Guilford College baseball has won five of its last seven games after a slow start to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference play. The team has a 15-15-1 record and a 6-9 conference record with five conference games left to play.

Senior pitcher/infielder Trevor Denton is the top hitter and the workhorse for the pitching staff. Denton is hitting .349 with three home runs and 36 RBIs. His 36 RBIs are ranked fourth among all ODAC players. Senior shortstop Josh Shepherd has hit .341 with three homeruns, two triples and 11 doubles. Shepherd has only struck out eight times in the season while walking 16 times. Junior outfield Brett Shapcott has reached base in all 33 of the games this season with a .323 batting average and 16 walks. Once Shapcott has gotten on base, he has been frustrating opponents, stealing 15 bases while only being caught twice. His 15 steals are the most in the ODAC.

The pitching for the Quakers has struggled this season with a 6.05 ERA. The ace, Denton, has a 4.15 ERA in 56 innings pitched and has a 3-4 record.  Junior Mitchell Stumpo had a slow start but in his last three appearances he has two wins and a save. Stumpo pitched six innings, allowing one run and striking out five in a 4-3 victory over Eastern Mennonite University.

The pitching has been helped recently by sophomore Zach Dinkins moving into the third starter role. Dinkins has made five starts on the season and has a 3.18 ERA in 22.2 innings. Dinkins’ best start came in an 8-5 victory over 13th ranked Roanoke College. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs, one earned, and striking out four.

The pitching has been hampered this season by allowing many walks and hitting batters. The team has walked 152 batters in 274.2 innings.

The team is in sixth place in the ODAC with a 6-9 conference record. The Quakers have won five of their last seven conference games after a 1-7 start to conference play. With five games left in the season, Guilford must stay in the top eight to make the playoffs.

The baseball team travels to Bridgewater College for a doubleheader on April 21 and to Emory and Henry College on April 24, before returning home to face Hampden-Sydney College on April 28 for Senior Day.

A benefit for the Quakers is that they have already faced the top teams in the ODAC. Bridgewater has a 5-11 conference record this season and has not faced Guilford this season. Emory and Henry has a 4-10 record in the ODAC and Guilford beat them on April 4, 12-5.  Hampden-Sydney is 6-8 and has a 13-15 overall record.