Joni Russell broke the G-MAC Strikeout Record April 14. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

At 8 years old, Joni Russell was told by her Little League softball coaches that she would never pitch.

“I started taking pitching lessons at eight,” Russell said. “Then I went to my rec ball coach and asked if I could pitch, and she told me ‘No.’ Her daughter and the assistant coach’s daughter were both pitchers. I played third and first base for two summers and never pitched.”

At 10 years old, Russell was spotted by a travel softball coach while practicing her pitches with her father at her brother’s baseball game. The coach invited her to try out for his travel softball team.

“I had never pitched a real game in my life,” Russell said. “I was just practicing for two years. Then this coach put me in a scrimmage situation for the tryout. I walked almost everybody and hit people.”

But Russell still made the team and played for that coach until she graduated high school and became a Charger.

On April 14, the 21-year-old junior pitcher broke the Great Midwest Athletic Conference strikeout record. She now holds the record with 642 career strikeouts, surpassing the 616 career strikeouts of former Trevecca Nazarene University Trojan Haley Fagan. 

Russell first visited Hillsdale College as an eighth grader for a recruitment camp in 2016. 

“Joe Abrahams was the coach at Hillsdale at the time,” Russell said. “He loved me as a little eighth grader. Actually, one of the Hillsdale catchers came and caught for me instead of my dad. She shooed him off.”

After a blizzard hit campus while she was visiting, Russell turned her search to Southern schools in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Growing up in Cable, Ohio, a small town three hours from Hillsdale, Russell sought out schools with warm sunshine and marine biology programs, the field of study she believed she would pursue. 

“For the rest of my college recruiting experience, we spent tons of money trying to go down south,” Russell said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to school in Florida so I can be near the ocean.’”

Russell attributes her love for softball largely to her father, who walked with her through the recruitment process. Through travel tournaments and backyard training, Russell said softball brought the two closer. 

“My dad and I are really close,” Russell said. “He caught every single lesson of mine until I got too fast for him to catch anymore. He’s a big part of my experience.”

When the pandemic began, Russell began to see the beauty of attending Hillsdale College and the community it had to offer. 

“COVID really opened my eyes to what was important to me, and I didn’t want to be a marine biologist anymore,” Russell said. “I wanted to be closer to my family, and I was doing more research on Hillsdale. I began to really love Hillsdale and its values.”

Head coach Kyle Gross recognized Russell’s talent immediately. 

“Joni was somebody that I recognized early on could be huge for the program,” Gross said. “And the more I got to know her, the fit here just seemed perfect. So I was really trying to show her how she could fit in here and be great, not just on the field but on the campus too.”

Russell said Gross attended many of her travel softball games during high school. During her junior year, he offered her a position on his team. Gross brought her to Hillsdale multiple times during the recruitment process. 

Russell said she was fortunate to be given playtime her freshman year, which she believes gave her the experience necessary to excel early in her collegiate softball career. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association named Russell an NCAA Division II All-American athlete, and she was awarded the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore. 

“I was blessed with a lot of innings my freshman year,” Russell said. “So sophomore year I felt a lot more confident and like I knew what I was doing.”

Senior infielder Grace Wallner and Russell became friends quickly during Russell’s freshman year. Wallner said she liked Russell’s positive and easygoing attitude.

“I had no idea she was this good of a pitcher until her freshman year when she just started mowing people down,” Wallner said. “Before that, I had no idea she was as good as she is as a recruit.”

Gross said he has enjoyed watching Russell grow as a pitcher, a person, and a leader on his team over the past three years. Returning this season after being named an All-American pitcher, Russell put a lot of pressure on herself as a team leader. 

“It’s good for her mentally to be able to let go of that pressure,” Gross said. “I’ve seen her do it, and I think it makes game day experiences better for her. It helps her perform better because she doesn’t put that pressure on herself.”

Through all the success and struggles, Russell credits her success to her faith and teammates, who always cheer her on. She said their support relaxes her on the mound and realigns her focus. 

Russell broke the G-MAC strikeout record in the first game of a doubleheader game day against the Ohio Dominican University Panthers. Hillsdale won the game 6-0.Gross said the Chargers and Panthers are conference rivals. 

According to Gross, these two games were important for the Charger’s conference ranking. Currently, the Chargers are ranked second, one place above the Panthers.

“I tend to overthink things,” Russell said. “During the whole Ohio Dominican game, I was telling myself these four things — smooth is fast, The Lord is my strength, one at a time, and for my teammates. In a game, those reminders center me.”

Beyond the pitcher’s circle, Wallner said, Russell’s faith inspires and comforts those around her.

“Sure, she’s a great pitcher and softball player, but there’s just so much more to her,” Wallner said. “As a friend, she’s an example of Christ’s love. She’s just such a dynamic and incredible person.” 

An exercise science major and early childhood education minor,  Russell volunteers at Mary Proctor Randall Preschool.

“I’m at the preschool all the time,” Russell said. “The kids found out I’m an All-American because the head teacher told them. Some of them will come to our games and it’s the cutest thing. I love it.”

Russell plans to teach kindergarten after graduation and potentially pursue a master’s degree in women’s health.

“She’s definitely more than just an All-American pitcher,” Gross said. “She’s a remarkable human being and a remarkable athlete.”