It wouldn't be a spring sports season without some adjustments due to the weather, but the season opener will go on for the Hillsdale College softball team down in Greenville, Tennessee this weekend.
The Chargers were originally scheduled to play just one game on Friday against host Tusculum at the Tusculum Round-Robin, but expected rain over the weekend has shifted that opening contest to a doubleheader, with Hillsdale facing the Pioneers at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Chargers will finish out the event with three more contests against Fairmont State and Lees-McRae. With rain in the forecast on Saturday, the schedule for those three games is currently fluid, so keep your eyes on hillsdalechargers.com for updates to game times and dates.
SCHEDULE
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Tusculum (3-3) | 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Tusculum (3-3) | 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) vs Fairmont St. (3-1) | 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) at Lees-McRae (0-2) | 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Hillsdale College (0-0) vs Fairmont St. (3-1) | 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 | J.C. Red Edmonds Field – Greenville, TN
Links
Live stats | Hillsdale Roster | Tusculum Roster | Lees-McRae Roster | Fairmont St. Roster
Outlook
With high expectations for the 2024 season after a G-MAC Tourney title and NCAA appearance in 2023, the Hillsdale College softball team opens play this year with a trip south to Tennessee to play Tusculum, Fairmont State and Lees-McRae in a round-robin event over three days.
The Chargers open the weekend with a doubleheader on Friday against host Tusculum. The host Pioneers had a bit of a down year by their standards in 2023, going 24-25 and 9-15 in a strong South Atlantic Conference. Tusculum actually kicked off the 2024 season last weekend, going 2-2 in the USC Beaufort Invite and splitting a Tuesday doubleheader with Concord.
Tusculum suffered some attrition in the lineup, graduating five of their top eight hitters, but return a couple of strong players to build around in senior outfielder Claire Smeltzer and sophomore catcher Sammy Jimenez, who were the top two Pioneers in total RBIs in 2023. Smeltzer is off to a hot start, batting .471 with six extra base hits and eight RBIs in six games, and Jimenez has eight RBIs as well. Freshmen Abby Hunter and Brooke Smith also have played an important offensive role for Tusculum so far.
The pitching staff is Tusculum's strength, as the Pioneers return two veteran pitchers in seniors Ireland Cavanaugh and Emily Sappington. Sappington, a 2022 All-SAC honoree, had a down season by her high standards in 2023 but remains a strong pitcher with strikeout power and multiple ears of starting experience. The pair combined to give up zero earned runs in a 2-1 extra-inning win over Hillsdale to open the 2023 season last year. Fellow senior Keylon Reynolds, junior transfer Nyah Vogel and freshman Natalie Spaitis are also options out of the bullpen for Tusculum.
Lees-McRae will be one of Hillsdale's opponents on Saturday. The Bobcats had a banner season in 2023, going 32-18, 17-7 in Conference Carolinas play, and winning two games in the conference tournament. Lees-McRae will have to reload in 2024, however, with the graduation of five of their top six hitters by OPS and both starting pitchers.
The Bobcats are fielding a young lineup so far in 2024, headlined by sophomores Destiny Brown and Taylor Beurrier and freshman Lonna Addison, all of whom batted .500 in the team's season-opening double header. Christian Newport transfer McKenzie Presson and Lauren Ritchie each have a home run as well.
On the mound, Addison was the more effective of Lees-McRae's two opening-day starters, with nine strikeouts to three walks in five innings. Fellow freshman Logan Zephir, sophomore Leah DiBello and senior Jenna Bullard are also options for the Bobcats.
The final opponent for the Chargers this weekend is Fairmont State, which is coming off a 33-23 season in 2023, including a 21-11 record in the Mountain East Conference and two MEC Tourney wins. The Falcons opened the season 3-1, splitting with Barton and sweeping Chowan in North Carolina last weekend.
Fairmont State has an experienced lineup, led by returning All-American infielder Emily Riggs and All-Region outfielder Hannah Workman, both seniors. Several Falcons are off to a strong start hitting the ball in 2024, including senior Isabella Yelle and freshman Sydney Emanuel.
On the mound, Fairmont State is starting fresh with two first-year pitchers making all four starts so far for the Falcons. West Virginia native Delaney Haller has impressed with a 0.95 ERA in two starts so far, while Oregon native Allyson Nordling has had a bumpier ride early on but has shown promise as well. Two more freshmen, Alyssa McCormick and Amber Thompson, are also options for Fairmont State, as is junior Jordan Popowski.
Hillsdale enters the 2024 season with one of the best one-two punches on the mound in the nation at the NCAA DII level. 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, 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.
Hillsdale hopes to add a potent offense to that elite pitching staff to take the next step with season. Seasoned veterans Hailey Holtman, a four-year starter, and catcher McKenna Eichholz lead a much more experienced unit, while Grace Waller also returns after a breakout season at third base and players like Hannah Hoverman, Emma Sather, Taylor Lewis and Maggie Olaveson look to make big leaps in their second seasons as every day players.