MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team wraps up its non-coference schedule as it travels to Saint Joseph, Mo., to do battle with six different opponents from the  Mid-American Athletic Association (MIAA) in the Missouri Western Tournament.
 
Our Last Outing: Minnesota State returned to its winning ways at it posted an 8-2 record at the Rebel Spring Games in Winter Haven, Fla. The Mavericks posted wins over No. 8 Wayne State (Mich.) (5-1), Ohio Dominican (8-4), LIU Post (3-0), Ferris State (2-0), Ohio Dominican (8-1), Hillsdale (9-0), Glenville State (8-7) and Lees-McRae (9-2) before weather wreaked havoc on the Mavericks schedule forcing two games to be cancelled, stopping the MSU momentum. The Mavericks dropped their final two games of the tournament, falling to Adelphi (8-7) and Indianapolis (1-0).
 
Senior Samantha Holien (Forest Lake, Minn.) and sophomore Karli DesLauries (Mankato, Minn.) led the offensive charge for MSU posting a .486 and .455 batting average, respectively. Holien scored 13 runs on 17 hits with three doubles and two home runs tallying 10 RBI, 26 total bases and a .743 slugging percentage. DesLauries scored 10 runs on 15 hits with one double, four RBI, 16 total bases and four stolen bases.
 
Freshman Coley Ries (Eagle Lake, Minn.) and junior Brittany Lauterbach (Savage, Minn.)posted identical 3-1 records at the Rebel Spring Games, while freshmen Molly Renken (LeMars, Iowa) and Samantha Buhmann (Prior Lake,Minn.) each posted a 1-0 record. Ries posted a 0.28 ERA allowing two runs, one earned in five appearances including two complete games. The Eagle Lake, Minn., native gave up 19 hits while fanning  29 batters and holding opposing batters to a .211 average.
 
About Washburn: Head coach Vanessa Becerra enters her third season as head softball coach of the Washburn Ichabods, posting a 32-57 (.561) record overall.
 
Washburn is led by Marina Quimby, who boasts a .500 batting average, recording 16 runs on 27 hits in 54 at bats. Lauren Thimmesch has had the heavy bat, recording 12 home runs through Washburn's first 16 games, posting a 1.034 slugging percentage.
 
The Ichabods enter the weekend with an 11-5 overall record, while going 7-3 in MIAA action. Most recently, Washburn split with Fort Hays State and Nebraska Kearney.
 
About Missouri Southern: Missouri Southern is under the direction of sixth year head coach Bill Gray, who helped the Lions to a 26-24 record a season ago and currently sports a 6-14 record.
 
Dawn Grass leads the offensive charge for the Lions, posting a .403 batting average with six runs on 25 hits in 62 at bats. In the circle, Haley Kinnison has amassed a 4-6 record with a 4.36 ERA.
 
MSSU enters the weekend on a four game skid, dropping its last four contests Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State.
 
About Pittsburg State: Pitt State is coached by Elizabeth Economon, who is in her third year at the helm of the Gorilla Softball team. In 2013, Economon led the Gorillas to a sixth-place finish in the MIAA, earning them their first trip to the MIAA tournament since 2009.
 
The Gorillas are led by senior utility infielder Tiffany Brown, who has posted 23 runs on 27 hits in 57 at bats including 12 home runs. Brown boasts a .474 batting average and a 1.140 slugging percentage through 19 games this season.
 
Pittsburg State (11-8, 0-4 MIAA) is coming off the heels of a doubleheader loss at the hands of Central Oklahoma by scores of 7-3 and 6-2.
 
About Emporia State: The Hornets of Emporia State head into the weekend with a 21-4 overall record along with a MIAA-leading 8-0 record on the circuit. The squad has came out victorious in 9 of their last 11 games.
 
Kaitlyn Caston has been the ace for the Hornets, posting a 15-3 record with a 3.41 ERA and striking out 51 batters.
 
Taylor Reichard has the hot bat with a team leading .354 batting average to go with two homeruns and 17 RBIs.
 
About Northwest Missouri State: The Bearcats own a 6-13 overall record, 3-7 MIAA, and has added nine tallies in the loss column in their last 13 games.
 
While Chantel Adams and Stephanie Mark lead the team with 13 RBIs, Adams possesses MIAA's ninth best batting average, hitting .400 with three homeruns. Mark is right behind her with a .365 batting average and has hit four homeruns.
 
In 11 appearances NMSU's win leader, Sarah Baldwin, has a 5.98 ERA and has fanned 40 batters with her 4-4 record.
 
 
About Missouri Western State: The Griffons come into the weekend on a two-game winning streak after a double-header sweep over Southwest Baptist University this past Saturday.
 
Tiffany Gillaspy has been an offensive force, leading the team in batting average (.373) and home runs (5). She has also batted in 13 runners and stolen five bases.
 
With the MIAA-leading 1.50 ERA, Jackie Bishop owns a 10-4 record, striking out 108 batters with a .176 opponent batting average.
 
I'm Honored: Freshman Coley Ries posted a 0.50 earned run average her first two starts at the Rebel Spring Game, only giving up one run in 14 innings of work. The Eagle Lake product fanned 16 batters, walked two and held opposing batters to a .143 batting average, earning her NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 10.
 
Senior Samantha Holien was named NSIC Player of the Week on Feb. 18, for her efforts at the UAM 8-State Classic. The Forest Lake, Minn., native finished the weekend with a team-high seven RBI, to go along with 11 hits in 22 at bats for a .500 batting average. She hit two doubles and one home run, while maintaining a .727 slugging percentage.
 
Clean Sweep: The Minnesota State softball team won a share of the NSIC regular season crown and tallied four wins at the NSIC Softball Tournament, winning the tournament, marking the second consecutive year the Purple and Gold have won the regular season title and the tournament title in 2013.

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