Schedule
Hillsdale College (17-12, 4-0 G-MAC) at Cedarville (10-14, 4-0 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. Thursday, March 30 | Lady Jacket Field – Cedarville, Ohio
Hillsdale College (17-12, 4-0 G-MAC) at Cedarville (10-14, 4-0 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. Thursday, March 30 | Lady Jacket Field – Cedarville, Ohio
Walsh (10-12, 4-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (17-12, 4-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. Sunday, April 2 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Walsh (10-12, 4-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (17-12, 4-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. Sunday, April 2 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Cedarville Roster | Walsh Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Cedarville Stats | Walsh Stats | Live Stats and Video Links
Outlook
The Chargers got off to a red-hot start in conference play last weekend, finishing with 47 hits in four wins over Ashland and Tiffin to stretch their winning streak to five, and eight victories in their last nine games.
Hillsdale now faces its first big G-MAC test, as the Chargers travel to fellow G-MAC unbeaten Cedarville for a huge doubleheader for both squads on Thursday, before returning home on Sunday to take on Walsh.
The Chargers were originally scheduled to travel to Cedarville on Saturday, but likely inclement weather forced both teams to move up their contests to seek clear skies earlier in the week.
A 24-19 team in 2022 that just missed the conference tournament, the Yellow Jackets have consistently been a solid program in the G-MAC – in fact, last year's conference tourney miss was the first time Cedarville didn't take part in a G-MAC Tourney in the conference's history. In 2023, Cedarville is 10-14 overall and won all four games last weekend to start off conference play.
As it was last season, Cedarville is led by the talents of two-way player Casey Bertke, who leads the Yellow Jackets in home runs (3) and RBIs (14) at the plate while also serving as the team's ace pitcher, with a 2.93 ERA, 57 strikeouts and a 6-5 record in 13 appearances. Bertke's younger sister, Dana is off to a hot start as a freshman, hitting .419 for the Yellow Jackets, and juniors Faith Bergner (.343, 12 RBIs) and Kaley Clark (11 RBIs, six extra base hits) also figure into a solid lineup.
Along with Bertke in the circle, junior Adaline Ziehmer returns as Cedarville's No. 2 pitcher, with a 4.59 ERA and a 3-3 record in 12 appearances. Sophomore Mackenzie Russell and junior Emily Blake also have experience as starters for the Yellow Jackets.
The Chargers return home on Sunday for a doubleheader against Walsh, another program looking to bounce back after a 2022 season that saw them on the outside looking in of the G-MAC Tournament. In 2023, the Cavaliers are 8-12 overall, and 2-2 in conference, having swept Kentucky Wesleyan this past Sunday.
Despite losing 2022 G-MAC Player of the Year Jessie Rock, Walsh has been solid at the plate in 2023 so far, with eight every-day starters who are hitting above .300. Senior Sarah Moats is the power hitter in the Cavaliers' lineup, hitting .396 with a team-leading 16 RBIs, while sophomore Kaylee Nolte is hitting .318 with 10 RBIs as well. Junior Brynn Elliott is hitting .406 for the season as well for Walsh.
Pitching has been a work in progress for the Cavaliers, who've used six different starters this season so far. Senior Sarah Gockenbach has gotten the most work for Walsh, with a 4.71 ERA and a 4-5 record in 10 appearances, while senior Sarah Cantley and junior Olivia Betson have each made five starts as well for the Cavaliers.
Hillsdale, meanwhile, woke up the bats this past weekend, jumping from 11th into a tie for eighth in team batting average with .268 after Saturday's outburst. As Hillsdale's offense asserts itself, the Chargers can pair it with excellent pitching – Hillsdale's 2.16 staff ERA ranks second among G-MAC teams, behind only preseason favorite Trevecca Nazarene. Hillsdale has gotten great pitching from sophomore Joni Russell, whose 8-4 record belies a G-MAC best 0.82 ERA and a 119 to 23 strikeouts to walks ratio. At her current strikeout pace, Russell has a real chance of challenging the single-season record of 216 set by Danielle Stiene in 2015. Hillsdale has an excellent #2 pitcher in Erin Kapteyn, an All-G-MAC player in 2022, who has a 6-3 record, a 2.51 ERA and threw the Chargers' first no-hitter since 2012 on March 11 against Queens (NY).
At the plate, Hillsdale is piecing together a lineup with just two every-day regulars from the 2022 season back for 2023. Junior Hailey Holtman had a huge weekend, hitting .643 from the leadoff spot, to earn G-MAC Player of the Week honors, and is averaging .326 with 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBIs. She's now one of six Chargers with double-digit RBIs, led by fellow junior McKenna Eichholz' 17. Sophomore Emma Vis is also having a breakout season, hitting .390 with 11 extra base hits and 10 RBIs, and junior Grace Wallner is hitting .329 with 14 RBIs as well.
Hillsdale has shown a knack in recent years for turning .500 or worse non-conference starts into excellent seasons once G-MAC play opens – the Chargers followed up a 12-10 start in 2021 with a 17-5 G-MAC record, and a 10-15 start in 2022 with a 19-2 G-MAC mark that captured the regular season title. Hillsdale is once again on that path in 2023, and will look to keep the momentum going this week.
The Chargers are 7-4 all-time against Cedarville, and have split the last two series with the Yellow Jackets, while Hillsdale is 14-4 all-time against Walsh and have won seven straight against the Cavaliers, including both meetings last season.