Schedule:
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Tusculum (3-2) | 12 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) vs Lees-McRae (1-1) | 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Tusculum (3-2) | 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) vs Lees-McRae (1-1) | 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) at UVA-Wise (1-3) | 12 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Links:
Live stats (Tusculum/Lees McRae Games) | Live Stats (UVA Wise) | Hillsdale Roster | Tusculum Roster | Lees-McRae Roster | UVA Wise Roster
Outlook:
Coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history, the Hillsdale College softball team kicks off the 2023 season with a trip south to Tennessee to play Tusculum and Lees-McRae in a round-robin event, as well as a one-off contest against UVA-Wise on Sunday.
The Chargers open the weekend with a game against host Tusculum, with another to follow on Saturday. The host Pioneers were 27-21 and 13-11 in a strong South Atlantic Conference last year, and started the season 2-1 last weekend with a win over Atlantic Region contender Kutztown.
Tusculum has an experienced lineup with seven seniors that regularly play, anchored by fifth-year senior catcher Chloe Freischmidt, whose name is all over the Pioneer record books. Two outfielders, senior Kallyn Newport and junior Claire Smeltzer, each combined to lead the Pioneers with six hits apiece in opening weekend, while starting pitcher Emily Sappington is also a solid hitter, with four hits and a team leading four RBIs in their first three games.
As mentioned above among the hitters, Sappington is a strong starting pitcher in her third year with the Pioneers, earning All-SAC honors in 2022 and having thrown multiple no-hitters in the past two seasons. Sappington went 2-0 with 15 strikeouts and just one walk on opening weekend. When Sappington isn't in the circle, the Pioneers usually turn to juniors Ireland Cavanaugh and Keylon Reynolds.
Hillsdale also plays Lees-McRae twice on Friday and Saturday. The North Carolina squad went 20-25, 13-11 in Conference Carolinas play in 2022, and bring virtually every contributor back from that squad in the 2023 season.
Lees-McRae is led at the plate by senior Hannah Foster, who earned second-team All-Conference Carolinas last year after hitting .399 with 13 doubles and 28 RBIs. Senior infielder Julie Gast hit .333 with 14 doubles and 26 RBIs last year as well for the Bobcats, while sophomore pitcher Megan Powell brings power to the lineup with a team-leading 11 home runs and 39 RBIs last year.
On the mound, Powell is the team's ace, with a 3.92 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 158 strikeouts to 102 walks in 25 starts in 2022. Senior Jada Wilson is Lees-McRae's second starter, with a 2.98 ERA and 91 strikeouts to 45 walks in 15 starts last year. Sophomore Jasmine Fong is the Bobcats' most-used relief pitcher, with nine appearances in 2022.
The Chargers finish the weekend on Sunday with a single contest at host UVA-Wise. The Cavaliers went 18-18, 10-14 in the SAC last year, and started the 2023 season 1-3 last weekend.
Wise is led by sophomore second baseman Sarah Barrett, who was a preseason All-SAC player and hit .364 on opening weekend. Senior pitcher McKenna Falwell and senior outfielder Kara Long also got off to strong starts at the plate in the Cavaliers' first four games.
On the mound, Falwell returns as the ace after going 10-8 in 24 appearances last season. She went 1-1 with a 0.48 ERA and 16 strikeouts to five walks in her first two starts of 2023, and sophomore Alivia Nolley pitched the other two games for Wise, going 0-2 with a 7.95 ERA.
Hillsdale enters the 2023 season with a fearsome pitching rotation that helped the Chargers to a 31-20 record and the program's first regular season conference title in over 30 years last spring. The Chargers return both sophomore ace Joni Russell, a first-team All-G-MAC player who went 14-9 with a 2.23 ERA and 160 strikeouts to 42 walks last season, and junior Erin Kapteyn, a second-team All-G-MAC player with a 12-2 record, a 2.11 ERA and 84 strikeouts to 38 walks as well.
Having two strong starters should give Hillsdale time to reload an offense that graduates six starters from last spring. Strong pieces return in sophomore outfielder Olivia Latimer, who earned third-team All-G-MAC honors after finishing with a .314 batting average and 12 doubles last season, as well as senior first baseman Jenna Cantalupo, who hit .287 and added four home runs and 35 RBIs, and junior shortstop Hailey Holtman, who hit .254 with four home runs as well.
A mix of returning contributors stepping into bigger roles and talented freshmen will plug in the gaps as the Chargers look to find their best lineup early in the 2023 season.