Schedule
Trevecca Nazarene (22-9, 6-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-17, 8-1 G-MAC) | 2 P.M. ET Friday, April 15 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Trevecca Nazarene (22-9, 6-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-17, 8-1 G-MAC) | 4 P.M. ET Friday, April 15 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Kentucky Wesleyan (10-28, 3-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-17, 8-1 G-MAC) | 1 P.M. ET Saturday, April 16 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Kentucky Wesleyan (10-28, 3-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (20-17, 8-1 G-MAC) | 3 P.M. ET Saturday, April 16 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Trevecca Roster | KWC Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Trevecca Stats | KWC Stats | Live Stats and Video Links
Outlook
The Hillsdale College softball team continued a torrid recent stretch of play with five straight victories last week, including three in conference play over Walsh and Malone on the road, and remain in the thick of the G-MAC title race as the league calendar hits the halfway point.
The Chargers now face their most critical weekend of the season to date, with a showdown at home against defending G-MAC champion Trevecca Nazarene that kicks off a frenzied three weeks of games with other title contenders, as well as a doubleheader against a dangerous Kentucky Wesleyan squad.
Hillsdale kicks things off with a Friday doubleheader against the Trojans, who enter at 22-9 overall and, at 6-2 in conference play, a game back of the Chargers in the standings.
Trevecca misses multi-time All-American Makray Odom at the top of the lineup, but remains a potent team offensively, hitting .304 and averaging 6.3 runs per game. Six lineup regulars are hitting .300 or better for the Trojans, led by juniors Anna Bennett and Alyssa Triner. Bennett is hitting .379 with a team-high 11 doubles and 19 RBIs, while Triner is hitting .337 with nine extra-base hits and a team-high 22 RBIs.
Other top hitters for the Trojans include junior infielder Carly Sperlich, who has 20 RBIs on the season, junior catcher Kendall Andrews, who is hitting .382 with a team-high five home runs and 19 RBIs, and junior infielder Sydney McCormick, who has the team's best batting average (.397) and 18 RBIs. Senior outfielder Lenna Robinson is also playing well as the team's lead-off hitter, batting .354 with 34 stolen bases.
Trevecca also has multiple solid pitchers to draw on thanks to the emergence of freshman Ashlan Sensing, who's 11-3 on the year for the Trojans with a 2.35 ERA and 78 strikeouts to 17 walks. Second starter Hannah Caffey has also been solid with a 2.29 ERA, a 5-1 record and 20 strikeouts in 13 appearances, and Trevecca can also call on junior Alex Behnke, who's struggled so far this season but still has the stuff that made her the team's top pitcher in 2021.
On Saturday, Hillsdale takes on Kentucky Wesleyan looking to get a sweep of the Panthers after splitting with them last season.
KWC enters at 3-7 in G-MAC play, having been swept by title contenders Trevecca Nazarene and Findlay, but sweeping Walsh and splitting with Malone. Offense has been a problem for the Panthers to start the season, as KWC is hitting just .246 with 120 runs scored in 38 games.
A bright spot for the Panthers has been sophomore Hannah Scheberle, who's hitting .317 with six doubles, three triples and 12 RBIs to lead KWC so far. Freshman outfielder MaKenna Page brings power to the lineup, hitting .311 with five home runs and 19 RBIs, and another freshman, Calysta Crum, is hitting .294 with five doubles, two home runs and 19 RBIs as well.
On the mound, freshman Mary Morgan has been a decent ace so far for KWC, going 7-9 in 19 appearances with a 4.45 ERA and 52 strikeouts. The Panthers are still looking to develop a quality second pitcher, with junior Cameron Hamilton (8.79 ERA) and sophomore Grace Scott (8.91) aiming at continued improvement after rough starts to the season.
Hillsdale has been hot over the last 19 games, going 16-3 after a 4-14 start, and are now hitting .298 as a team after struggling at the plate early. Two seniors – catcher Madison Stoner and utility player Madison Rathbun – lead the Charger offense. Rathbun has hit .359 so far with 25 RBIs and six doubles, while Stoner is hitting .346 with nine doubles, three home runs and a team-high 27 RBIs. Junior utility player Jenna Cantalupo also has played well her first season as a full-time starter, hitting .319 with 23 RBIs as well, and senior third baseman Elaine Townley is hitting .325 with a team-high 11 doubles and 13 RBIs.
In the past couple of weeks, the Chargers' offense has hit another gear with the emergence of freshman Olivia Latimer, who's rapidly adjusted to college pitching and is now hitting .348, the second-best mark on the team, with 10 doubles, a triple and 12 RBIs. Latimer's increasing production in the two-spot has helped turn Hillsdale from an average offensive team into a menace for opposing pitchers in recent weeks.
Now that Hillsdale has started to get the offense going, it can pair it with pitching that's been good enough so far to make the team a contender. Freshman Joni Russell has 10 victories in 14 starts with 107 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA, giving the team a solid ace. As good as Russell has been, sophomore and No. 2 starter Erin Kapteyn has been right there with her in terms of effectiveness, with a 2.03 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a 7-2 record in 14 appearances. Senior Camryn Olson is a veteran presence as a starter and reliever for the Chargers as well, while freshmen Dani Deaton and Emma Vis each earned their first collegiate victories as pitchers last week.
Hillsdale swept Trevecca on the road in 2021, but lost twice to the Trojans in the postseason – once in the G-MAC Tournament and once in the NCAA Tournament – to finish 2-2 on the season. All four matchups were close and this weekend should bring more of the same. The Chargers split with Kentucky Wesleyan last year and are 6-3 against the Panthers since joining the G-MAC, with Hillsdale splitting three regular season series against KWC and winning three times in the G-MAC Tourney against the Panthers.