Schedule
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Queens (NY) (0-2) | 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11 | Radiology Associates Field – Daytona Beach, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) at Embry-Riddle (10-10) | 4 p.m. Saturday, March 11 | Radiology Associates Field – Daytona Beach, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs #8 Indianapolis (16-2) | 11:30 a.m. Sunday, March 12 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Wayne St. (3-5) | 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Missouri-St. Louis (7-7) | 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 14 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Molloy (4-2) | 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 14 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) at Florida Southern (9-7) | 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 | Chris Bellotto Field – Lakeland, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) at Florida Southern (9-7) | 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 | Chris Bellotto Field – Lakeland, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Bentley (5-1) | 9 a.m. Friday, March 17 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Bloomsburg (4-3) | 3 p.m. Friday, March 17 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Bloomsburg (4-3) | 3 p.m. Friday, March 17 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Le Moyne (2-5) | 11 a.m. Saturday, March 18 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Hillsdale College (5-8) vs Le Moyne (0-5) | 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18 | Sleepy Hollow Recreation Center – Leesburg, FL
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Live Stats and Video Links
Outlook
Hillsdale College hits its last big week of non-conference play before the G-MAC season begins, making its annual trip to Florida over Spring Break for 12 games in eight days against a variety of opponents from across the eastern seaboard.
The Chargers travel first to Daytona Beach on Saturday, opening the packed week of games with a contest against Queens (NY). The Knights are coming off an 8-28 season in 2022 but return three of their top four hitters in seniors Ann Grimshaw and Cyarra Alvarado, as well as sophomore Amanda Baez. Returner Dyana Budakowski and Dominican transfer Allyson Dilday are the two starting pitchers for Queens.
Hillsdale finishes Saturday with a game against host Embry-Riddle. The Eagles are usually a power in the South Region, having made the NCAA Tournament with a 28-18 record in 2022, and have a 10-10 record against tough competition so far in 2023. Juniors Karina Ortiz-Munoz and Mia Macchia and sophomore Delaney Morgan are all hitting north of .330 for a potent Embry-Riddle lineup, while Mallory Kinahan is 6-3 with a 2.31 ERA for the Eagles on the mound. Shelby Morse is also a regular starter at pitcher for Embry-Riddle.
On Sunday, Hillsdale makes it 2023 debut in the Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida with its toughest test of the week, a contest against 8th-ranked Indianapolis, who's off to an impressive 16-2 start. The Greyhounds have six players with double-digit RBIs this season already, led by returning All-American Lexy Rees and multi-year starter Dominique Proctor. On the mound, returning All-American Kenzee Smith is 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA, but senior Kaitlyn Brown has emerged as another strong option, with a 3-0 record and no earned runs against in three starts.
Hillsdale finishes off Sunday with a contest against another Midwest Region opponent, Wayne State. The Warriors are 3-5 on the season, led at the plate so far by an impressive freshman, Maddie Hool, as well as returning senior starter Taryn Peru. On the mound, junior Alexis Bonk is 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA, and freshman Hayden Batton is the team's second starter.
The Chargers pick back up on Tuesday in The Spring Games with a tough regional game against Missouri-St. Louis. The Tritons are 7-7 so far and went 28-22 with a winning record in the rugged GLVC in 2022. UMSL has solid power bats in the lineup in McKenzie Lamos and Corrine Daley, while Irene Travis leads the Tritons in hitting for average. On the mound, UMSL has used a variety of pitchers, with Ashley Borowitz and Annie Scaramuzzi each boasting sub-2.0 ERAs in a combined nine starts.
Hillsdale finishes Tuesday with a game against East Coast Conference foe Molloy. The Lions went 24-33 but reached the ECC Tournament final last year, and are off to a solid 4-2 start in 2023. Three players -- Natalie Moussa, Karsyn Eaton and Akemi Poyer – are hitting .400 or better so far for Molloy. On the mound, Brianna Macias is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA so far for the Lions, while Amanda King is Molloy's second starter.
The Chargers take a break from the Spring Games on Wednesday to travel to Lakeland, Florida for a nighttime doubleheader against Florida Southern. The Mocs went 18-29 in 2022 but are off to a solid 9-7 start this year, including a win over nationally-ranked Wilmington. Taylor Thomas is on fire to lead Florida Southern at the plate so far, hitting .478, while Kelsey Peck also has four home runs for the Mocs. On the mound, Mel Rogers is 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA for Florida Southern, while Ashley Blessin has eight starts and a 3-3 record as well.
Hillsdale returns to Leesburg and the Spring Games on Friday with a matchup against Bentley. The NE-10 squad went 24-19 in 2022 and is off to a hot 5-1 start this year, led at the plate by sophomore outfielder Jordan Krause and senior catcher Ella Hillier. On the mound, Dahlia Fink is 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three starts, while three more pitchers have started at least one game for the Falcons so far.
The Chargers finish up on Friday with a contest against Bloomsburg. The Huskies went 28-20 with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, and are off to a 4-3 start in 2023. Kammy Kropinski and Sage Weidlich are each hitting above .400 so far to lead the Huskies at the plate, while Callie Sowers and Kelly Eberly have split starting duties on the mound for Bloomsburg so far.
Hillsdale opens its final day in Florida at the Spring Games with a contest against Le Moyne. The Dolphins went 20-22 last year and are off to a 2-5 start in 2023. Frankie Larobardiere is hitting .368 and Audrey Benderski .333 to lead Le Moyne at the plate, while Laura Bennett has a 2.49 ERA in four starts for the Dolphins. Julia Panarella also starts for Le Moyne.
In its final game of the week, Hillsdale plays Alliance on Saturday to close out the Spring Games. A 7-32 team last year, Alliance is off to an 0-5 start this season. Kayla Bird is hitting .333 to lead the Warriors, while Addyson Girard and Lynette Niebla are the starting pitchers for Alliance so far.
Hillsdale is sitting at 5-8 overall but has five losses by two runs or less so far this season. The Chargers have gotten great pitching from sophomore Joni Russell, whose 3-3 record belies a 0.81 ERA and a 66 to 13 strikeouts to walks ratio. All three of Russell's losses are by two runs or less and two came in extra innings. The Chargers also got a promising start last weekend from sophomore Emma Vis, while junior Erin Kapteyn was a second-team All-G-MAC pitcher in 2022.
At the plate, senior Jenna Cantalupo is hitting .306 with five extra base hits for the Chargers, while junior Grace Wallner and sophomore Ashley Strick each have two home runs on the season. With a young lineup that's still finding its way, the Chargers have been making gradual improvements week-to-week and could be ready to turn the corner offensively in Florida now that some of its young hitters have game experience under their belts.
The Chargers' 5-8 mark is still ahead of where Hillsdale was sitting heading to Florida last season, and the Chargers finished the 2022 campaign with 32 wins and a G-MAC title, so there's still time for Hillsdale to grow and improve before G-MAC play gets underway at the end of March.