Schedule
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Gannon (0-0) | 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24 | South Commons Softball Complex – Columbus, GA
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs California (PA) (0-0) | 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 | South Commons Softball Complex – Columbus, GA
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Bridgeport (0-0) | 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 | South Commons Softball Complex – Columbus, GA
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Charleston (WV) (0-0) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 | South Commons Softball Complex – Columbus, GA
Hillsdale College (1-3) vs Georgia Southwestern (9-2) | 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 | South Commons Softball Complex – Columbus, GA
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Gannon Roster | Cal (PA) Roster | Bridgeport Roster | Miles Roster | GA Southwestern Roster | Tournament Central
Outlook
A young Chargers squad opened up the season in Tennessee with a 1-3 record against Tusculum and Lees-McRae two weekends ago. Despite a trio of close losses, Hillsdale has plenty to build off of as the competition ramps up at the NFCA Leadoff Classic this weekend in Columbus, Georgia.
Hosted by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the annual Leadoff Classic brings together teams from across the country for a three-day softball showcase, and Hillsdale will get five contests this weekend against teams from multiple different regions.
The Chargers open the weekend with a game against Atlantic Region foe Gannon, from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Golden Knights went 19-18 last season, reaching the PSAC Tournament.
Gannon will be rebuilding its lineup after losing three All-PSAC West players, but returns a fourth in outfielder/pitcher Katie Sidare, who hit .278 and finished second on the team with 17 RBIs in 2022. Other key returning hitters include junior shortstop Jules Ryan and sophomore outfielder Abbey Girman.
Rebuilding the pitching staff will be key for Gannon as well last year, as the program's top two pitchers move on. The Golden Knights return a pitcher with starting experience in junior Gabi Vasi, who finished with a 3.04 ERA and a 3-3 record in 13 appearances last season. The second pitching spot is up for grabs, with several contenders, including three freshmen, in the mix.
The Chargers also take on a second PSAC school on Friday in California (PA). The Vulcans put up a strong 22-13 record last season and won the PSAC West title, but an 0-2 showing in the PSAC Tournament kept them out of the NCAA Tourney.
Cal (PA) relies heavily on the arm and bat of consensus 2022 All-American Caleigh Rister, who hit .415 with 20 extra base hits and 23 RBIs last season, and also went 13-4 on the mound with 64 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA as a freshman while earning NFCA Freshman of the Year honors. The Vulcans also return second-team All-PSAC outfielder Mackenzie Carson and RBI leader Kaitlyn Achtermeier at the plate, but will be looking for a second starter to pair with Rister on the mound after Kelsey Barron graduated last year.
On Saturday, Hillsdale opens with a Bridgeport team that went 36-16 in 2022, winning the CACC Tournament title and making the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Senior Pitcher Katie Burawski, a returning All-Region honoree, is the engine that drives the Purple Knights, appearing in 38 of Bridgeport's 52 games and going 25-8 with 1.80 ERA and 354 strikeouts in 2022. Two other pitchers with significant starting experience, Samantha Schiebe and Erin Liferi, also return for Bridgeport.
At the plate, sophomore infielder Madison D'Amato returns after hitting .428 with 14 doubles and 20 RBIs to lead Bridgeport in 2022, as does the team's RBI leader with 52, catcher Taylor Yates.
Hillsdale finishes the day on Saturday with a contest against Charleston (WV), another solid program coming off a 28-23 season in 2022 who will be opening its season this weekend. The Golden Eagles return both of their top pitchers from the 2022 season, including ace Danielle Bauer, who went 15-12 with a 3.08 ERA and 154 strikeouts last season, as well as junior Morgan Hoppe, who was 11-9 with a 2.67 ERA and 89 strikeouts as the team's second starter. Charleston also adds Marshall University transfer Brianna McCown to the squad, whose DI experience could allow her to carve out a role as well.
At the plate, Charleston is built around first-team All-American Hannah Rose, who hit .458 with 22 doubles and four home runs last year. Sophomore Raegan West and senior Allyssa Lake are also big offensive threats for the Golden Eagles, who have an experienced and productive lineup returning.
To close out the event on Sunday, Hillsdale has a game against arguably the best team in the event – a Georgia Southwestern squad that's an annual contender in the Peach Belt Conference and off to a 9-2 start already this season. The Hurricanes have three solid pitchers, led by junior Zoe Willis, who has a 2.19 ERA with 34 strikeouts and a 5-1 record in eight appearances. Sophomore Savana Bradford has won all three starts as the second pitcher for Georgia Southwestern, with a 3.36 ERA.
Willis has also been a force at the plate for the Hurricanes, hitting .516 with four home runs and 10 RBIs, while senior infielder Katelyn Wood has a team-high 12 RBIs and junior catcher Morgan Mullin also is playing well to lead a solid lineup at the plate.
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. Freshman Taylor Lewis had a huge opening weekend for the Chargers, hitting .600 with five RBIs, and catcher McKenna Eichholz is off to a solid start as well.
Hillsdale hit just .260 in its first four games but got better as the weekend wore on, and will look to continue to build offensively heading into its second weekend of play with its reloaded lineup.