Schedule
Hillsdale College (24-17, 12-1 G-MAC) at Ashland (6-17, 0-10 G-MAC) | 1 P.M. ET Saturday, April 23 | Ashland, Ohio – Brookside Park
Hillsdale College (24-17, 12-1 G-MAC) at Ashland (6-17, 0-10 G-MAC) | 3 P.M. ET Saturday, April 23 | Ashland, Ohio – Brookside Park
Ursuline (8-16, 6-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (24-17, 12-1 G-MAC) | 1 P.M. ET Sunday, April 24 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Ursuline (8-16, 6-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (24-17, 12-1 G-MAC) | 3 P.M. ET Sunday, April 24 | Hillsdale, MI – Johnny Williams Field
Links
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Ursuline Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ashland Stats | Ursuline Stats | Live Stats and Video Links
Outlook
With just four doubleheaders remaining in the regular season, the Chargers are in the thick of the G-MAC title race.
Hillsdale is 12-1 and just a half-game back of co-leaders Findlay and Ohio Dominican with doubleheaders still to be played against those two teams next week. First, however, the Chargers need to take care of business against two tricky opponents this weekend.
It's also the final home weekend game for the Chargers on Sunday, and therefore time for Hillsdale's annual salute of its graduating seniors. Hillsdale will honor eight this weekend – Kasidy Carson, Natalie Stepanenko, Camryn Olson, Madison Stoner, Madison Rathbun, Renee Bielawa, Elaine Townley and Reagan Gensiejewski – between the first and second game of the doubleheader.
First, the weekend starts with a Saturday road trip to Ashland to take on the Eagles in a doubleheader. Ashland is having a rough first season in the G-MAC, currently sitting at 0-10 with no loss closer than three runs, but multiple quality wins in the non-conference season imply that the Eagles are more dangerous than their recent struggles indicate.
Ashland has three standout hitters pacing their lineup, led by sophomore Jordyn Severns, who's hitting .388 with six doubles and a team-best 12 RBIs. Junior Lauren McMillin is hitting .391 with six extra-base hits and 10 RBIs, and freshman Lily Rockwell is hitting .345 with nine RBIs as well for the Eagles, who are hitting solidly for average but have been held back by a lack of extra-base power so far this season.
On the mound, junior Josie Duncan has carried nearly the entire load in conference play for Ashland, going 5-14 in 19 appearances this season with a 5.15 ERA, and 48 strikeouts to 44 walks. Senior Hannah Fricke has seen some spot duty on the mound as well, going 1-3 in five starts.
The Chargers return home on Sunday for the senior day celebration, and two tough contests against an Ursuline squad that's remained solidly in the G-MAC Tournament and on the fringes of the title hunt during a 6-4 start to the conference season.
The Arrows have been one of the conference's top teams offensively, hitting .286 as a team, thanks to six lineup regulars hitting over .300. Junior Sarah Fessler has been the Arrows' breakout star, hitting .436 with a .718 slugging percentage, including team highs in doubles (8), triples (4) and home runs (2), as well as 13 RBIs. Senior Alyssa Baratta is hitting .325 with five doubles and a team-high 15 RBIs as well, and sophomore Kiley Gallagher is hitting .340 with four doubles and 10 RBIs.
Ursuline uses a variety of pitchers, and the program's leap forward on the mound in the last year has been critical to the Arrows' conference success this season. Senior Nicole Rawlins is the team's top pitcher with a 1.98 ERA and 3-4 record, but juniors Tara Backherms and Kelsey Jakosh have had success, as well as senior Ashlee Zientek. Expect the Arrows to use several pitchers to try and find a combination that can slow down the Chargers on Sunday.
Hillsdale has been red hot over the last month, with a 20-3 after a 4-14 start, and are now hitting .303 as a team after a productive week. Senior catcher Stoner is ranked in the top 10 all time at Hillsdale in hits, home runs and RBIs and leads the team with a .390 batting average, 11 doubles, three home runs and 30 RBIs. Senior utility player Rathbun is close behind, hitting .359 so far with eight doubles and 30 RBIs, while freshman outfielder Olivia Latimer has exploded recently and is now hitting .360 with 12 doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs.
Those three standouts are far from the full picture in what is a deep and dangerous lineup. Senior third baseman Townley leads the team in doubles with 13 and is hitting .326 with 19 RBIs, while junior first baseman Jenna Cantalupo is hitting .297 with four doubles, three home runs and 26 RBIs. Stepanenko, Hailey Holtman, Carson and Gensiejewski have all seen their averages trend upwards in recent weeks for the Chargers as well.
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 12 victories in 16 starts with 120 strikeouts and a 2.39 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 2.26 ERA, 69 strikeouts and a 9-2 record in 16 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 have also impressed in relief.
This weekend's doubleheader is the first time Hillsdale meets Ashland as a G-MAC foe, though both teams have a long history dating back to their days in the GLIAC. The Chargers are 6-12 against the Eagles since 2011, but won the most recent meeting between the two teams on Feb. 20, 2021, 11-3 at the Lewis Dome Invitational. Hillsdale is 3-4, meanwhile, against Ursuline, sweeping the Arrows last season in Pepper Pike on Apr. 24 but dropping a 9-8 game to Ursuline in the G-MAC Tournament on May 6.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan