The Hillsdale College softball team's bats caught fire this weekend in sweeps of both Ashland and Tiffin to start G-MAC play, and junior shortstop Hailey Holtman was at the center of it for the Chargers.
Holtman starred across the weekend with big numbers in all four contests, and her huge performance has now earned her conference recognition, as the G-MAC office announced on Monday that the junior has been named the G-MAC Softball Player of the Week. It's her first time receiving a weekly honor both this season and in her career.
It's a deserved honor as Holtman excelled in both consistency and production against the Eagles and Dragons. The junior hit a blistering .643 for the weekend with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs for the Chargers while reaching home plate herself seven times across the four games. In those contests, Holtman had an on-base percentage of .688, meaning she reached base in more than two-thirds of her at-bats, as well as an astounding 1.831 OPS, the best mark of any player in the G-MAC this weekend. The junior also put up an error-free weekend while playing arguably the most demanding defensive position in the sport at the same time that she was rolling at the plate.
For the season, Holtman has been one of Hillsdale's most important hitters, leading the Chargers in total hits (30) while posting a .326 batting average with eight doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 RBIs. This weekend, she played in the leadoff spot for Hillsdale and immediately thrived with the best hitting weekend of her career. Now in her third year as Hillsdale's starting shortstop, Holtman has become an important leader and tone-setter for a young squad that's hitting its stride entering conference play, with five straight wins and eight victories in their last nine games.
Holtman and the Chargers (17-12, 4-0 G-MAC) next travel to fellow G-MAC unbeaten Cedarville for an early-season conference showdown of two prospective contenders for the league title. That game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, weather permitting, with a doubleheader against Walsh on Sunday back at Johnny Williams Field in Hillsdale to follow.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan