2024 Softball HCAC Tournament Preview: Yellow Jackets face Manchester in opener

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College softball team is all set and ready to compete in the HCAC Tournament beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 9 in Lexington, Ky. 

The Yellow Jackets take on Manchester, the no. 5 seed tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in the tournament opener.

Transylvania University will serve as the host for the entire tournament as they earned the one seed in the tournament. All games will be played at John and Donna Hall Field in Lexington. The Pioneers are currently ranked #22 in the latest NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Participating teams include the no. 1 seed Transylvania University Pioneers, no. 2 seed Franklin College Grizzlies, no. 3 seed Mount St. Joseph University Lions, no. 4 seed Defiance College Yellow Jackets, no. 5 seed Manchester University Spartans, and the no. 6 seed Earlham College Quakers. 

The tournament bracket can be found here. The bracket and schedule will be updated throughout the tournament. 

Fans can follow along with live stats and live video here. 

All tickets are CASHLESS and can be purchased here. The ticket cost is $10 while children 11 and under are free as well as HCAC students, faculty, and staff with ID. 

DC season records vs. tournament participants:

• 1-1 vs. Transylvania

• 0-2 vs. Franklin

• 1-1 vs. Mount St. Joseph

• 2-0 vs. Manchester

• 1-1 vs. Earlham

DC stat leaders: 

• Senior Brooke Silcox leads the team in hits with 46 and a .374 batting average. The 46 hits The senior also needs three hits in the tournament to break the career hits record. The current record is 177 held by head coach Jordan Osborne ('19) and Marah Robinson ('11).

• Joining Silcox with 40+ hits include Laney Grimwood (41) and Anika Craft (44).

• Two freshmen, Payton Mallett and Madison Guggenbiller are tied for the team lead in home runs with three each. 

• Guggenbiller leads the team in extra base hits with 12 and doubles with nine while Mallett is the team leader in RBIs with 29 which is tied for fourth in the HCAC.

• Guggenbiller and Grimwood are tied for the team lead in walks with 15 which is tied for fifth in the HCAC. 

• The only triple of the season belongs to Savannah McCoy. 

• The only two saves of the year belong to freshman Emma Rodgers. 

• Craft leads the team in wins (7), ERA (2.33), and strikeouts (98).

This will be the third straight year the Yellow Jackets have qualified for the HCAC Tournament. In both previous years, DC was winless in the tournament so this year's squad will be looking to break that trend. The last tournament win came in 2019 against Franklin and in that win, both current coaches Jordan Osborne and Kalin Hubble were in the starting lineup. 

The Yellow Jackets are led by first year head coach Jordan Osborne and first year assistant coach Kalin Hubble. Both are DC grads, Osborne graduated in 2019 and Hubble in 2022. 

The 2024 HCAC Softball Tournament is a double elimination tournament.