Schedule
#2 Tiffin (43-12) vs #7 Indianapolis (38-20) | 12 p.m. ET Thursday, May 8 | Tiffin, OH – Paradiso Athletic Complex
#3 Hillsdale College (36-16) vs #6 Lewis (36-18) | 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday, May 8 | Tiffin, OH – Paradiso Athletic Complex
 
Full Bracket and Tournament Schedule at Midwest Region Tournament Central
 
Links
Live stats/Video | Hillsdale Roster | Tiffin Roster | Lewis Roster | UIndy Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Tiffin Stats | Lewis Stats | UIndy Stats
 
Outlook
A strong run in the G-MAC Tournament in Akron last weekend ended with Hillsdale's fourth G-MAC Tourney crown, after the final was rained out with the Chargers the only undefeated team remaining in the bracket.

That title and a strong season has Hillsdale entering its sixth NCAA Tournament in program history with its best-ever seed, third in the Midwest Region, and with a real possibility of a deep run or even bringing home the program's first regional crown. While all the contests were close, Hillsdale has a 3-2 record against the other three teams in the regional, and has beaten all three at least once, boosting the Chargers' confidence that if they play well, they can bring home the crown.

Hillsdale opens the NCAA Midwest Regional with a game against the team the Chargers started their season with back in February in Hawai'I, as Hillsdale battles sixth-seeded Lewis. The Flyers tied for the GLVC title in the regular season and looked poised to be a top four seed, but a rough GLVC Tournament showing has them as the road team on the scoreboard this weekend.

The Chargers likely will face Lewis ace Delaney Garden, who's been one of the region's top pitchers for several years and has a 1.51 ERA with 225 strikeouts and seven shutouts in 29 appearances this season. While Garden is an elite pitcher, she's a familiar one for Hillsdale, and one the Chargers have had success against, as Hillsdale finished with eight hits and scored six runs on Garden in a 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Flyers to start the 2025 season in February. Lewis also has the luxury of turning to another top pitcher in junior Allie Wondrasek, with a 2.08 ERA and an 18-6 record, if it chooses to save Garden for Thursday.

Garden also represents one of Lewis' top threats at the plate, with a .464 batting average and 15 extra base hits on the season. Nicole Magdziasz is another elite table-setter for the Flyers, while Kristen Graham (eight home runs, 52 RBIs) and Anna Frafjord (seven home runs, 46 RBIs) represent the power players at the heart of Lewis' batting order. As a team, Lewis bats a solid .302 with a nice mix of power and on-base potential, making them a dangerous opponent.

As mentioned, Hillsdale split a pair of one-run games in the first week of February against Lewis, though those contests were so long ago that it's difficult to extrapolate too much from them. One important factor for Thursday – Lewis has yet to see Hillsdale ace Joni Russell, who didn't pitch in either of the February matchups.

On the other side of the bracket, second-seed and host Tiffin takes on seventh-seeded UIndy. The regular-season champion in the G-MAC, the Dragons are in the midst of a historic season, setting the program's NCAA DII wins mark with 43 and earning the right to host a regional for the first time.

Tiffin hangs its hat on one of the most potent offenses in the region, with extreme power that includes 36 home runs on the year. Freshman Jessica Miller won G-MAC Player of the Year honors with a .417 average, a Midwest Region-leading 24 doubles, and 49 RBIs, while Maci Head has a G-MAC-best 12 home runs and a team-high 50 RBIs as well. Regan Mengerink, Molly Koesters, Aubrie Harper and Baylee Mirgon all hit above .300 and with 35 or more RBIs as well to give Tiffin threats up and down the lineup.

While the offense has gotten the attention, Tiffin also has a top-notch pitching staff, led by Kent State transfer Ella Esterby, whose 1.49 ERA ranks among the best in the region. Lexi Key and Isabella O'Brien are both strong starters in their own right with a combined 24-5 record and ERAs under 2.6 as well. The depth of pitching gives Tiffin options and will be a strength for the Dragons as they look to make a deep run.

The seventh-seed, UIndy, looked like they were in danger of seeing a 16-year NCAA Tournament qualifying streak come to an end midway through the season, but the Greyhounds played their way into the tournament with a deep GLVC Tourney run that ended in the title last weekend.

The Greyhounds' ace is freshman Cheyenne Eads, who has gone 23-10 this season with a 2.14 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 39 appearances. Eads is a workhorse who's proven capable of pitching both ends of a doubleheader, so there's a decent chance UIndy will ride her all the way through the weekend. If the Greyhounds do choose to rest Eads, they do have a decent second starter in senior Jayden Casebolt, who's 12-6 with a 4.39 ERA on the year.

At the plate, UIndy has had to heavily retool its offense after major graduation losses from last year's Midwest Regional championship team. Another freshman, Brooklyn Willis, has been a breakout star for the Greyhounds, hitting .403 with 16 doubles, eight home runs and 53 RBIs, while sophomore Cara Cooper has 21 doubles and 40 RBIs as well. Jocelyn Calvin, one of the few holdovers from past years, Sydney Oliver, Shelby Cook and Eads all have double-digit doubles and 27 or more RBIs this season as well for a UIndy squad that has some real pop in its bats.

Hillsdale has had success so far at the plate with a balanced offense that has six players hitting .290 or better and seven players with 20 or more RBIs. Second baseman Taylor Lewis leads the team with a .348 batting average and 34 RBIs, while Maggie Olaveson and Emma Vis are each tied for the team lead with six home runs and are hitting above .320 as well. Anna Chellman leads the team with 35 RBIs, and even down the lineup the Chargers are dangerous, as No. 9 hitter Ashley Strick has five home runs on the season, while catcher Hannah Hoverman is coming off a huge weekend at the plate where she earned G-MAC Tournament MVP honors. The Chargers also have the ability to manufacture runs on the basepaths, as Lewis and Emma Sather are a combined 53-for-60 on stolen base attempts and are both in the top 10 all-time in Hillsdale history in single season and career stolen bases, with Sather breaking the Chargers' 34-year-old single-season stolen base record with 33 on the season. As a team, the Chargers have 99 stolen bases, seven off the program's all-time single season record of 106 set in 1989.

In the circle, Joni Russell has been one of the best pitchers in the country statistically, earning G-MAC Pitcher of the Year award for the second time with a 22-2 record and a 0.74 ERA that ranks second in NCAA DII. Russell also has a G-MAC-leading 214 strikeouts with a new school record 10 shutouts and six G-MAC Pitcher of the Week awards. Russell holds all four of Hillsdale's major career pitching records – strikeouts (873), wins (72), shutouts (27) and innings pitched (635.2) and is also the G-MAC record-holder in both strikeouts and shutouts. Hillsdale will hope Russell can go the distance for the Regional, but also have a competent reliever who's had success this season in freshman Grace Harris, as well as Anistyn Foster and Mackenzi Maxson who can step in if needed.

This is Hillsdale's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance, having gone 4-10 in five previous trips. The Chargers' best previous appearance was in 2021, when Hillsdale won two games and reached the elimination bracket final. Both Lewis and UIndy are tourney veterans. Lewis is making its 16^th appearance, with past regional titles in 2000 and 2001, while UIndy is making its 17^th appearance, with past regional titles in 2009, 2015 and last year. Tiffin is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2011, and is looking for its first NCAA victory after going 0-2 in its previous two trips.