THE 2026 ROSTER 

The 2026 Hilbert Baseball roster will look to continue of the winning ways of the program and make it six straight Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference postseason appearances for the Hawks.

Head Coach Drew Fittry's squad, which was picked to finish fourth in this morning's AMCC Pre-Season Coaches Poll, features a strong returning core and an influx of new talent.

This year's pitching staff will be anchored by senior Ronald Mort, and incoming transfers Andrew Johnson and Gregory Lowry.

Mort, a 6-3 right-hander from Niagara Falls, NY, enters his fourth campaign with the Hawks second in program history with a 4.28 career ERA. In the 2024 season, his last full year of action, Mort posted a 2.70 ERA across 11 appearances with 23 strikeouts while allowing opponents to hit just .252. His .288 career opponent batting average ranks him fifth and program history, while his five career wins rank him tenth all time.

Johnson comes to Hilbert after a storied junior college career that included stops at nationally ranked Georgia Gwinett and nationally ranked SUNY Niagara. Last year with the third-ranked Grizzlies, Johnson recorded 35 strikeouts over 22.1 innings. Prior to his time with Georgia Gwinett, Johnson was named an NJCAA Division III All-American in 2024 at SUNY Niagara after going 8-1 while leading the nation in ERA over 66.1 innings pitched. Johnson was named as a "Player to Watch" in the Pre-Season Coaches Poll.

Lowry also comes to the Hawks from the Thunderwolves after spending two seasons with the nationally ranked program. The right-handed pitcher is coming off a 2-0 season where he posted a 4.76 ERA.

Offensively, the Hawks will lean returners Joey Haynes, Harley Hoag, Patrick Evans, and Dustin Hendrix at the top of the lineup.

Haynes, named a "Player to Watch" in this morning's poll, is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw the Canisius College transfer earn Hilbert Male Athlete of the Year honors. In his first year with the Hawks, Haynes was also named an ABCA/Rawlings Division III All-Region 7 Third Team member and a First Team All-Conference honoree. He led the AMCC during league play in batting average (.528), on base percentage (.621), hits (28), hit by pitches (6) and stolen bases (8) over 14 conference games in 2025. His historic season saw him ranked top five in program single season on base percentage, batting average, hits, stolen bases, stolen base percentage, hit by pitch, and intentional walks.

Hoag started 37 games a year ago in his first season with the Hawks. The 6-1 infielder from Salamanca, NY hit .325 with a .425 slugging percentage and .474 on base percentage. Hoag totaled 39 hits, 16 RBI, two home runs, and walked 27 times.

Evans started all 25 games he appeared in during the 2025 season, hitting .333 with a .476 slugging percentage and .442 on base percentage. The 6-4 infielder from Orchard Park, NY hit a pair of homeruns and recorded 19 RBI in his first campaign with the Hawks.

Hendrix raised his career batting average to .319 after hitting .325 in what was a career year in 2025. Hendrix recorded a .528 slugging percentage and .416 on base percentage while leading the team with 34 RBI and 14 doubles. He finished the season inside the top five in in both doubles and RBI in a single season in program history.

THE 2026 SCHEDULE

The Hawks will open the season on the road with a doubleheader at Chatham University on February 21^st, before the team returns home to host Alfred University on February 25^th.

Hilbert will continue early non-conference play with trips to Lycoming College, Fredonia, Eastern Mennonite University, and Houghton University as the Hawks prepare for AMCC action. The team will also make its annual trip to Myrtle Beach for the Ripken Experience during spring break (March 8-12).

Conference play begins on March 21^st, when Hilbert travels to La Roche University for its AMCC opener. The Hawks will then visit Pitt-Greensburg and Penn State Behrend before hosting their first conference games of the year on April 4^th, welcoming Penn State Behrend to the FSSJ Field Complex.

April features a heavy home presence for the Hawks, including AMCC series against Penn State Behrend, Alfred State, Pitt-Bradford, and Mount Aloysius. Hilbert also hosts Elmira College in a non-conference matchup on April 28.

Hilbert closes the regular season with a home doubleheader against Penn State Altoona on May 2.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the AMCC double-elimination Championship Tournament is scheduled for May 6–9 in Johnstown, Pa., at Sargent Stadium.

THE COACHING / SUPPORT STAFF
  
Head coach Drew Fittry, entering his tenth season, has led the baseball program to five consecutive postseason appearances. Fittry, a two-time Hilbert College | Sal Buscalia Coach of the Year is the winningest coach in program history.

Over the past nine seasons, Fittry has produced 28 AMCC All-Conference selections, three Hilbert McGrath Award winners (given to a graduating student-athlete who has demonstrated exemplary achievement both academically and athletically while at Hilbert College), seven All-Region honorees, and he has developed the last four Hilbert Male Athletes of the Year.

Joining Fittry for his tenth season with Hilbert is Brendan Toughey, a 2023 Baldwin Wallace Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee. Toughey has helped guide the Hawks to the last five postseason tournaments while playing a key role in establishing Hilbert as one of the top base running teams in the conference. Hilbert has placed in the top three in the AMCC in stolen bases seven times, while finishing #1 five times (2017, 2020, 2022, and 2023, 2025). In 2022, the Hawks finished 11th nationally in stolen bases per game (2.97) and led the AMCC in stolen bases with 107 and then again in 2023 with 82.

Joe Reitebach enters his first season as the Pitching Coach at Hilbert College, where he also oversees the program's strength and conditioning efforts. Reitebach brings a strong background as both a collegiate pitcher and developer of arms at the collegiate and summer-collegiate levels.

Reitebach had a storied playing career, having spent four years on the Gannon University pitching staff before pitching his graduate year at Hilbert College, where he earned First Team AMCC All-Conference honors as a relief pitcher. During that season, he logged 31.0 innings pitched with 31 strikeouts, eight walks, and a 2.61 ERA while posting a 4.0 grade point average.

Patrick Whelan begins his first season as a collegiate coach during the 2025-26 academic year at Hilbert College. Whelan is no stranger to the AMCC having spent five collegiate seasons in the conference during his collegiate playing career.

Whelan was named the Male Athlete of the Year at two different AMCC institutions, Medaille (2021) and Hilbert (2022). During his collegiate career, he became the first player in Hilbert Baseball history to earn All-Region 7 honors twice, while also earning AMCC All-Conference honors in four consecutive seasons (2021-24).

Brandon Job enters his first season as a volunteer assistant baseball coach during the 2025–26 academic year, bringing a strong combination of academic excellence, playing experience, and player development background to the Hawks' coaching staff.

The Maple, Ontario native played collegiately at both SUNY Erie and Hilbert College. Job was named a NJCAA Academic All-American in both seasons with SUNY Erie (2018–19). Afterwards, he spent three seasons playing at Hilbert, earning AMCC Academic All-Conference and Individual Peak Performer honors in all three years while being named a Team Captain in 2022. In addition to his on-field leadership, Job was recognized for his continued excellence in the classroom, earning an induction into the Chi Alpha Sigma Academic Honor Society during the 2019-20 academic year.

Anthony Ballistrea is entering his fifth season as an assistant baseball coach at Hilbert College, having joined the Hawks' staff in 2021. In his role, Ballistrea assists in coordinating recruitment efforts and prospect evaluations while assisting with player development, practice planning, and game strategy. He plays a key role in connecting the college program with the travel and high school baseball landscape throughout Western New York and southern Ontario.

Ballistrea brings experience across multiple levels of the game, including a one-year stint as an assistant baseball coach at NCAA DII D'Youville University during the Saints' inaugural NCAA Division II season, where the program captured an East Coast Conference Regular Season Championship. Prior to the collegiate ranks, he coached high school baseball, contributing to two sectional championships and four league titles, while helping develop multiple student-athletes who advanced to the collegiate level.

Professor Dan Roland, M.B.A continues to support the baseball program by serving as the team's Faculty Team Advisor. He is an additional source of academic support and serves as a resource regarding academic issues for the baseball student-athletes and coaches. Professor Roland's association with the department also creates a communication link between faculty, student-athletes, and coaches.