Preview: Chargers host Cedarville, Thomas More while holding charity fundraiser

Apr 03, 2024

Schedule

Cedarville (12-19, 5-3 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-10, 6-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 6 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI

Cedarville (12-19, 5-3 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-10, 6-2 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, April 6 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI

Thomas More (6-24, 1-9 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-10, 6-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 7 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI

Links

Outlook

At 6-2 in G-MAC play, Hillsdale remains in the thick of the conference title race, though the Chargers are looking to move past a tough weekend doubleheader against current leader Trevecca Nazarene and get back on track with four more home contests this weekend against Cedarville and Thomas More.

Along with the competition, Hillsdale also is collaborating Cedarville, Thomas More and Go4TheGoal to help raise money for children with pediatric cancer. All three teams will be wearing yellow shoelaces this weekend in support of Go4TheGoal and their mission. You can find out more about Go4TheGoal and donate at https://go4thegoal.org/.

The Chargers kick things off on Saturday against a solid Cedarville team that's heating up in conference play after a slow start. The Yellow Jackets are 12-19 overall but 5-3 in G-MAC play and have won seven of their last 10 games, and are looking to return to the G-MAC Tourney for the second straight season and the fifth time in six full seasons since the G-MAC expansion in 2018.

Cedarville has a solid lineup that returns all three of its All-G-MAC honorees from a year ago, led by impressive sophomore Dana Bertke, the Yellow Jackets' leader in OBP, and two-way stars Casey Bertke and Mackenzie Russell. The Yellow Jackets' top hitter so far has been outfielder Kaley Clark, a senior and four-year starter who's exploded in her final year and leads the team in average, extra base hits and RBIS. The Yellow Jackets are hitting just .252 in 2024, but have serious potential to rise as the weather heats up.

On the mound, the Yellow Jackets took a step backwards from last year early on, but have looked much like their 2023 selves recently in conference play. Casey Bertke is still the ace of the staff with an 8-6 record and a 2.65 ERA, including a perfect 4-0 record in conference play. Her fellow starter, Adaline Johnson, has had a tougher go of things, but has given Hillsdale problems in the past. Russell and freshman Stephanie Stubblefield are the optional arms out of the bullpen as well for Cedarville.

On Sunday, Hillsdale faces off against G-MAC newcomer Thomas More for the first time. The Saints are new to NCAA Division II from the NAIA this season and have had a rough go of it so far, currently sitting at 6-24 and 1-9 in G-MAC play. That said, Thomas More has been more competitive than the record shows, with several close calls against tough teams so far this season.

Thomas More has struggled to catch up to a higher level of pitching in NCAA DII so far this season, coming into the weekend hitting a G-MAC-worst .209 as a team. Three returning All-Conference players from 2023 lead the Saints offensively, including senior Delaney Kemper, who has eight doubles and a team-high nine RBIs, and junior Josie Wefer, who has eight doubles as well. Senior Hailey McAdoo also is an important bat for the Saints, while junior Emily Allphin currently leads the team in batting average at .257.

Annika Gels is the ace on the mound for the Saints, and has been the pitcher of record in all six Thomas More wins this season with 91 strikeouts. Freshmen Kylie Ropp and Olivia Dumm have also made several starts for Thomas More, while Cassidy King, Emma Kent and Alayna Crouch also are options out of the bullpen.

Hillsdale entered the 2024 season with one of the best one-two punches on the mound in the nation at the NCAA DII level, and that's played out mostly as expected so far. Junior Joni Russell is a consensus returning All-American that finished in the top five in the country in both strikeouts and ERA and earned G-MAC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2023, and senior Erin Kapteyn also capped a year that saw her put up a 1.95 ERA and record 13 wins with her second-straight All-G-MAC honor. Together with junior Emma Vis and sophomore Mackenzi Maxson, the group set a G-MAC record with a 1.71 staff ERA in 2023, and all four players return in 2024.

Russell has been her usual excellent self so far in 2024, earning Wilson/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week honors to start March, setting the Hillsdale College career strikeouts record and entering the weekend with an 11-4 record in 13 starts, 130 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA. Kapteyn has been rock solid as well with a 2.78 ERA, four shutouts, eight wins and two saves. As a team the Chargers are at a solid 2.45 ERA so far this season.

Hillsdale's offense also seems to be heating up after a slow start to the season, with the Chargers now hitting .286 as a team. Freshman Sydney Davis is off to a great start in her first season at Hillsdale, hitting .362., and sophomore Maggie Olaveson has also impressed, batting .347 with a team-best 15 extra base hits and 16 RBIs. Seniors McKenna Eichholz and Grace Wallner have made an impact, with Eichholz contributing a team-leading 22 RBIs, while Wallner is batting .337 and has eight doubles as well.

In addition to those three players, juniors Emma Vis and Hannah Hoverman have flashed power, with seven combined home runs. As a team, the Chargers have 17 home runs, putting them on pace to exceed the totals of the last two years.

Hillsdale is 8-5 against Cedarville since joining the G-MAC in 2018, and has split the regular season doubleheader with the Yellow Jackets all five times they've played, including a split last year. The Chargers are, however, 3-0 against Cedarville in the G-MAC Tournament. This is Hillsdale's first-ever meeting with Thomas More.

Photo by Isabella Sheehan