Junior pitcher Joni Russel at the 2023 G-MAC tournament | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The Hillsdale softball team will kick off its fall season Sept. 9 against the Madonna University Crusaders in Livonia, Michigan. Last season, the Chargers finished 35-21 overall, including a 17-5 record against G-MAC opponents. 

The Chargers are coming off a record-setting season defensively. The pitching staff’s 1.71 ERA was a G-MAC record. 

Preseason games are an opportunity for the team to get familiar playing together. This also allows freshmen to gain college experience before the conference season. 

The 2023-24 team consists of 19 players from across the country, with some of the most represented states being Ohio, Michigan, and Texas. The Chargers’ fall season is travel heavy, with only two games scheduled at home, both on Sept. 16. 

Hillsdale will play teams from various Collegiate divisions, not exclusively NCAA Division II schools, such as the Michigan State University Spartans, and the Valparaiso University Beacons, both of which are Division I schools.  This gives the team a chance to compete at different speeds of play, a challenge it will meet during tournament play later in the year.

Last season, the team won the G-MAC tournament championship title, while finishing in second place in the regular season. The Chargers qualified for the NCAA DII regional tournament, where they lost 2-1 in the first round to the University of Indianapolis. 

This year, head coach Kyle Gross said the team’s goal is to add another G-MAC title as well as to be competitive in the regional tournament. Gross has led the team to regional tournament play three out of the four years he has been coaching at Hillsdale. 

A key component of this year’s team is the abundance of experience, Gross said.

“We had seven freshmen last year so their experience is valuable this year,” Gross said. 

This year, the team added three freshmen: Catcher Emili Blackie from Ohio, catcher Medleigh Danchak from Texas, and middle infielder Sydney Davis from Ohio. There are nine upperclassmen on the team.  

Davis said she is excited for her first season with the Chargers.  

“I am most focused on adjusting to college-level softball since it’s a step up from high school,” Davis said.

First Team All G-MAC junior pitcher Joni Russell said leadership is necessary to be competitive this season. 

“This year as a team we are focusing more on leadership and confidence,” Russell said. “Everyone on our team is a leader in some capacity. We just have to have the confidence in ourselves to step up and make our teammates better so overall the team can be better.” 

Russell’s 0.76 ERA was the second best in program history, and was good for fourth in all of NCAA Division II. Russell also broke Hillsdale’s single-season strikeout record with a season total of 268, which was the fifth most in Division II. 

Gross said he tries to ensure practices are fun because of how hard the team has to work. 

“We like to be the hardest working team in the G-MAC, exemplifying ‘Strength rejoices in the challenge,’” Gross said.

According to Russell, the team communicated well last year, and it hopes to continue to have strong communication this year.  

“Hard work beats pride,” Gross said.