Mitchell baseball's Dawson Glassco, Ben Seitzinger chasing history at the plate

Every time the Mitchell baseball team takes the field, there’s not just one game going on. There’s also a second game being played and it’s just as competitive.

While the Bluejackets have played their way to a 13-6 record, a pair of them have also played their way into a shot at Mitchell’s record book.

Ben Seitzinger and Dawson Glassco, the Bluejackets’ hitters batting second and third in the lineup respectively, are performing at a high level this season. Through Mitchell’s first 19 games, they've combined for 59 hits, including 16 extra-base hits and 50 runs batted in. Glassco has a .533 average and Seitzinger a .482 average.

Those marks put them in the same ballpark as the greatest single-season performance at the plate in Mitchell history.

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Back in 2017, Bryce Campbell tore the cover off the ball to the tune of a .516 batting average to set the school record. Now, Glassco and Seitzinger are on the verge of overtaking him.

Friendly rivalry fuels Mitchell duo’s performance

Part of what’s allowed Glassco and Seitzinger to find the success they've had is the fact that they’re not only competing against history, , but they’re also competing against each other.

What they have isn’t dissimilar from great baseball chases of the past. Think Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle chasing Babe Ruth in 1961 or Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chasing Maris in 1998. One player watches the other, sees their success, and wants to top it.

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“It just keeps us motivated. We both want to do good for the team,” Seitzinger said. “Even if there is a night where one of us has a bad night, we know we can lean on the other one to pick up and help the team out.”

Like Maris and Mantle, Glassco and Seitzinger are good friends. The rapport they have as friends allows them to feed off of each other, but also support each other.

“It’s extremely helpful,” Glassco said. “Baseball’s always a team game, I always want team results over anything, but sometimes when you get up there, it’s about that rivalry between me and Ben and it helps that he’s also one of my good friends on this team. To have that bond with someone you can use to push each other, I think it’s something special.”

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Their rapport also allows them to keep things light as they chase history.

“We joke about it, that’s part of it,” Seitzinger said. “We compete in everything, so we just try to each go for it and see what happens. We have fun doing it.”

“We make comments to each other all the time,” Glassco said. “We’re always checking our stats, letting the other one know who happens to be ahead at the moment and it’s always going back and forth.”

Their support of each other also means that even though one of them will ultimately finish second in their race, they’ll both be happy so long as the record is broken.

“I want to get it, but if Ben gets it, I’ll be happy for him,” Glassco said. “He’s a great ballplayer and he’s one of my good friends, so if I get I’ll be happy, but if Ben gets it, good for him. I’m proud of him.”

Glassco, Seitzinger seeking cemented legacy

Not only are Seitzinger and Glassco chasing history, they’re also chasing the status of a program legend. If one of them becomes Mitchell’s single-season batting champion, they’ll see their name at the top of at least one list filled with good baseball players.

“It’d be cool,” Seitzinger said. “All of the people who have come through Mitchell, all the great players we’ve had, it’d be cool to have the batting record over all of those good players.”

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For Glassco, specifically, the record is something he’s been chasing for a while. He knows even if he does accomplish it this season, Seitzinger’s only a sophomore so his run at the top may not last long.

“It would mean the world to me to break that record. I’ve been trying to break it since my freshman year,” Glassco said. “He might end up getting me in the long run though. I guess only time will tell.”

Contact Times-Mail sports reporter Auston Matricardi via e-mail at amatricardi@tmnews.com or on Twitter at @amatricardiTM.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Mitchell's Dawson Glassco, Ben Seitzinger chasing history at the plate