Schedule
Lake Erie (3-25, 3-11 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (28-12, 14-4 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 20 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI
Lake Erie (3-25, 3-11 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (28-12, 14-4 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, April 20 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI
Ursuline (5-23, 0-14 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (28-12, 14-4 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 21 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI
Ursuline (5-23, 0-14 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (28-12, 14-4 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 21 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, MI
Links
Live stats | Hillsdale Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Ursuline Roster | 2024 Hillsdale Stats | 2024 Lake Erie Stats | 2024 Ursuline Stats | G-MAC Softball Standings | G-MAC Softball Stats
Outlook
A huge road sweep of Ohio Dominican on Sunday has Hillsdale alone in second place in the G-MAC behind Trevecca Nazarene, and with a chance to all but lock up the two seed this weekend if it can take care of business at home. As well as the final home doubleheaders of the season this Saturday and Sunday, Hillsdale also will have Senior Day on Sunday during the doubleheader against Ursuline, honoring graduating seniors Hailey Holtman, Erin Kapteyn, McKenna Eichholz, and Grace Wallner.
While on paper, both teams Hillsdale plays this week shouldn't provide much challenge, it would be dangerous to overlook the Storm and Arrows, both of whom have put real scares into some of the top teams in the G-MAC this season despite their records.
Hillsdale kicks things off with Lake Erie on Saturday. The Storm are 3-25 overall, 3-11 in conference play but stunned Cedarville and ace pitcher Casey Bertke last week and present a real threat to teams who come in overconfident. That's thanks in large part to junior Emma Spahr, a dangerous better who's hitting .386 with 13 extra base hits, including seven home runs, and a team-best 17 RBIs. In a close game, Spahr has the talent to single-handedly swing the outcome. Sophomore Lillian Campbell and junior Arianna Tammaro are also hitting above .300 for the Storm.
Lake Erie also has a solid ace on the mound in senior Carly Rowland, whose 2-13 record belies a steady 3.54 ERA and 63 strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Baeleigh Burwell has recently earned the starting nod in the second game of doubleheaders for the Storm, but Lake Erie also has frequently deployed Bridget Mullholand and Sydney Murray as well in both starting and relief roles.
On Sunday, Hillsdale takes on an Ursuline team that's still in the middle of a rebuild in former Hillsdale assistant Danielle L'Argent's second year as head coach. The Arrows are 0-14 in G-MAC play but have come close to victory multiple times in conference play, while their five wins overall represent a step up from last year.
The Arrows have taken a step forward offensively in 2024, with four regulars hitting above .300 and six with double digit RBIs. Senior Spenser Mohr leads Ursuline with a .329 average and nine extra base hits, while sophomore Casey Barton is hitting .330 and tied for the team lead with 14 RBIs as well. Junior Christina Dalton and senior Jovanna Herrera also are making important offensive contributions for the Arrows.
Pitching has been the struggle for Ursuline still this year. Barton is the team's ace and has a shutout to her name, but a 1-9 record and a 6.03 ERA. Freshman Bri Bowles has been the second starter the last two weekends for Ursuline, while sophomore Kathleen Wack and freshman Liza Barbato have been a big part of the team's plans in the circle as well so far.
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 they showed why in a doubleheader shutout of one of the top teams in the G-MAC last weekend. 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 15-5 record in 19 starts, 199 strikeouts and a 1.53 ERA. Kapteyn has been a lights out second ace-level player as well with a 2.12 ERA, six shutouts, 12 wins and three saves, including two shutouts in the last week. As a team the Chargers are an impressive 2.14 ERA, second only to Trevecca Nazarene this season.
Hillsdale's offense also seems to be heating up after a slow start to the season, with the Chargers now hitting .289 as a team. Sophomore Maggie Olaveson has exploded as one of the best hitters in the G-MAC this season, batting .383 and leading the Chargers with 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 31 RBIs, while freshman Sydney Davis has had a great first season, batting .358 with nine doubles. Seniors McKenna Eichholz and Grace Wallner have made an impact, with Eichholz putting up 23 RBIs, while Wallner is batting .322 and has 11 doubles as well.
In addition to those three players, juniors Emma Vis and Hannah Hoverman have flashed power, with 11 combined home runs. As a team, the Chargers have 26 home runs, giving them a shot to challenge the record of 37 set in 2021.
Hillsdale has a 20-4 record all-time against Lake Erie, including six straight victories over the Storm with five of those coming by eight or more runs. Lake Erie's last victory in the series came in 2019. Ursuline, meanwhile, is 4-7 all-time against the Chargers, with Hillsdale sweeping the Arrows in each of the last three seasons. Ursuline's last victory came in a 9-8 win in the G-MAC Tournament in 2021.