Schedule
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Lewis (2-2) | 3 p.m. CT Friday, Feb. 19 | Rosemont Dome Field 1 – Rosemont, IL
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Northwood (0-0) | 6 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 20 | Rosemont Dome Field 1 – Rosemont, IL
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Ashland (0-0) | 8 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 20 | Rosemont Dome Field 1 – Rosemont, IL
Hillsdale College (0-0) vs Grand Valley St. (0-0) | 10 a.m. CT Sunday, Feb. 21 | Rosemont Dome Field 1 – Rosemont, IL
Hillsdale College (0-0) vs Saginaw Valley St. (0-0) | 2 p.m. CT Sunday, Feb. 21 | Rosemont Dome Field 2 – Rosemont, IL
Links
Tournament Schedule & Roster Page | Ticket Info
Outlook
After an encouraging trip to Georgia to open the season, Hillsdale now travels to the Chicagoland area for the annual Lewis Flyer Dome Invitational looking to get off to a fast start in the 2021 campaign.
The Chargers play five games in the Rosemont Dome this weekend, opening with tourney host and GLVC program Lewis, and then playing four straight games against GLIAC opponents.
The host Flyers are the only team Hillsdale plays that has been in action prior to the Dome Invite, getting swept by Minnesota State-Mankato and sweeping Concordia St. Paul in the Minnesota State Dome Tournament last weekend.
Senior Katie David is both one of Lewis' top pitchers, going 2-1 in Minnesota with a 2.92 ERA and 16 strikeouts in the Flyers' opening games, and also its most dangerous hitter, going 6 for 12 at the plate with two doubles.
Kristin Kavalauskas and Elexis Swartzentruber bring home run power to Lewis' lineup, while Sara Serena serves as the Flyers' other main starting pitcher.
On Saturday night, Hillsdale plays Northwood and Ashland in back-to-back contests.
The Timberwolves were 10-7 in the 2020 season before Covid-19 canceled the rest of the campaign, and have been a solid program in the GLIAC for several seasons.
Northwood returns senior pitcher Shayna Frank, who went 6-3 in 2020 with a 1.44 ERA, as well as sophomore Riley Shagena, who went 3-3 with a 2.68 ERA on the mound.
At the plate, Maddie Coulter, Haley Frank and Julia Gross all batted north of .300 and combined for 27 RBI and 15 extra base hits.
Ashland, meanwhile, was 6-7 in 2020, a year after a 33-23 campaign in 2019.
Two of Ashland's three starting pitchers in 2020, sophomore Kayla Ruperto and sophomore Josie Duncan, return for the 2021 season, with Ruperto leading the team with a 2.27 ERA and 18 strikeouts in four appearances.
The Eagles' top returning hitter is sophomore Cat Lohse, who batted .361 with two doubles and three RBIs in the 2020 season.
On Sunday, Hillsdale wraps up the tournament with tough contests against the two teams who've combined to win the last six GLIAC regular season and tournament titles – Grand Valley St. and Saginaw Valley St.
The Chargers take on GVSU at 10 a.m., facing off against a team that was 13-3 when play was suspended in 2020.
The Lakers return both of their top pitchers, sophomore Hannah Beatus, who was 6-1 with a 0.57 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 2020, and freshman Ashley Platek, who was 5-2 with a 1.45 ERA and 32 strikeouts.
GVSU also returns its order pretty much intact, led by sophomore outfielder Joanna Cirrincione and junior infielder Taylor Rieger, who both batted over .400 in 2020.
Hillsdale wraps up the tournament with a game against SVSU at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Cardinals were 16-2 before the end of the 2020 season, with several impressive wins.
SVSU returns its pitching staff virtually intact, led by freshman Emily Depew, who went 7-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 2020, and senior Kasey Bagelmann, who finished with a save in three of her four appearances and didn't give up a run in any of them.
The Cardinals also bring back a stacked lineup that includes six players who batted .340 or better in 2020, led by sophomores Sarah Gersch and Jackie Popko.
Hillsdale got off to a solid start last weekend, splitting with a strong West Florida squad and getting swept by the second-ranked team in Division II, North Georgia. Senior Dana Weidinger looked the part of an ace against the Argonauts, standing out on the mound in a 3-2 victory, and will be key for the Chargers this weekend.
After a slow start against elite pitching, Hillsdale is hoping that experience will help get its bats going in Rosemont. Senior Natalie Stepanenko led the Chargers in Georgia with two hits, including a double, and three RBIs, and junior Elaine Townley also chipped in multiple hits. Both will look to build off those strong starts this weekend.