Softball

HCAC 2026 Softball Notebook, Week 5

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) softball teams competed in week five of the 2026 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Softball Schedule

Athletes of the Week:
Player of the Week:
Bo Shelton (Anderson, Ind.) Earlham College | Infield | Junior - Bo Shelton hit .500 on the week with five doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Shelton was awarded four free bases and went 4-for-4 on steal attempts, while recording only one strikeout on the week.

Pitcher of the Week:
Rylan Young (Hagerstown, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | Freshman - Rylan Young improved to 4-0 on the year with a pair of victories, including a shutout win over No. 23 DePauw on Sunday. She scattered six hits and a walk, while keeping the Tigers off the board in the upset. Earlier in the week, Young went the distance in a win over Kenyon, giving up three earned runs and walking none.

Notable Performances:
  • Jayda McKee (Fairland, Ind.) Anderson University | Infield/Outfield | Freshman - Jayda McKee went 4-for-11 with a double and three stolen bases as Anderson went 2-2 this week. She put together a .364 batting average, a .417 on-base percentage, and a .455 slugging percentage.
  • Hannah Merkel (West Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Freshman - Hannah Merkel put together a win in her start against Transylvania. She struck out six batters, issued five walks, and gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits in seven innings.
  • Klary Mckay (Salem, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Freshman - Klary McKay went 1-0 with a 2.62 ERA in 10 2/3 innings of work as Bluffton went 2-2 on the week. She struck out three and walked three, while limiting the opposition to a .256 batting average.
  • Leah Ramirez (Elida, Ohio) Bluffton University | First Base | Sophomore - Leah Ramirez hit .462 with six hits in 13 at bats for the week. She hit two home runs and a double for a 1.000 slugging percentage. Ramirez drove in seven runs and scored three, including the game-ender in Bluffton's 10-2 run-rule victory over Albion.
  • Shelby Messer (Pendleton, Ind.) Earlham College | Pitcher | Sophomore - Shelby Messer appeared in four games this week with a 2-1 record and one save. The sophomore pitcher had a 3.98 ERA through 19 1/3 innings of work. Messer tallied 17 strikeouts and two complete games.
  • Zoey Kugelman (Mooresville, Ind.) Franklin College | Third Base/Pitcher | Junior - Zoey Kugelman had a big week for Franklin, batting nearly .500 and contributing in the pitching circle. She tossed a complete game one-hitter at Berea, striking out three and allowing just one baserunner in a shutout victory. At the plate, Kugelman had at least one hit in each of Franklin's six games. She drove in five runs on a pair of doubles in the aforementioned Berea win and she went 4-for-6 in a twinbill against No. 23 DePauw, hitting a home run that got her team on the scoreboard first in a 9-0 triumph.
  • Lizzy Willis (Yorktown, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher/Outfield | Senior - Lizzy Willis led the way for Manchester this week. In six games, Willis went 7-for-17 with six RBI, two doubles, one triple, and one stolen base. Willis' most efficient appearance came in game one against Olivet on Tuesday where she went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI, and a stolen base.
  • Mackinley Lawson (Roachdale, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Catcher | Sophomore - Mackinley Lawson led Mount St. Joseph to a 4-0 week with a midweek sweep of Asbury before starting off HCAC play with a sweep of Hanover. For the week she was 10-for-14  with two home runs, one double, seven RBI, three runs scored, and went 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.
  • Aubrey Smith (Lebanon, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher/Third Base | Junior - Aubrey Smith picked up two wins in the circle this week. She started the weekend with a strong performance against Manchester, pitching five innings with one strikeout. Smith also earned a win in the Rose-Hulman’s victory over Webster, pitching five innings with four strikeouts. On the week, she totaled a 2-1 record, with 10 2/3 innings pitched, five strikeouts, and a 4.59 ERA, giving up 20 hits and seven earned runs across four games. Smith was also the top hitter for Rose-Hulman as it went 3-1 over the weekend. She totaled a .545 batting average with six hits, four runs scored, and five RBIs across the four games. She totaled one double and one home run during the week.
  • Maddie Goddard (Union, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | Sophomore - Maddie Goddard pitched 11 1/3 innings in four appearances this week, giving up only 11 hits and three runs. She struck out five batters and recorded a 1.85 ERA for the week.
  • Emily Shearer (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Outfield | Junior - Emily Shearer recorded a .643 on-base percentage with a .786 slugging percentage, collecting nine hits, six runs, four RBI, and four stolen bases on the week in three Transylvania wins.

Looking Forward:
HCAC Softball Standings