matched those two runs in the top of the fourth to knot the scoreboard at 2-2.
 
The Griffins weren't able to get a shutdown half-inning, as the Eagles posted four runs in the bottom of the fourth – highlighted by a play in which junior catcher Nate King had an RBI single and graduate shortstop Collin Overholt scored on an error.
 
Then, in the fifth, Ashland plated two more runs on a bunt RBI ground out from senior left fielder Billy Howard and an error on the play.
 
Seton Hill wasn't going to go away quietly, and scored twice in the seventh to cut its deficit to 8-5. But the Eagles tacked on four runs in the seventh when Howard nailed an RBI double, then sophomore center fielder Sean Krueckeberg launched his second home run of the spring, a three-run shot.
 
STALNAKER DOES YEOMAN'S WORK FOR EAGLE STAFF

• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Josh Stalnaker (1-1) went a season-long 5 2/3 innings to earn the relief win, striking out four and allowing four hits, five runs (three earned) and three walks.
• Redshirt freshman designated hitter Drew Stevens, Howard and King each had two of AU's 11 hits in the victory.
• Seton Hill's four errors led to five Eagle runs.

COMING UP
The second game of the Florida swing on Friday (March 6) at 4:30 p.m. vs. Saginaw Valley State.