Schedule
Hillsdale College (14-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Malone (16-4, 2-0 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Friday, March 22 | Pioneer Softball Field – Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (14-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Malone (16-4, 2-0 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Friday, March 22 | Pioneer Softball Field – Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (14-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Walsh (5-13, 0-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, March 23 | WU Softball Complex – North Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (14-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Walsh (5-13, 0-0 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, March 23 | WU Softball Complex – North Canton, OH
Hillsdale College (14-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Findlay (13-11, 0-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 25 | Marathon Diamonds – Findlay, OH
Hillsdale College (14-8, 0-0 G-MAC) at Findlay (13-11, 0-2 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 25 | Marathon Diamonds – Findlay, OH
Links
Live stats | Hillsdale Roster | Malone Roster | Walsh Roster | Findlay Roster | 2024 Hillsdale Stats | 2024 Malone Stats | 2024 Walsh Stats | 2024 Findlay Stats | G-MAC Softball Standings | G-MAC Softball Stats
Outlook
Hillsdale returns to the Midwest to open conference play on an eight-game winning streak after a strong finish to its Spring Break trip to Florida. The Chargers will look to build on that momentum with important early-season matchups in what should be a tight G-MAC race.
The Chargers open on Friday at Malone, who enters red-hot at 16-4 in one of the best starts in program history. Hillsdale will represent an important test for the Pioneers of how far Malone has come from a 15-27 mark in 2023 – of the Pioneers' 20 contests so far, just seven have come against NCAA DII competition, and none of those seven were against teams that finished with a winning record in 2023.
The Pioneers return three of their top hitters from last year's squad who are all off to solid starts. Junior Karlie Duvall is batting .478 for Malone in 17 games with a .564 OBP, while sophomore Madi Pukansky is hitting .463 with a team high 15 RBIs as well. Senior Taylor Kern has a team-high seven extra base hits and also has 11 RBIs as well. With more experience, Malone will look to break through against a Chargers team that shut out the Pioneers in both meetings last season.
Malone has made big strides in the circle so far in 2024 with a brand-new pitching staff comprised of four freshmen. Leading the way are starters Mia Rose, who is 6-3 with 97 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA, and Grace Kissick, who is 7-1 with 53 strikeouts and a 2.60 ERA, both impressive performances for first-season players. The Pioneers also have Kylee Legge and Faith Yoho to turn to in the bullpen.
Hillsdale next travels across town on Saturday to play a doubleheader with Walsh, who is aiming for the program's first-ever G-MAC Tourney appearance this season. The Cavaliers are off to a tough 5-13 start but may be better than their record indicates after pulling an upset of 15th-ranked Nova Southeastern on March 9 in their last competitive contest.
Walsh has a talented lineup led by returning first-team All-G-MAC shortstop Sarah Moats, who's hitting .360 so far and leading the Cavaliers in both extra-base hits and RBIs so far in 2024. All-Conference honorees Sydney McKeever and Sarah Cantley also return for Walsh, while senior Brynn Elliott is off to a hot start with a .378 batting average as well.
On the mound, the Cavaliers are still searching for the right starting mix, with eight different pitchers starting games so far for Walsh. The most effective has been freshman Maci Smythe who has a 2-3 record in 10 appearances but an impressive 1.42 ERA. Returning starter Olivia Betson also has four starts and Chloe Sayre has made three for Walsh.
Hillsdale concludes a busy stretch with a doubleheader at Findlay on Monday, in a rematch of last season's G-MAC Tournament title series, where Hillsdale ultimately captured the crown with a 9-1 victory in the decisive game. Findlay had high hopes for the season with a strong group returning from last year's squad, but a sweep by Northwood to start the conference season last weekend dented those hopes and leaves the Oilers facing down two big doubleheaders to get back on track and not fall too far behind in the race.
The Oilers lost their two best hitters from last year's squad but still return a strong lineup led by sophomore infielder Annika Bredel, who broke out as a freshman last season and is hitting .439 with an impressive 15 extra base hits and 15 RBIs. All-G-MAC catcher Kaitlynn Briggs also returns, while holdovers Alexys Antal and Avery Shepherd are also off to strong starts. Freshman Joslynne Frazier has been an impact newcomer for Findlay and leads the team in home runs (4) and RBIs (17).
While the Oilers have been among the top hitting G-MAC teams so far, an up-and-down pitching staff has kept Findlay from putting up a better record. The Oilers do return talent, including their top four arms from last year's squad, led by returning All-G-MAC pitcher Emma Jones, while Antal has performed well on the mound with a 2.84 ERA, and senior Molly Pfiffner has been decent with a 3.32 ERA as well. Still, Findlay's 4.11 ERA ranks ninth among G-MAC teams so far and improving on that mark will be critical to the Oilers' hopes of making a title push.
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 largely played out 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 conference play with an 8-3 record, 98 strikeouts and a 0.88 ERA in nine starts. Kapteyn has been rock solid as well with a 2.84 ERA, two shutouts, five wins and two saves. As a team the Chargers are at a solid 2.33 ERA so far this season.
The key for Hillsdale to reach their potential is to make a big offensive leap, and there were promising signs in Florida as the Chargers reeled off eight straight victories against quality teams and hit the ball well. Sophomore Maggie Olaveson has been Hillsdale's most consistent hitter so far, batting .361 with a team-best 13 extra base hits and 14 RBIs, while seniors McKenna Eichholz and Grace Wallner have also impressed. Eichholz is hitting .313 with a team-leading 16 RBIs, while Wallner is batting .338 and is tied with Olaveson with a team-best seven doubles.
In addition to those three players, juniors Emma Vis and Hannah Hoverman have flashed power, each currently with three home runs, while freshman Sydney Davis is batting above .300 in an impressive debut campaign. As a team, the Chargers have 15 home runs, putting them on pace to exceed the totals of the last two years, and to threaten the record of 37 set in 2021.
Hillsdale is 16-1 against Malone since 2013, including a doubleheader sweep last year where the Chargers didn't give up a run. Malone's lone win in the series was a 9-7 victory on April 12, 2021. Against Walsh, Hillsdale is 17-7 since 2013, including a split last year at Hillsdale. Finally, Hillsdale has a 12-11 edge against Findlay since 2012. The Chargers faced the Oiler three times in 2023, all in the G-MAC Tourney, going 2-1 against Findlay and winning the G-MAC crown with a victory in the final game.
Photo by Morgan Hoverman