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Tiffin University junior transfer Cory Horynak (Genoa/Youngstown State) is starting at center field for the Dragons and also was to be the man at the top of the starting pitching rotation.
On the mound, although billed as a starter early on, the right-handed Hornyak has appeared in two games. In seven innings, he has allowed only six hits and one earned run with a 1.29 ERA. Opposing hitters are batting .222 against him.
In Tiffin’s first win of the season, its third game played during the nightcap of a doubleheader at West Georgia, the Dragons rallied to win 9-6 in 12 innings after dropping the opener 12-3. Hornyak got the win, his only decision this year. He started the game pitching six shutout innings.
At the plate, the 6-foot-3, 225 pound Hornyak is batting .342 (53-for-155) with eight doubles, three home runs, and 26 RBI in 46 games. He also has two stolen bases with a .941 fielding percentage.
“Cory has been a jack of all trades for us. He had a great fall pitching and playing the outfield,” Tiffin coach Lonny Allen said.
“This season, Cory started as our starting center fielder and number one starting pitcher. He had some arm problems that limited his playing time in the field so he was our designated hitter for most of the year. The last two weeks he has played second base for us allowing Jordan Chiero, who is swinging a hot bat, to get at bats as our designated hitter,” Allen continued.
“I think Cory has been a tremendous utility player willing to take on any role I have asked of him. It says what type of an athlete he is, but most important the type of person he is.”
Coach Allen, who got his 400th win this season in his 19th year, expected his team’s hitting to excel.
"Our offense is definitely our strength,” Allen said. “We have one of the top hitting teams one through nine that we’ve ever had. In addition, our defense is much improved from last year due to the experience they got last season.”
Tiffin used a 22-hit attack to smash past Lake Erie 23-5, helping Allen reach his 400th career victory in resounding fashion.
Tiffin totaled 18 runs in two games against Saginaw Valley State, coming back to win 9-8 in the opener and 9-3 in the nightcap. TU trailed twice by six runs in the opener due to four errors early in the game, but came back.
TU took the lead on Hornyak's mammoth 450 foot home run, capping a four-run fifth inning. Hornyak finished the game with three hits and two home runs for four RBI,
In a more recent game, Tiffin totaled 29 hits, highlighted by a seven-run fifth inning, as TU rocketed past Findlay 22-9 on Senior Day. Hornyak had two hits with a double.
Tiffin got two more wins over Findlay. In a 14-7 victory in the opener, Hornyak had two doubles for two RBI. In game two, Hornyak added three hits.
In another doubleheader with the Oilers, Tiffin won in dramatic fashion in both games at Findlay, scoring five runs in the seven inning to send the game into extra innings before winning in the ninth inning 12-11 in game one. Hornyak had two hits with a double.
In game two, the Dragons broke a 6-6 tie with eight runs over the final two innings. Hornyak also had three RBI with three hits including a double and home run.
In a 7-6 win over Grand Valley State in game two of a split doubleheader, Hornyak had two hits in the opener, a 14-7 loss.
The Dragons have their eyes on competing for the top spot in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Perennial powers Ashland and Grand Valley State remain the teams to beat, but Allen believes his team has the talent to challenge those two teams.
“It is always a dogfight between those two teams,” Allen said. “If our pitching can step up and do the job I believe they are capable of, we will definitely be in the mix.”
The Dragons are 21-28 overall and 17-13 in the GLIAC, but they are 14-6 at home. They were picked seventh in the conference’s preseason poll, but started the season 3-17.
But Tiffin improved its April record to 11-2, using pitching and hitting to earn a 3-2 and 12-7 sweep of Wayne State. In game two, TU turned up the offense, using a 7-run fourth inning en route to the win. Hornyak had two hits.
Earlier in the month, Tiffin used big innings to catapult past Hillsdale, winning 8-6 and 9-4 to reach .500 in the GLIAC (then 11-11). In the opener, Hornyak added three hits.
At Genoa, Hornyak was Suburban Lakes League Player of the Year and garnered two First Team All-SLL honors. In the summer playing for the Ohio Monarchs, he was named the NABF College Division World Series Most Valuable Player in 2008, leading his team to a championship. (from TU press reports)
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