Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: April 14-19

Home sweet home. After a series victory on the road over the Peoria Chiefs, the South Bend Cubs are thrilled to be home and to play in front of the Four Winds Field faithful this week in the first six-game home series against the Beloit Sky Carp.

South Bend took four of six games away from the Chiefs, and that was after dropping the opener. The Cubs smacked nine home runs in the series, and seem to be on the way of blowing the doors off of last season’s April home run total of 15. Things are clicking to start the season at the plate, on the mound, and in the clubhouse. This group really enjoys being with each other, and it shows with how things have gone on the diamond so far. South Bend has the best team batting average in the Midwest League six games in at .273, and the starting rotation and the bullpen have been nothing but complimentary to each other throwing the ball. It’s early, but this team is packed with talent, and they are off and rolling.

With the Beloit Sky Carp in town, it brings back memories to last season and the Cubs jumping into first place in the West Division late in the second half. South Bend held a first place spot last season for the first time since 2022, and it was a terrific series played at ABC Supply Stadium that helped them parachute into first place.

With that being late in the season, many of the same players involved in that series will once again play each other this week at Four Winds Field.

For Beloit, the Sky Carp are loaded with top Miami Marlins young talent, including both the seventh and eighth ranked prospects in the organization, Starlyn Caba and Cam Cannarella.

Caba, who was key piece coming back from the Phillies to the Marlins in the Jesus Lazardo deal, is a flashy and prized infield talent. He was originally signed by Philadelphia for three million dollars out of the Dominican Republic, the switch hitter is 11/26 to start the season at the plate in seven games. The .423 batting average includes a home run and nine RBI, along with five walks and two stolen bases. Interestingly, he struggled in his first season with the Miami organization last year, batting just .222 with Low-A Jupiter in 51 games. But the now 20-year-old has found his stroke in 2026, and South Bend pitching will have its hands full trying to get him out.

Cannarella, who the Cubs saw last season with Beloit late in the campaign, is a classic top-of-the-order hitter with great contact ability and some power. He is currently on the Injured List, and the injury he suffered did not look good, but this week would have had great potential if it was a battle between the two star lead-off men Kane Kepley and Cannarella. Beloit is also without Aiva Arquette on its active roster, with Arquette undergoing surgery before the season. Both Arquette and Cannarella were first round picks last season by Miami.

In the place of Cannarella, expect to see Dillon Head at the top of that Beloit order. The former San Diego Padres first-round pick was shipped to Miami in the Luis Arraez trade, also sending former Fort Wayne TinCap Jakob Marsee to the Marlins. Head was selected out of Homewood-Flossmoor High School in the South Chicago Suburbs, which is also the alma mater of former South Bend Cubs pitcher Tyler Schlaffer.

The Beloit pitching staff looks similar to a season ago, with rotation mainstays Eliazar Dishmey, Nick Brink, and Carson Laws returning, along with two of the tallest relief pitchers in the league Holt Jones and Justin Storm both back as well. Notable newcomers include 2025 sixth-round pick Joey Volini out of Florida State, and former Oregon State right-hander Aiden May, who was a comp-pick of the Marlins in 2024.

Players to watch on South Bend…

Owen Ayers, C: We have to begin with the heroics of Owen Ayers on Sunday afternoon in Peoria. With the Cubs down 4-3 down to their last two outs, Leonel Espinoza rifled a double off the left field wall, which brought up Ayers with a chance to deliver the tying and go-ahead runs. Not only did he deliver, he gave the Cubs an early season huge moment with a home run over the right field wall. Ayers had a terrific series, reaching base in all six games played, along with two home runs, six RBI, five walks, and also five base runners caught stealing in the series. Remember, 2025 South Bend Cubs catcher Ariel Armas led all of baseball in total base runners caught stealing last year with 60. Ayers already has 5, and could be gunning to do the same thing this year at this pace. The switch-hitting Ayers gives South Bend amazing reliability at the plate, making pitchers work even if he records an out. He’s been the full package so far. And it’s amazing how the number-11 Chicago Cubs prospect has quickly climbed the ranks, after being a 19th-round pick of Chicago back in 2024. Also impressive about the series, the home runs both came as a lefty, but he pulled one, and slapped one the other way over the left field wall. He is going to be a crucial part of the South Bend lineup this season, and will rapidly become a fan favorite.

Nazier Mulé, RHP*:* The Peoria series was also a great week for the South Bend Cubs pitching staff. Brooks Caple earned Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors with a career-best seven strikeouts in five innings of one-run baseball. Alfredo Romero piggybacked Caple with four shutout innings and five strikeouts as well. We saw Marino Santy toss five innings of shutout relief, including closing things out for the Cubs in the Sunday victory against Peoria. And we also watched Nazier Mulé put together one of the best starts of his career, with four innings of one-run ball and five strikeouts on Friday night. Mulé looked terrific, while also consistently being in the strike zone. We welcomed Greg Huss from the Cubs On Deck Podcast onto the broadcast that night, and as Greg and I discussed, Mulé has limitless potential. And early in his career, it has been the walk totals that had troubled at times. But with just one free pass Friday, Mulé’s ability to work in the zone and get chase swings from the Chiefs was the biggest takeaway. Greg and I also talked about how the Cubs organization has many options with Mulé. Of whether they want to continue starting him, or go the route of Danny Palencia or Luke Little, where a trip to the bullpen could further unleash his stuff ad fast track him to the Big Leagues. For now, Mulé has a solidified spot in the South Bend rotation, and if he’s able to give the Cubs four or five innings at a time, it’s going to be really fun to watch him this summer.

Reggie Preciado, INF: As I talked about on the ‘Cubbie Corner’ radio show with Tyler Reidy on Monday night, what makes this South Bend Cubs lineup very dangerous right now is the depth. With the star power of Kane Kepley, Kade Snell, and Owen Ayers, along with some terrific accessory pieces at the bottom of the lineup like Drew Bowser, Brian Kalmer, and others, South Bend’s lineup has very few, if any, weak spots. Include Reggie Preciado in those great complimentary pieces. A 7/14 start to the season for Reggie featured three consecutive multi-hit games, along with the first of the nine home runs in the Peoria series coming from Reggie. We saw glimpses last season with Preciado and the ability to put up numbers like this, but it came down to consistency. It’s hard to believe, but now that Owen Caissie is a Miami Marlin, Preciado is the final remaining piece of the 2020 Yu Darvish trade that is still with the Cubs organization. Guys like Caissie and Yeison Santana won the 2022 Midwest League Championship with South Bend, and remember Preciado was just 18 years old when that trade happened. It takes time in some cases to see prospects fully blossom, and in Reggie’s case, at 23-years-old, this could be his year that folks see that he was a massive part about that trade. A former switch hitter, now only batting right-handed, Preciado put on a considerable amount of muscle and weight in the off-season. And talking to hitting coach Nate Spears, the biggest adjustment made was getting in front of the baseball and driving it in the air, with Preciado previously being a ground ball heavy hitter. Now that he is getting the ball airborne, it’s going a long way. Again, South Bend’s lineup is very balanced, but the potential Reggie breakout can make it even more dangerous, with opposing pitchers knowing they won’t be able to cheat and pick up strikes at the bottom of the order that they wouldn’t get at the top.

Schedule…

Tuesday, April 14- 7:05 PM ET: RHP Brooks Caple vs RHP Carson Laws

Wednesday, April 15 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Kevin Valdez vs LHP Dameivi Tineo

Thursday, April 16 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs RHP Eliazar Dishmey

Friday, April 17 - 7:05 PM ET: LHP Cole Reynolds vs RHP Nick Brink

Saturday, April 18 - 4:05 PM ET: RHP Koen Moreno vs RHP Llomar Martinez

Sunday, April 19 - 2:05 PM ET: RHP Books Caple vs RHP Aiden May

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.