Hilbert Hawks announces Softball 2023 Season Preview

From February 24, 2023 post.

2023 SOFTBALL SEASON PREVIEW 
 
The Hilbert College softball team opens the 2023 season on Sunday, March 5th at the
Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Head coach John Hall and the Hawks Softball Team are excited for the new season
hosting games for the second year in a row on the  FSSJ Field Complex. 

The 2023 AMCC Coaches Poll was released February 21 and the Hawks were picked to finish in 8th place. 

Follow this link for the 2023 AMCC Poll.

 2023 SCHEDULE

Hilbert will battle against 10 opponents over the span of six days at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic. 

Once the team returns from their week-long trip on March 11th,  

the Hawks have to wait until March 28th for their first game back up north.

Hilbert has six non-conference double headers on the 2023 schedule

and their first three dates of competition are on the road thanks to the WNY weather each spring.

The Hawks will travel to Elmira (March 28), to Geneva (Apr 4) and across town to Medaille (Apr 5)

before they host their Home Opener against Houghton (Apr 11).  

The two remaining non-conference series are against Keuka College and Allegheny College.

They both will compete on the FSSJ Diamond on back-to-back dates, April 26th and 27th.

Hilbert opens the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) portion of their schedule

with an away double header at Pitt-Greensburg (Apr 1)

before they travel back to the state of Pennsylvania for another league series at Penn State Behrend (Apr 8).

The Hawks will host their first AMCC game mid-way through April

when La Roche University swings their bats on April 15th.  

Alfred State makes an appearance in Hamburg April 19th before

Hilbert hits the road for their final away double header at Penn State Altoona (Apr 22).

The softball team closes their regular season with a pair of AMCC DH back on campus.

Mount Aloysius returns to the FSSJ Diamonds Apr 29 and

Pitt-Bradford makes an appearance May 6 before the post-season tournament begins.

 The top six AMCC ranked teams advance to the post-season double elimination round robin tournament the second weekend in May.

The AMCC champion will be crowned May 14th,

and that program will represent the conference at the NCAA Division III National Tournament. 

2023 ROSTER

Head coach John Hall's squad features 10 returning veterans from the 2022 squad,

and the Hawks will be led by four players who are finishing their athletic careers this spring.

Senior Bailey Budziszewski and junior Makenna Smith were both recognized by the AMCC as

two players to watch in the 2023 AMCC Coaches' Preseason Poll

while sophomore Chloe Champagne and senior transfer Brittany McAndrews will add depth.

First Base Bailey Budziszewski, was among the team highs last season in all categories

including batting average, .333, and RBI's where she recorded 9. 

Utility Makenna Smith, was also among the team highs in all categories.
Smith boasted a .313 average with 21 hits which included 5 doubles, 3 triples and a home run. 

Chloe Champagne returns to the team this season after a good freshman year. 
Champagne finished with a .138 average and 3 RBI's.
She played in 23 games and had 12 starts and is expected to deliver defensively for the team this spring. 

Brittany McAndrews, who pitched for the Erie Community College Kats, is also expected to provide leadership and experience
while bringing collegiate experience in the circle.
 
COACHING / SUPPORT STAFF
 
Head Coach John Hall returns for his tenth overall season at Hilbert, but eighth as the head coach. 
He guided the 2018 Hawks to the program's best season since Hilbert joined the AMCC in 2004-05. 

Don McFeely returns for his ninth season as an assistant coach alongside
Ed Eagan who enters his fourth year on coach Hall's staff.  
First-year assistant Kellie Vincent rounds out the Hawks' coaching staff.

Prof. Carraugh Reilly Nowak continues to support the softball program by serving as the team's Faculty Team Advisor. 
She is an additional source of academic support and serves as a resource regarding academic issues
for the softball student-athletes and coaches. 
Reilly Nowak's association with the department also creates a communication link
between the faculty, student-athletes, and coaches. 

Original source can be found here.