Schedule
#8 Hillsdale College (35-19, 17-5 G-MAC) at #1 Indianapolis (50-8, 20-3 GLVC) | 11 a.m. ET Thursday, May 11 | Baumgartner Field – Indianapolis, Indiana
Full Bracket and Tournament Schedule available here.
Links
Hillsdale Roster | UIndy Roster | Hillsdale Stats | UIndy Stats | Live Stats and Video Links | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
Outlook
In winning its third-ever G-MAC Tournament title last weekend, the Hillsdale College softball team earned its fourth trip in six seasons and fifth trip ever to the NCAA DII Midwest Regional, and travels to Indianapolis this past weekend aiming for a deep run.
While the Chargers are the lowest seed in the region, Hillsdale has a chance to do some damage in a field where there's not a lot separating the teams from top-to-bottom. In the 2023 season, Hillsdale split with sixth-seeded Ohio Dominican, lost tight extra-inning contests with seventh seeded Missouri-St. Louis and fifth-seeded Illinois Springfield, and took its first round foe, top-seeded Indianapolis, to the wire in a 2-0 thriller down in Florida with both teams' aces on the mound. While the Chargers are far from the favorites, they have a real shot to make a run.
Hillsdale is 4-8 all-time in four previous NCAA Tournament appearances but has won at least one game in three of those four trips.
The Chargers open on Thursday with a tall task as it faces the sixth-ranked team in the country and the tournament host, Indianapolis, on its home field to kick off the regional tournament. UIndy won the GLVC Regular Season title in dominant fashion, but were upset by Lewis in the GLVC Tourney final.
The Greyhounds boast a solid offense that hits .308 with both a high on-base percentage and power, led by NFCA First Team All-Region outfielder Megan Nichols, who's hitting .400 on the season with seven doubles, seven home run and 32 RBIs, and NFCA All-Region third baseman Emily O'Connor, who hits .348 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs and 64 RBIs. Catcher Lexy Rees and second baseman Jocelyn Calvin are also key parts of the lineup for UIndy.
In the circle, UIndy is one of the best teams in the region, led by junior Kenzee Smith, a two-time All-American with a 31-4 record on the season, 12 shutouts, and a 1.27 ERA. The Chargers will see Smith on the mound on Thursday, but the Greyhounds also have a solid No. 2 pitcher in sophomore Jayden Casebolt, who's 10-3 with a 1.98 ERA in 21 appearances as well.
In the other contest on Thursday, fifth-seeded Illinois-Springfield plays fourth-seeded Lewis, with the winner advancing to play the winner of the Hillsdale-UIndy tilt on Friday, and the loser set to play an elimination contest against the Hillsdale-UIndy loser on Friday as well.
Hillsdale hung tough in an early season contest against UIS on the Prairie Stars' home field, going to extra innings before ultimately falling in a tight 3-2 contest.
In that contest, Hillsdale battled UIS' freshman phenom, Rosie Barletti, who posted a 1.20 ERA and a 5-3 record in 23 appearances but just seven starts. Junior Reagan Miles replaced Barletti in extra innings and got the victory, and is UIS' traditional ace, with a 2.07 ERA, a 13-6 record, and five shutouts in 30 appearances. Taylor Zawacki is the Prairie Stars' third regularly used pitcher, with a 2.22 ERA and a 10-12 record in 28 appearances. Miles has traditionally gotten the call for UIS in big games, but the Prairie Stars will likely use multiple pitchers throughout the tournament.
At the plate, UIS puts pressure on defenses with its well-known small-ball style that eschews home runs for speed and wreaking havoc on the basepaths. Sophomores Isabella Wilson and Ella Brinkley lead the way for the Prairie Stars, with both hitting above .350 for the season, while Wilson also leads the team in doubles (16) and RBIs (39). Veteran senior Danielle Dennis and junior Ashley Klinzing are also important hitters for UIS.
Like Hillsdale, Lewis enters the NCAA Tournament on a tear, winning four of its five games in the GLVC Tourney, including a victory over UIndy in the final, to take the title. Lewis is also the only team in the bracket this weekend Hillsdale hasn't played this year, though the Chargers are no strangers to the Flyers in years past.
Lewis leans on a well-balanced squad led by sophomore Delaney Garden, who is both the team's best hitter and its top ace in the circle. Garden, an NFCA First-Team All-Region player, bats .370 with eight doubles, and is 16-7 on the mound in 23 starts for the Flyers with a 1.81 ERA. At the plate, Jalyn Powell, Kristen Graham and Sara Serena each have five or more home runs and put power into Lewis' lineup, while in the circle, freshman Ashley Wondrasek is also a strong pitcher for Lewis, with a 1.56 ERA and a 12-5 record in 21 appearances.
For Hillsdale, everything starts with an excellent pitching staff that gives the Chargers a chance in every game. Hillsdale's 1.65 staff ERA is ninth in the nation and tied for second in the Midwest Region, just behind top-seeded UIndy and even with second-seeded Grand Valley State. The Chargers boast the G-MAC Pitcher of the Year and a NFCA first-team All-Region pick in Joni Russell, whose 0.69 ERA ranks fourth in Division II, while her school-record 259 strikeouts is tied for fifth nationally, while leading the Midwest Region in both categories. Russell also set the program record for strikeouts in a single game with 19 against Malone on April 8. Hillsdale has one of the best second starters in the region as well in junior Erin Kapteyn, a two-time All-G-MAC honoree who has a 13-7 record, a 1.83 ERA and threw the Chargers' first no-hitter since 2012 on March 11 against Queens (NY).
With a dominant pitching staff to fall back on, Hillsdale is in every game it plays – the key is making sure the offense holds up its end of the bargain. While it's been a rocky season at times for the Chargers bats, Hillsdale is heating up at the right time coming off the G-MAC title win.
The Chargers will lean heavily on senior Jenna Cantalupo, who had a great G-MAC Tourney, hitting two huge home runs, including a grand slam in the title-clinching game, to earn tournament MVP honors. Juniors Hailey Holtman and McKenna Eichholz both have prior NCAA Tournament experience from Hillsdale's 2021 run when they were freshmen and are having strong seasons as well – Holtman is hitting .320 with a team-high 13 doubles, and Eichholz is hitting .314 with nine doubles and 28 RBIs.
Junior third baseman Grace Wallner is hitting .323 as well for Hillsdale, with a team-high 33 RBIs, while sophomore Emma Vis has had a strong first full season in the lineup, hitting .311 with 10 doubles.