Mankato, Minn. —  Minnesota State (29-9, 13-5 NSIC) opens a six-game roadtrip to close out the regular season portion of its schedule Wednesday as it travels to Augustana for a pair of games starting at 3 p.m.  The Mavericks continue action Saturday at Upper Iowa and Sunday at Winona State.  Gametime Saturday and Sunday is slated for 1 p.m.
   
Minnesota State History:  The 2010 season is the 37th for Maverick softball.  MSU owns an all-time record of 942-642-7(.594) in 1,591 games, and won four titles (1984, 1987, 1989, 2007) during their time in the North Central Conference and eight appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (1984, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1997, 2007, 2008 and 2009) to its credit.

Head Coach Lori Meyer:  One of the most respected coaches in all of NCAA Division II softball, Lori Meyer is in her 25th year as the head coach of the Minnesota State softball team.  Meyer owns a career record of 817-541-3 (.601) in 1,361 games.  A seven-time NCC Coach of the Year, Meyer has guided the Mavericks to three North Central Conference titles (1987, 1989 and 2007), and guided the ‘87 Mavericks to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Tournament. 

Yard Work: In 38 games, the Mavericks have hit 30 home runs this season, while its opponents have hit just 11.  Senior catcher Kelsey Thompson has a team-high eight home runs while senior shortstop Libbie Reichling and sophomore leftfielder Chelsea Erickson each have five. 

Get to 'em Early:  Minnesota State has scored 227 runs this season, while yielding just 96.  Of those 227 runs, 74.4 percent (1169) have came in the first four innings of the game.  The Mavericks have scored 44 first-inning runs this year, while its opponents have crossed the plate 24 times in the first inning.  The Mavericks have also scored 53 fourth-inning runs this year while it opponents have crossed the plate just 15 times in the fourth frame.

A Few Random Numbers:  Minnesota State is batting .315 with runners on base, .390 with the bases loaded, .304 with runners in scoring position and .600 with a runner on third and less than two outs.  The Mavericks are hitting .468 to leadoff an inning, and have successfully advanced runners 52.9 percent of the time.  With two outs, MSU is hitting .260, while its opponents are hitting .223.

Up Next:  The Mavericks will play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships next week, should it finish in the top-eight in conference standings.

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