SCHEDULE
Hillsdale College (19-14, 5-3 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (1-31, 1-9 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 9 | Painesville, OH – Diamond 9 at Kiwanis Park
Hillsdale College (19-14, 5-3 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (1-31, 1-9 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 9 | Painesville, OH – Diamond 9 at Kiwanis Park
Hillsdale College (19-14, 5-3 G-MAC) at Thomas More (13-17, 1-9 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 12 | Crestview Hills, KY –Thomas More Softball Field
Hillsdale College (19-14, 5-3 G-MAC) at Thomas More (13-17, 1-9 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, April 12 | Crestview Hills, KY –Thomas More Softball Field
Hillsdale College (19-14, 5-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (5-28, 1-13 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 13 | Owensboro, KY – Foster Field
Hillsdale College (19-14, 5-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (5-28, 1-13 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 13 | Owensboro, KY – Foster Field
 
Links
Live stats/Video | Hillsdale Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Thomas More Roster | KWC Roster | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Outlook
At 5-3 in G-MAC play, Hillsdale is still in good position in the conference heading into a crucial extended road trip. With three series against three teams currently at the bottom of the G-MAC, the Chargers can't afford to lose focus with the title race still so tight.

The Chargers open with a doubleheader in Painesville, Ohio against Lake Erie in rescheduled games from earlier in the season. It's been a rough start for a new coaching staff in Painesville, as the Storm are 1-31 on the season and have been run-ruled 17 times. Despite that, there's still an element of danger to playing Lake Erie, who retain the hitting core that many were optimistic about entering this season.

That core is led by dynamic senior outfielder Emma Spahr, who put up big numbers to lead the Storm last season, though she's off to a slower start in 2025. Senior infielder CJ Garcia is another veteran who leads the team in RBIs and junior catcher Peyton Powers is hitting an impressive .413 at the plate to set the table for Lake Erie. 

Where Lake Erie must improve to have any hope of a better season in conference play is in the circle, where no pitcher has an ERA below 8.90. Freshman pitchers Addison Nugent, Kai Mortensen and Lily Turkowski have been thrown into the fire as the team's primary options, and have struggled to adjust to college softball so far. That said, experience is the best teacher, and with more games under their belt there's the possibility for growth for all three down the stretch. Sophomores Alexa Bailey and Sydney Murray also see action for Lake Erie in the circle.

On Saturday, Hillsdale makes its first-ever trip to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to take on Thomas More. The Saints had a winning record in non-conference play but have struggled to a 1-9 record in the G-MAC so far, though those losses have come against some of the conference's top teams.

Offensively, the Saints are led by senior stalwart Emily Allphin, who's hitting .312 with a team-high 25 RBIs. Sophomore Adisyn Johnson is the team's top better for average at .313, and sophomore Ashtyn Elbe also has a OBP above .400 and double-digit RBIs as well. Thomas More has struggled with a lack of extra base power this season, with just two home runs, but the Saints are 38 for 41 in stolen bases and do have some ability to manufacture runs on the basepaths.

In the circle, sophomore Kylie Ropp has ascended to the top spot in the rotation after serving as the second starter last year, and has a 7-9 record, 46 strikeouts and a 5.44 ERA. Freshman Kendra Steinberg has been the second starter in most outings for Thomas More with a 5-4 record and similar numbers to Ropp, and sophomore Olivia Dumm and freshman Avery Gottleib also see regular action in the circle for the Saints. Thomas More's pitchers had a solid start to the season but have struggled in conference play with a G-MAC worst 7.53 ERA, a trend that will have to reverse if the Saints want to get back on track.  

Hillsdale finishes up the week-long road trip with a journey to the other side of Kentucky to face Kentucky Wesleyan on Sunday. The Panthers are hoping to escape the G-MAC basement after a 1-13 start to conference play, but face another tough slate of games this week.

KWC has a respectable offense that's done some damage this season, headlined by siblings Augusta and Guinny Garr, who are the Panthers' top hitters by average and the two top KWC starters in on-base percentage. Freshman Lexie Onyett has two home runs and leads KWC in RBIs with 16, sophomore Chloe Apple has double-digit RBIs as well for the Panthers, and senior Grace Colvin is another solid hitter in the lineup as well.

In the circle, ace Immi Mann carries the Panthers' hopes in many games, with a 5.41 ERA and 54 strikeouts so far. Mann can pitch both halves of a doubleheader if needed, but KWC has turned to both Colvin and Augusta Garr to eat innings as well. Ultimately, it hasn't been enough for KWC so far, as a 8.17 ERA has made picking up wins in league play difficult despite a credible offensive performance.

Hillsdale has high hopes for the 2025 season, looking to build off four straight years of 30 or more wins and avenge an unfortunate ending to the 2024 season that saw them miss out on the NCAA Tournament by a razor-thin margin in the final week. So far, the Chargers are on pace for a fifth straight 30 win campaign, and have battled the top teams in the Midwest region to a virtual standstill in competitive doubleheaders.

The Chargers have been a solid offensive team so far, with five lineup regulars hitting above .300 so far, led by returning All-Region player Maggie Olaveson who leads the team in batting average (.363), OPS (1.097), RBIs (23), and home runs (four), while Anna Chellman is hitting .309 with a team-high seven doubles and 22 RBIs. Taylor Lewis, Sydney Davis and Olivia Liguori are each hitting above .320 as well for Hillsdale. The Chargers also have the ability to manufacture runs on the basepaths, as Lewis and Emma Sather are a combined 33-for-37 on stolen base attempts and are both in the top 10 all-time in Hillsdale history in career stolen bases. As a team, the Chargers have 69 stolen bases and are on pace to break the program's all-time single season record.

In the circle, Joni Russell has been an All-American level starter and a record-setter for Hillsdale for three seasons and is off to a strong start, with a 10-2 record, a 0.69 ERA, and 108 strikeouts with five shutouts and three G-MAC Player of the Week awards. Russell already holds Hillsdale's career strikeouts record (767), set the program's career shutouts record (22) earlier this season, and is closing in on both the program's wins and innings pitched records. Hillsdale has four other pitchers who will contribute in Anistyn Foster, Mackenzi Maxson, Grace Harris and Gracelynn Kelly, with Foster settling in as the second starter for conference doubleheaders so far, and Maxson also playing a big role in the circle.

Hillsdale has a strong record against all three opponents this weekend. The Chargers are 24-4 against Lake Erie all time and are currently riding an eight game winning streak against the Storm, and Hillsdale also has a 2-0 record against Thomas More in their only two meetings with the Saints in a doubleheader last season. Against Kentucky Wesleyan, Hillsdale is 12-4 since 2017 and has won six straight dating back to the 2021 season, and nine of their last 10 against the Panthers.