Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: April 28-May 3

The longest homestand of the 2026 season for the South Bend Cubs gets underway this week, and it’s a battle for state bragging rights. For the first time this season, the South Bend Cubs are set to meet the Fort Wayne TinCaps, with this six-game series kicking off South Bend’s 12-game homestand.

The Cubs and TinCaps usually see a lot of each other during each season, but the first half is going to be packed with Cubs vs TinCaps content, with Tuesday night’s game being the first of 18 meetings between the two foes in half number-one. Last season, the Cubs went 12-6 against Fort Wayne, taking five of six games from the TinCaps twice a year ago.

So far this season, South Bend and Fort Wayne have started on opposite ends of the season. The Cubs are 11-7, have yet to lose a series this season, and enter this long homestand just 1.5 games back of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for first place in the West Division. Fort Wayne just dropped five of six games at Parkview Field to Wisconsin, and they have yet to win a series on the campaign. Fort Wayne will start this week with a 7-14 mark, six games back of East Division leading Great Lakes.

As per usual in the San Diego Padres minor league system, with so many trades shaking up the organization, including Leo De Vries being traded for Mason Miller last year, the Fort Wayne roster features dozens of new names, but some returners.

From the coaching side, former South Bend Silver Hawks assistant coach Jonathan Mathews is back as Fort Wayne manager after previously skipping the TinCaps in 2023. Mathews was also the former hitting coach in Fort Wayne, and is back for go-around number two leading Fort Wayne.

A recognizable name on the TinCaps is returning infielder Rosman Verdugo. Now 23-years-old, Rosman is the younger brother of 2022 South Bend Cubs Midwest League Champion Luis Verdugo. Cool story nowadays is that Luis is also now a member of the Padres organization, playing in Double-A San Antonio. If Rosman earns his eventual call up, the Verdugo bros could play together for the first time. Rosman has always had more power than Luis, but one thing that runs in the family is the spectacular infield defense. Both brothers have it, and Rosman has made some terrific plays against South Bend over the last couple seasons while he has been a TinCap. Rosman hit 13 home runs last season with Fort Wayne, and has two to start this season.

Also returning to the Fort Wayne infield is Jack Costello, who had three multi-hit games against South Bend last season, including one game with a home run. He had 10 homers with the TinCaps a year ago.

The highest 2025 draft pick currently on the Fort Wayne roster is left-hander Jamie Hitt. The eighth-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma has fared well in three starts with Fort Wayne, striking out 13 batters in 11.1 innings with just four walks. And after last start's performance against Wisconsin in five shutout innings with zero walks and eight strikeouts, he was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week.

Back in 2024, lefty Kash Mayfield was the 25th overall selection in that draft out of Elk City High School in Oklahoma. Now 21-years-old, Mayfield is having the best start to a season of his career in Fort Wayne, posting a 1.69 ERA in four starts. He has given up just four hits in 16 innings and 19 strikeouts. He is ranked as San Diego’s number-four prospect.

As a team, the TinCaps are hitting just .214 in 21 games, but they do have 20 home runs. That’s double the amount of homers that the Dayton Dragons have, who just split last week’s six-game series with South Bend. The Cubs must be cognizant of Fort Wayne’s power, which is how they can make a difference this week.

Fort Wayne also hasn’t gotten many breaks on the mound, with a 6.80 team ERA.

Players to watch on South Bend…

Kade Snell, OF: Due to a scheduled off day on Sunday, Kade Snell did not have a chance to face Cincinnati Reds rehabbing left-hander Nick Lodolo, and he also did not have the opportunity to defend his top spot holding the Midwest League lead in RBI. Snell has back-to-back eight RBI series, and with 17 on the season, last year’s Chicago Cubs fifth-round pick is finding it. Kade also crushed his first professional home run in the Dayton series, smashing a 9th inning moon shot into the Dayton night sky down the right field line. For Snell, now that big weight is out of the way, he can continue to focus on what he has been doing all of this season, and that’s providing the Cubs with clutch at-bats at the plate, and playing a terrific outfield. We saw Snell in center field for a couple games in Dayton, and for just the third time in his pro career playing out there, he made it look seamless. Snell has given South Bend countless great plays already this season in right field, and don’t forget about the home run he robbed last season in Beloit. Snell is performing right now just like the player he profiled as coming out of the draft, and with the promotion and departure of Owen Ayers last week, Snell is going to continue getting opportunities in the Cubs heart of the order to do damage.

Kenyi Perez, RHP: With one of the biggest wipeout pitches in the Chicago Cubs system, and since a rough outing to begin the season in Peoria, Kenyi Perez has been lockdown good. With two scoreless outings on the road at Dayton, Perez now has the longest consecutive scoreless innings streak in South Bend’s bullpen at 6.2 straight innings without giving up a run. We saw it all last season with Kenyi. Wipeout stuff, but is it controllable? Big shoutout to George Thanopoulous and Jose Zapata last year for helping Perez mold into arguably South Bend’ best relief pitcher for about a month’s time last season. He had a long scoreless streak then, and he does again now with the help of Henry Haack and JC Bonilla. For Cubs fans back in the mid 2000s, Perez is a lot like former Cubs pitcher Carlos Marmol. He’s got the best pitch on the team. His slider. Same with Marmol back in the day. But with each outing, there is a question mark as to how it’s going to look that day. Ariel Armas described it last year as the nastiest pitch in the Cubs system. It’s legit. Lately, Perez has been throwing it beautifully. For as long as he keeps up that pace, he’s going to record outs from the Cubs bullpen, and you can just judge by the swings that opposing hitters take on that pitch, they don’t know how to hit it.

Matt Halbach, INF: Only two South Bend Cubs players can say that they picked up hits against Nick Lodolo when he faced South Bend on Sunday in Dayton, Matt Halbach is one of them. Coming off his best series as a Cub so far, Halbach smacked 10 hits in the Dayton series, playing each game, and shining with his defensive play at third base as well. Halbach has the average at .313 and has hits in four straight games. That is to go along with a six-game on base streak. His double against Lodolo was lashed up the third base line, and a lot of his hits versus the Dragons looked the same way. With the promotion of Cole Mathis to South Bend, the Cubs have two legit right-handed power threats in Mathis and Halbach. The tiki hut is going to be a rocking place, as it is per usual, but even more so when it gets to be the heat of the summer and those two are sending baseballs in that direction.

Schedule…

Tuesday, April 28- 6:05 PM ET: RHP Kenten Egbert vs RHP Maikel Miralles

Wednesday, April 29 - 11:05 AM ET: LHP Cole Reynolds vs RHP Isaiah Lowe

Thursday, April 30 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Koen Moreno vs RHP Carson Montgomery

Friday, May 1 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Brooks Caple vs LHP Kash Mayfield

Saturday, May 2 - 4:05 PM ET: RHP Kevin Valdez vs LHP Jamie Hitt

Sunday, May 3 - 2:05 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs RHP Abraham Parra

Catch the entire six-game series in South Bend on 96.1 FM and 960 AM Sports Radio WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Brendan King and Tyler Reidy on the call.