The 2016-17 Hillsdale College softball team team started its fall season with a sweep against Jackson Community College on Oct. 6, and wrapped up that same weekend with a three-game set in Grass Lake, Michigan, where the Chargers went 2-1.
Head coach Joe Abraham said the team’s fall performance shows promise for its final season in the GLIAC despite its youth, with only eight returning players on the 19-person roster.
“We know we should be a very good hitting team,” Abraham said, citing strong performances by senior outfielder Bekah Kastning, senior catcher Cassie Asselta, sophomore outfielder Katie Kish, and freshman outfielder Victoria Addis.
“Our team is a lot deeper than it has been in the past,” Abraham said.
The strong batting order contributed to the sweep against Jackson — the Chargers won the first game 9-0 and the second game 6-5.
“We had a good, fun weekend,” Addis said. “Everyone stepped up.”
Freshman pitcher Dana Weidinger threw a no-hitter in the opener against Jackson, and a four-hitter against Lansing Community College later that weekend, helping lead the Chargers to an 8-2 victory. With an entirely new pitching staff after the two senior pitchers graduated last year, Abraham said Weidinger’s performance showed promise for the spring season.
“In those two games, Dana pretty much dominated,” he said.
Against Kellogg Community College, the Chargers won 8-4, with Kish going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Sophomore second baseman Amanda Marra and freshman pitcher Erin Gordon also went 2-for-3, each scoring a run for the Chargers.
Although the team fell to Jackson 9-7 at Grass Lake in a shortened game, Abraham said the errors made against Jackson will be resolved as the team gains experience.
“We had a lot of our freshmen out there who are getting used to playing college ball, in new positions in some cases, and we had a lot of errors in those two games,” he said. “In the long run, it’ll be fine, I’m not worried about it.”
Already, the young team has shown improvement, according to Kastning, which bodes well for the spring season.
“Our underlying goal this year is to leave the GLIAC with a good reputation, and really show we’re not leaving because we can’t compete” she said. “I’m just excited to see how we do in the spring season.”
