Schedule
Thomas More (19-23, 6-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 21 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Thomas More (19-23, 6-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 21 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Kentucky Wesleyan (3-28, 0-14 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Thursday, April 23 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Kentucky Wesleyan (3-28, 0-14 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Thursday, April 23 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Walsh (13-21, 6-12 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Friday, April 24 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Walsh (13-21, 6-12 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. ET Friday, April 24 | Johnny Williams Field – Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) at Ashland (25-12, 14-3 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Sunday, April 26 | Deb Miller Field – Ashland, Ohio
Hillsdale College (23-16, 11-5 G-MAC) at Ashland (25-12, 14-3 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 26 | Deb Miller Field – Ashland, Ohio
 
Links
Live stats & Video | Hillsdale Roster | Thomas More Roster | KWC Roster | Walsh Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Thomas More Stats | KWC Stats | Walsh Stats | Ashland Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Outlook
Inclement weather has left the Hillsdale College softball team with a congested schedule in the final week of the season, with eight games to play, including six at home. At 11-5 in the G-MAC, the Chargers still have a shot in the title race and can play their way into a high G-MAC Tourney seed and NCAA DII Tournament at-large consideration with a strong finish.

Hillsdale first hosts Thomas More on Tuesday. At 6-10 in the G-MAC, the Saints are on the outside looking in of the conference tournament right now, but have been a tough out, splitting with each of the top three teams in the G-MAC standings currently in Tiffin, Findlay and Ashland.

Thomas More has a decent offense with four starters batting over .300. Sophomore first baseman Haylee Palmer has led the team in nearly every stat and is among the G-MAC leaders in doubles (14), while freshman Alisha Fox has been a revelation with a team-leading 30 RBIs.  Natalie Harris, Ashtyn Elbe and Brookyln Couch are all important hitters as well for the Saints.

Fox has also been a key addition in the circle for Thomas More, starting 17 games with 11 wins and a team best 78 strikeouts and 2.98 ERA. She's paired well with returning ace Kylie Ropp, who's settled in as Thomas More's second starter this season with solid numbers as well. Kendyl Feutz, Avery Gottleib and Becca LeMay all have eight or more appearances for the Saints this season and are options out of the bullpen.

Kentucky Wesleyan comes to Hillsdale on Thursday. It's been a tough year for the Panthers, who are still looking for their first G-MAC victory and have been battling injuries and a depleted roster all season long.

Senior Kennedy Matheis is a veteran mainstay and KWC's top hitter, batting .301 and leading the team in extra base hits and RBIs. Fellow senior Chloe Apple bats .295 as well for the Panthers as another solid piece in the lineup.

Injuries in the circle have left JuCo transfer Riley Cunningham as the only available pitcher for the Panthers. She throws both games of every doubleheader and has a 9.77 ERA.

On Friday, Hillsdale closes out its home schedule with two games against Walsh. At 6-12 in league play, the Cavaliers are one of several teams in the hunt for the eighth and final G-MAC playoff spot, and looking to make their first trip to a conference tournament since reaching the GLIAC Tourney in 2015.

Solid pitching has made this one of the most competitive Walsh teams in years, with the Cavaliers carrying a 3.04 ERA, third-best in the G-MAC. Junior Maci Smythe and senior Lindsey Leeds, both returning veterans, are having their best seasons yet in the circle, while freshman Gauri Naik has given Walsh a solid third option as well. Katie Gardner and Delaney Peters also have shown promise as relievers.

Offensively, Leeds and fellow senior Lindsey Bingham have put up solid RBI numbers for the Cavaliers, while freshman Sydney Cottrell and sophomore Ava Littin have six of the team's eight home runs. Sydney Becks and Leah Musall have done a good job of getting on base for Walsh at the top of the lineup.

Hillsdale closes out the long week and its regular season slate with a trip to Ashland on Sunday. At 14-3 in the G-MAC, the Eagles have their best team in years, and it's one they've been building towards for a while, with many veterans on the roster contributing to a run that has Ashland in third right now.

Ashland has a solid offense paced by returning first-team All-G-MAC second baseman Danielle Robbins, who's continued her stellar play with a .427 average and 20 stolen bases. Along with the senior Robbins, nearly all of the Eagles most dangerous bats are home-grown juniors and seniors, including RBI leaders Amanda Kolar and Kate Kujawski, home run leader Delaney Maynard, and contributors Cassidy Shaffer, Sophia Martin, Sidney Payton and Ashley Veldheer.

On the mound, the Eagles boast returning ace Delaney Lis, who's been solid this season with a 3.11 ERA, but are also getting important contributions from a new face in redshirt freshman Olivia Amstutz, who's seized a starting job in the circle with a 10-2 record and a 2.68 ERA. Veterans Sophia Smithnosky and Cassidy Shaffer are options out of the bullpen as well for Ashland.

Hillsdale looks to make a backdoor push for a top three G-MAC finish behind one of the conference's top offenses, and the Chargers present a frightening proposition for opponents if Hillsdale can continue its record-setting pace.  The Chargers lead the G-MAC in home runs (34), rank second in doubles (74) and RBIs (215) and third in average (.324) and on-base percentage (.385). On top of the damage the Chargers do with the bat in their hands, Hillsdale also is a terrifying team once it gets on base, with a G-MAC-leading 72 stolen bases, 22 more than the second-best team.

A deep lineup of dangerous bats is responsible for the offensive outburst. Eight of Hillsdale's every-day players are hitting .296 or better, and seven .300 or better, in a lineup that puts pressure on pitchers from top to bottom. Returning All-Region second baseman Taylor Lewis is on a tear, with a .377 average, 18 extra base hits, 29 RBIs and 16 stolen bases for the Chargers, while sophomore Miami (OH) transfer Nathalie Hagle bats .317 and leads the team in extra-base hits (18) and RBIs (37). Maggie Olaveson (nine home runs, 37 RBIs) and Olivia Liguori (six home runs, 22 RBIs) complete a murderer's row of power hitters for the Chargers in the 4-5-6 spots, while leadoff hitter Ronnie Craft has a 1.052 OPS, 22 stolen bases on the year and is batting .481 in conference play. Proving Hillsdale's offensive depth – nine different players have a home run for the Chargers this season, and eight different Chargers have stolen multiple bases.

Hillsdale's weakness has been in the circle, where the Chargers have been heavily rotating five pitchers. All five have shown flashes of brilliance but have struggled for consistency, and Hillsdale ranks 10^th in the G-MAC with a 4.96 ERA. Senior Mackenzi Maxson has the most starts, the best ERA (4.27), the most strikeouts (54) and earned G-MAC Pitcher of the Week honors after shutting out defending national runner-up Tampa in a 1-0 game earlier in the season. Freshman Katie Jonas, sophomores Grace Harris and Anistyn Foster, and junior Gracelynn Kelly have all had moments of dominance and are real and credible options in the circle for Hillsdale. In most doubleheaders, four or all five pitchers play a role for the Chargers in getting victories, but Hillsdale needs more consistent play this week to make a real push in the standings.

Hillsdale has dominated its series against its first three opponents this week, winning all four meetings against Thomas More in program history, going 14-4 against Kentucky Wesleyan with eight straight wins, and sitting at 17-5 all-time against Walsh with 10-1 record in their last 11 contests. Hillsdale is 19-51 all-time against Ashland since 1991, as the Eagles were once a Midwest Region power, but are 13-7 against Ashland since 2014, and are 8-1 against the Eagles since Ashland became a G-MAC member in 2022.