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

Athletes of the Week:
Player of the Week
Shelby Rakosky (Fortville, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Third Base | Sophomore - Lions junior third baseman Shelby Rakosky continued her unreal 2026 campaign last week. She was 9-for-15 (.600) at the plate, moving her season average to .514 good for tops in the HCAC this season. She also scored 9 runs in 4 games, hit two doubles, a home run and drove in four. All this while continuing to play outstanding defense at thirdbase. 

Pitcher of the Week
Rylan Young (Hagerstown, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | First Year - Young worked 9.1 scoreless innings on the week, scattering eight hits and striking out six. She earned a win against Rose-Hulman, shutting the Engineers out across the first six innings to help secure a doubleheader sweep, then added 3.1 frames of relief work against Eureka. The newcomer improved to 8-1 on the season for the first-place Grizzlies.

Notable Performances:

• Hannah Merkel (West Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | First Year - Hannah Merkel went 2-0 on the week. In two starts, Merkel allowed a 1.00 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Merkel struck out 7 batters, issued 6 walks and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 15 hits in 14 innings.
• Alexis Schultz (Indianapolis, Ind.) Anderson University | Outfield | Senior - Alexis Schultz smashed a grand slam in Game 2 against Berea. Schultz went 5-for-12 with a double, a homer and 7 RBI as Anderson went 3-1 on the week. She recorded a .417 batting average, a .462 on-base percentage and an .833 slugging percentage.
• Grace Gronberg (Danville, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Sophomore - Gronberg went 2-1 with a 2.80 ERA across three appearances and 15 innings of work. She tossed the final two innings of Bluffton's stunning 9-8 come-from behind victory at MSJ on Thursday night when the Beavers snapped a 19-game losing streak to the Lions. For the week she fanned 13 and limited the opposition to a paltry .182 batting average with two complete games. Gronberg tossed a 2-hit shutout in Bluffton's 7-0 victory over Hanover on Sunday.
• Madison Brentlinger (Indian Lake, Ohio) Bluffton University | Second Base | Sophomore - Brentlinger tore up the opposition with a .600 batting average as the Beavers went 3-1 in HCAC competition, including a 9-8 victory at MSJ on Thursday night. She smacked two doubles, drove in a run and scored 6 times, giving her the school record with 44 runs scored this season, her first in a Beaver uniform. Brentlinger finished the week with nine hits, a .733 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage.
• Zoey Kugelman (Mooresville, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | Junior - Kugelman again set the tone at the top of the order for the HCAC-leading Grizzlies. She had a massive game offensively in a win over Eureka with six runs batted in, three of those coming on a late home run to help break the game open. Kugelman also logged four innings in the pitching circle.
• Clare Lopeman (Richmond, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Pitcher | Sophomore - Lions sophomore pitcher Clare Lopeman was outstanding in the teams 10-1 win over Manchester on Sunday. She threw a complete game allowing seven hits, and one earned run while striking out one. 
• Katelyn Sarvis (Deltona, Fla.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Second Base/Outfield | Senior - Katelyn Sarvis led the Fightin' Engineers at the plate as the team finished the week with a record of 3-5 overall. Sarvis totaled a .462 batting average, going 12-26 with nine runs scored and eight RBIs. Sarvis totaled one double and one home run across the eight games. 
• Aubrey Smith (Lebanon, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | Junior - Aubrey Smith led the pitching staff for the Fightin' Engineers in a busy week. Smith totaled a 0-3 record with 21.2 innings pitched, 10 strikeouts, and a 3.23 ERA. 

Looking Forward:
HCAC Softball Standings