What Lies Ahead:  The Minnesota State returns to action Wednesday as it travels to Vadnais Heights, Minn., to play a nonconference doubleheader against Minnesota Duluth.  First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
    
What Just Happened: The Mavericks opened the 2012 season with a pair of wins in five games during the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference/Northern Sun Intercollegiate Confernece Crossover Challenge in Pueblo, Colo.  The Mavericks picked up victories against Colorado State Pueblo (5-1) and Nebraska Kearney (10-1) and dropping games against Adams State (6-3), Colorado Mesa (3-2) and UC Colorado Springs (4-3).

About Minnesota Duluth:  Minnesota Duluth enters the week with a 5-2 record and are led at the plate by junior infielder Tyra Kerr who is hitting .500 with seven runs batted in.  Sophomore pitcher Megan Mullen owns a 4-2 record to compliment her 2.98 earned run average in 47 innings of work.  She has allowed 26 runs, 20 earned,  while striking out 39 batters.  Opposing teams are hitting .250 off of her.

Jen Banford is in her seventh season with the Bulldogs as their head coach.

Head Coach Lori Meyer:  One of the most respected coaches in all of NCAA  Division II softball, Lori Meyer enters her 28th year as the head coach of the Minnesota State softball team.  Meyer owns a career record of 880-570-3 (.606) in 1,453 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 and has made nine trips to the NCAA postseason and two trips to the NCAA Championships (1987, 2011).

Minnesota State History:  The 2012 season marks the 38th for Maverick softball.  MSU owns an all-time record of 1,005-667-7 (.600) in 1,676 games, and have four North Central Conference titles (1984, 1987, 1989, 2007) and ten appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (1984, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) to its credit.

Team Notes:  Minnesota State has scored six runs in the seventh inning, five runs in the fifth and third innings this year...The Mavericks are 2-0 when holding their opponents under two runs and 2-0 when scoring first...The Mavericks have 11 multiple hit games this season and six multiple RBI games...Senior second baseman Amanda Umhoefer has reached base in all five games, the longest active streak on the team while senior centerfielder Chelsea Erickson has the squad's active hitting streak at four games.

Follow the Action: Fans who can't make it to Wednesday's game can follow the action on line by watching the livestats or by following along on the liveblog.  Check out www.msumavericks.com on the morning of the game for more information.

To view the complete verson of these notes, click HERE