MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team will finish out its regular season schedule this week with three doubleheaders on tap. The Mavericks will begin the week with a doubleheader on Wednesday against Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, Minn., with first pitch set for 2 p.m. This weekend, MSU will host #9 Augustana on Saturday, before Wayne State comes to town on Sunday. Both doubleheaders are set to begin at 12 p.m.

Upcomng Games:
 

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
4/22	Southwest Minnesota State	Marshall, Minn.	2 p.m./4 p.m.
4/25	#9 Augustana	Mankato, Minn.	12 p.m./2 p.m.
4/26	Wayne State	Mankato, Minn.	12 p.m./2 p.m.

From Last Weekend: The Mavericks went 3-1 this past weekend in the Peace Garden State, as they split with the University of Mary and swept Minot State. After last weekend's slate of games, MSU improved its record to 32-18 overall and 17-7 in NSIC play.

Over the weekend freshman Jess Meidl batted .500 (6-12) from the plate, inlcuding one home run. Meidl also collected three RBI, three runs scored, two stolen bases and one walk. Sophomore Dana Mogren posted a .400 (6-15) average from the plate and tied for a team-high with five RBI along with one home run. Mogren also picked up four runs scored and two stolen bases, while junior Tatum Klein led the Mavericks with three stolen bases. Sophomores Molly Sager and Ashley Thell also notched a home run a piece, with Sager adding three RBI and Thell recording five RBI to her stat sheet.

Sophomore pitcher Coley Ries and freshman pitcher Libby Bemis each posted a 2.15 ERA over the weekend, as Ries tallied a 2-0 record in a 13 innings of work. Ries also fanned 14 batters and held her opponents to a .229 batting average. Bemis went 1-1 in 13 innings pitched and two complete games. Bemis also posted eight strikeouts and just one walk.

About SMSU: The Mustangs enter the week with a 25-21 overall record and a 14-10 record in NSIC play. SMSU is coached by Jamie Dunn, who is currnetly in her second season at the helm. The Mavericks hold a 56-22 all-time record against the Mustangs.

Senior Katelyn Kalkman leads the team with .349 batting average, 51 hits and 32 runs, while junior Jazmyne Neely sits right behind with .343 average from the plate. Senior Alysse Luttmann leads the Mustangs from the base paths, as she owns a team-leading 14 stolen bases on the season. Sophomore Taylor Koloc owns a team-leading 11 doubles on the season, while junior Madisson Chadwick leads the Mustangs with 29 RBI.  

Sophomore pitcher Alex O'Connoer owns a 17-13 record this season, as she owns team-highs of 34 appearances, 22 complete games, 185 innings pitched and a 3.25 ERA. She has also fanned 126 batters and is holding her opponents to a 2.91 batting average. Freshman Erin McDurmont holds a 6-2 record in 19 appearances for the Mustangs and has struck out 31 batters this season.

About #9 Augustana: The Vikings currently hold a 41-7 overall record and a 22-2 record in conference play. Augie is coached by Greta Melsted, who is currently in her ninth season at the job. The Vikings own a 61-57 all-time record against the Mavericks, as MSU has been winners in four of the last six meetings between the two schools.

The Vikings currently lead the NSIC in batting average (.350), slugging percentage (.575), on-base percentage (.426), runs scored (341), hits (456), RBI (321), doubles (83), home runs (68), total bases (749) and walks (140). 

Augie also tops the conference in team ERA (2.05), opossing batting average (.228) and total strikeouts (367). 

The Vikings are led by NISC Preseason Player of the Year in senior Jenelle Trautmann. She currently leads the conference in a number of categories including slugging percentage (.992), on-base percentage (.603), RBI (64), home runs (19), and walks (38). Trautmann also ranks third in the NSIC with a .472 batting average. 

Sophomore Sarah Kennedy leads the Vikings with a .524 batting average, which also leads the conference. Kennedy also leads the conference with 86 hits, 22 doubles, and 151 total bases. She places second in the NSIC with a .921 slugging percentage, .553 on-base percentage, 54 runs scored and 60 RBI. Senior Caitlin Nichol owns a .458 batting average which is good enough for fourth in the NSIC and leads the conference with 69 runs scored. Nichol sits in second in the conference with  17 home runs and 132 total bases and third with a .852 slugging percentage and .538 on-base percentage.

Not only from the plate, but from the pitchers circle Trautmann leads the way.  She holds a 24-2 record this season in 33 appearance, while posting a 1.92 ERA, 231 strikeouts and a .204 opposing batting average.  Trautmann ranks first in the NSIC in opposing batting average and wins, tied for first in strikeouts, and second in ERA.

Junior pitcher Carley Pickett owns a 13-4 record on the season in 30 appearances. She has pitched in 104 innings of work, while striking out 104 batters and recording a 2.36 ERA which ranks fourth in the NSIC.

About Wayne State: The Wildcats own a 29-17 overall record and a 14-10 record in NSIC play, including a recent sweep over Minnesota Duluth.  WSC is coached by Shelli Manson, who is in her first year at the helm. The Mavericks own a 26-6 all-time record against the Wildcats.

The Wildcats are led by junior Lexie Loos who leads the team with a .473 batting average, 49 runs, 80 hits, five triples and eight steals onthe season. Loss has also recorded 14 RBI, 12 doubles and five walks. Kaitli Williams is second on the team with a .396 batting average and leads the team with 40 RBI, 15 doubles and 14 walks. Williams was most recently named NSIC player of the Week from last week as she hit .500 (14-28) for the week with three home runs and eight RBI. Her 14 hits were tied for second best in the NSIC last week, while she led the league in total bases with 28.

Senior pitcher Kelcie Bormann leads the Wildcats pitching staff with a 15-8 record and a 2.66 ERA on the season. She has also posted team-highs of 155.1 innings pitched, 167 strikeouts, and a .233 opposing batting average. Bormann ranks fourth in the NSIC in strikeouts, fifth in opposing batting average, eight in both ERA and innings pitched and finally tied for ninth in wins. 

How We Stack Up: As a team, the Mavericks   offensively sit first in the NSIC in triples (23) second in sac flies (15), stolen bases (135), hits (432), third in batting average (.318),  fourth in doubles (66), on base percentage (.375), runs scored (249), total bases (610) and fifth in slugging percentage (.446) and RBI (212).

Pitching wise, MSU ranks first in the conference in innings pitched (335.1), second in strikeouts (353) and opposing batting average (.239) and fourth in ERA (2.96).

Individually Speaking: Junior Tatum Klein places in the top-ten in a variety of categories in the NSIC. She ranks first in stolen bases (42) and total plate appearances (192), third in hits (77) tied for fifth in triples (4), sixth in runs scored (44), and eighth in batting average (.425).

Freshman Jess Meidl finds herself ranked tied for second in triples (5) and tied for fourth in stolen bases (24). 

Sophomore Dana Mogren is tied for tenth in doubles with 12.

Junior Emily Bransky is tied for fourth in the NSIC in stolen bases with 24 and tied for ninth in triples (3).

Both sophomore's Ashley Thell and Molly Sager are tied for eighth in sac flies with three a piece.

Sophomore Samantha Buhmann is tied for ninth with three triples.

Sophomore Coley Ries finds herself in the top-ten of a number of categories. Ries ranks tied for first in strikeouts (231), second in opposing batting average (.220), fourth in innings pitched (174.0), tied for sixth in wins (17) and tenth in ERA (2.74).

Freshman pitcher Libby Bemis ranks sixth in both ERA (2.61) and opposing batting average (.241) and finally tied for ninth in wins (15).

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