The Calvin University baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the 2025 MIAA Preseason Poll released by the conference on Tuesday.
 
Calvin finished the 2024 season in fifth place in the MIAA standings with a 9-12 league record and went 18-21 overall.
 
This season marks the first for new Calvin head baseball coach Joel Schipper, who takes over the program with a number of key players returning from last season.
 
The line-up is led by seniors Nate Mason (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) and Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) after strong 2024 seasons. Mason finished with five home runs and 39 runs batted in (RBI) last season and ranks among the top 10 in program history in home runs (10), doubles (30) and RBI (80). Brown set a Calvin single-season record in 2024 with 52 runs scored and tied the single-season mark with 33 walks while hitting .314.
 
Also returning with starting experience from last season are outfielders Josh Winkle (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and Matt Reynolds (Hopkins, Mich./Hopkins), while Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) and Aidan Jaworowski (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland) return in the infield. Catchers Logan Nelson (Fremont, Mich./Fremont), Ryan Schummer (West Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic) and Noah Etnyre (Northville, Mich./Plymouth Christian) each earned at least 12 starts in 2024.
 
On the mound, junior Evan Steinbacher (Sparta, Mich./Sparta) returns after earning All-MIAA Second Team honors following a 5-3 campaign with a 4.02 earned run average (ERA) in 11 starts. Senior Nolan Coil (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) went 5-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts).
 
Ben Ferguson (Grandville, Mich./Grandville), Levi Suter (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville), Reynolds, Kyle Koning (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian), Michial Schuster (Howell, Mich./Hartland) and Ian Schuster (Howell, Mich./Hartland) each made at least 10 appearances on the mound for the Knights in 2024.
 
Adrian College was picked to win the conference with 49 total points, including all seven possible first place votes. Kalamazoo College finished second with 43 points and one first place vote. Hope College was third with 36 points.C
 
Calvin will open the 2025 season with a three-game series at Otterbein University starting on Friday, February 28.