Victoria’s Madison Hillman Named Week 5 Player of the Week

Some players fill a stat sheet. Others fill a room. University of Victoria’s Madison Hillman does both, and in the biggest weekend of the season thus far, she proved it in every inning she played. Hillman is the WCSA Player of the Week for Week 5, after a performance that carried her team to the first regular season title in program history.

Hitting leadoff, her job is to set the tone. This weekend, she didn’t just set it…she owned it, from the first pitch of the weekend to the last, reaching base at a .591 clip and delivering one of the most complete, well-rounded performances the league has seen all season.

By the Numbers

• .571 AVG
• .591 OBP
• .857 SLG
• 1.448 OPS
• 12 H (8 singles, 3 doubles, 1 HR)
• 8 RBI
• .638 AVG with RISP
• 5 two-out RBIs
• 9 putouts, 9 assists
• 1 BB

Hillman announced herself immediately, opening the win over Regina with a leadoff home run to left field before adding two more singles to finish 3-for-4. She backed it up in the first Regina game by going 3-for-3, and kept the bat hot in Victoria’s 4-0 win over UBC Okanagan, leading the team with three hits in four at bats to help secure the season-defining rematch over their closest rival in the standings. She was still doing it on Sunday, delivering a two-run double in the eight-run sixth inning that turned a 9-7 deficit into a 15-9 win over Saskatchewan.

The BA/RISP and two-out numbers are where the story sharpens into something rare. Hillman hit .638 with runners in scoring position, and five of her eight RBIs came with two outs. The exact moments when innings are supposed to end, Hillman keeps them alive and changes the scoreboard. Defensively, she was just as sure, commanding the field with nine putouts and nine assists, punctuated by a string of highlight-reel diving plays that no box score will ever capture. Late in the UBCO win, she made two of them in a single inning.

That’s the kind of weekend that separates a good player from a special one. And Hillman’s specialness doesn’t stop at the numbers. She’s seemingly the heartbeat of this Victoria team…the first one up cheering when a teammate barrels a ball, the loudest voice in the dugout when things get tight, the player everyone else seems to orbit around.

Let’s be clear: the stat line alone puts Hillman in this conversation. .571, a 1.448 OPS, five two-out RBIs in the biggest weekend of the season so far. That’s Player of the Week production on its own merits, no argument needed. But every so often, a player starts playing in a way that goes beyond the numbers, in a way that people who have nothing to do with the team start to notice, and start to feel. That’s a different level, and it’s fair to say Hillman has been one of the most electric players to watch in this league in years. Joyful is really the only word for it. Her celebrations aren’t showmanship, they aren’t forced, and they aren’t targeted for the cameras — they’re just true joy, spilling out because she can’t help it. You can see and feel the love she has for her team in every one of them. If you get the chance to watch her at playoffs this weekend, take it. It radiates off her, in the way she rounds the bases, the way she reacts to her teammates, the way she carries herself between pitches, and it doesn’t stop at the foul line. You can feel it from the stands. It’s almost emotional to watch, especially if you ever played this game yourself.

And truthfully, it’s not just Hillman. This entire Victoria team is giving off that same energy right now. They look genuinely happy to be playing together, every game, every inning…and that doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a huge testament to the culture head coach Lori Zehr and this group have built together. Every team is chasing that “it” factor, the thing that turns a talented roster into something bigger than the sum of its parts. Victoria found it. And Hillman appears to be at the center of it all.

For a team that just won its first regular season title in program history, Hillman showed why she’s one of its leaders. She set the tone at the top of the order, commanded the field with nine putouts and nine assists, and brought the same energy to the dugout that she brought to the batter’s box and the diamond. That’s what leadership looks like on a team that’s clearly having the time of their lives.

Players Mentioned

Select a player to view their profile.

#10 · Infield Madison Hillman University of Victoria View profile →