The accolades continue to pour in for one of the greatest seasons in Hillsdale College softball history for a pitcher.
Sophomore Joni Russell added another honor on Tuesday, earning first team All-Midwest Region recognition from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association to become a unanimous first team All-Region player for the Chargers. As with the All-Region recognition from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association that Russell earned last week, the sophomore was one of three pitchers named to the first team, joining Grand Valley State senior Hannah Beatus and Indianapolis' Kenzee Smith, both multi-time All-Americans, in receiving the honor. As a recipent of a first-team All-Region award, Russell also is eligible for consideration for All-American honors through the D2CCA, with those honorees to be announced later this month.
It's elite company for Russell, and it's a group she belongs in after posting what is a strong contender for the best pitching campaign by a Hillsdale College player in program history in 2023. The sophomore helped lead Hillsdale to a G-MAC Tournament title and NCAA DII Tournament appearance with a 19-9 record and two saves in 32 appearances. Along the way, she shattered the program's previous record for single-season strikeouts with 268 to date, 52 more than the old record set by Danielle Stiene in 2015, and her 0.76 ERA is the second-lowest in program history.
Russell also has eight shutouts in 2023, one shy of the program record for a single season, and she also broke a program single-game record for strikeouts with 19 in a 4-0 victory over Malone on April 8. Russell's played a major in the Chargers setting the G-MAC record for ERA as a team with a mark of 1.71, a number that ranks ninth nationally. Russell's ERA of 0.76 also ranks sixth in the nation at the NCAA DII level, and her 268 strikeouts rank fifth. Those numbers helped her earn not only All-Region recognition, but also helped her be named the 2023 G-MAC Pitcher of the Year, a first for Hillsdale, as well as her second-straight first team All-G-MAC honor.
In just two seasons as a Charger, Russell has put herself in position to challenge multiple career records at Hillsdale. Her 428 strikeouts are already second all-time, behind Sarah DeAngelo's total of 474, and her 12 career shutouts rank fourth. She's also tied for seventh in career wins with 33, and all without yet cracking the top 10 in innings pitched.
Russell is just the fourth pitcher in Hillsdale College history to receive All-Region honors, and the first to earn first team All-Region honors. She's in line for potential additional recognition from the NFCA and D2CCA as both plan to hand out All-American honors later this month.