Schedule
Hillsdale College (6-7) at Queens (3-7) | 1:30 p.m. ET Friday, March 12 | Tuckaseegee Dream Fields – Charlotte, NC (DH) | Live Stats | Watch
Hillsdale College (6-7) at Augusta (6-8) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, March 14 | Jaguar Field – Augusta, GA (DH) | Game 1 Live Stats | Game 2 Live Stats
Hillsdale College (6-7) at Erskine (7-5) | 1 p.m. ET Monday, March 15 | Erskine Softball Complex – Due West, SC (DH) | Live Stats
Hillsdale College (6-7) at Flagler (5-6) | 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 17 | Flagler Field – St. Augustine, FL (DH) | Live Stats
Hillsdale College (6-7) at Flagler (5-6) | 11 a.m. ET Thursday, March 18 | Flagler Field – St. Augustine, FL (Single) | Live Stats
Outlook
After a 12-day layoff, the Hillsdale College softball team will make its annual southern Spring Break trip, playing nine games in four different states over six days.
Hillsdale opens with a doubleheader on Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina against Queens University. The Royals are off to a 3-7 start, splitting doubleheaders with Lees-McRae, Augusta and Newberry.
Senior outfielder Sabrina Martinez leads Queens at the plate with seven hits, two doubles and a home run, and a .747 OPS, and freshman pitcher Haley Nelson leads the Royals in home runs (2) and RBIs (4).
On the mound, junior Victoria Elder is 2-2 on the season with a 2.55 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in five appearances, and Shannon McGuire and Nelson have also started for the Royals.
Hillsdale then travels to Georgia on Sunday to face Augusta University in another doubleheader. The Jaguars are 6-8 but on a three-game winning streak entering the weekend, including a sweep of Belmont Abbey on Saturday.
Junior catcher Aminah Wood leads Augusta at the plate with two doubles, three home runs and 21 RBIs on a .364 average, and a .404 OBP, and junior infielder Jakayla Sullivan is also batting .341 with a .463 OBP as well.
Junior Mary Tillman has posted a 1.67 ERA in five starts for the Jaguars with a 2-3 record, striking out 43 batters and walking just eight to date. Freshman Chloe Wilson and sophomore Kelsey Parks have also started for Augusta this season.
On Monday the Chargers are in Due West, South Carolina for a doubleheader against 7-5 Erskine. The Fleet have been swept in a doubleheader only once this season and split with another G-MAC team, Walsh, last weekend.
Freshman outfielder Kyndall Chandler is hitting .419 to lead Erskine at the plate, and junior infielders Sydney McInnis and Shi Cain each have two home runs for the Fleet.
Erskine ace Hannah Houge is 6-1 on the season with a 2.23 ERA and 66 strikeouts, and the Fleet have also used senior Chloe Hamilton as a starter this season.
Hillsdale wraps up its spring break trip in Florida with a three-game series against Flagler on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. The Saints are currently 5-6 overall but have some impressive wins, including a 1-0 defeat of fifth-ranked Valdosta St. and a sweep of then-No. 15 Lenoir-Rhyne.
Freshman Valerie Beltre leads Flagler with a .382 batting average and a .417 OBP, and sophomore Kylie Taylor brings the power for the Saints, with three home runs and 10 RBIs on the season.
On the mound, senior Kyra Gipson is 4-2 with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP for Flagler, who've also thrown Madelyn Wise, Mallorie Sykes and Taylor Scott out as starters this season.
Hillsdale is 6-7 on the year, but five of their losses have come to teams either ranked or receiving votes in the most recent NFCA poll, and the Chargers have been competitive in most contests. With two-time G-MAC Softball Pitcher of the Week Dana Weidinger on the mound, Hillsdale has a chance in every contest, as Weidinger is 6-2 with a 1.60 ERA and 34 strikeouts to 10 walks.
At the plate, senior Natalie Stepanenko (.293, .341 OBP, five doubles, eight RBIs) and junior Renee Bielawa (.324, .342 OBP, three doubles, 11 RBIs) lead the Hillsdale offense so far. Seniors Madison Stoner (.286, seven RBIs) and Sam Catron (.297, four doubles, five RBIs are also off to strong starts.