MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team will continue its season, as the Mavericks head into the NSIC Tournament this week. The Mavericks earned the #3 overall seed in the double elimination tournament after ending their regular season with 35-21 overall record and a 20-10 record in NSIC play. 

MSU will face-off with the #6 seed in the tournament in Upper Iowa (23-28, 18-12 NSIC) on Thursday at 12 p.m. The tournament will take place in Sioux Falls, S.D. at Sherman Park fields. If the Mavericks win, they will then play at 12 p.m. on Friday against either Winona State or the higher winning seed from games 1 and 2. If MSU happens to fall to Upper Iowa, the Mavericks will then play later on Thursday at 4 p.m. against either St. Cloud State or Sioux Falls. 


From Last Week: The Mavericks posted a 3-3 record last week to finish out their regular season schedule. MSU swept past Southwest Minnesota State on the road during the middle of the week with the scores being 3-0 and 6-1. On the weekend, the Mavericks got swept by #11 Augustana at home, before splitting with Wayne State on Sunday at the MSU Softball Diamond.

Freshman Jordan Mauch led all batters with a .500 (7-14) batting average, including two doubles, while redshirt freshman Alyssa Rickels batted .375 (6-16) from the plate. Rickels also added three RBI, two runs, two doubles, one walk and one stolen base. Junior Emily Bransky had another solid performance this past week, as she accumulated a .350 (7-20) batting average from the plate to go along with four stolen bases, three runs scored and two RBI.

Sophomore Ashley Thell batted .316 (6-19) and recorded three RBI, three stolen bases, two runs and two walks. Junior Tatum Klein led the Mavericks with five stolen bases on five attempts, while sophomore Molly Sager led MSU with two home runs last week.

Sophomore pitcher Coley Ries led the pitching staff with a 0.58 ERA in 24 innings of work. She earned a 2-1 record in three games started and collected three complete games. Ries struck out 29 batters and held opposing batters to a .165 batting average. She gave up just two earned runs all week. The Mankato East product also became the single season strikeout record holder in last Saturday's game against #11 Augustana. She surpassed Kendra Huettl on the list as Ries currently has 260 strikeouts this season.

Freshman pitcher Libby Bemis went 1-2 in three appearances this past week, as she tallied a 2.19 ERA in 16 innings pitched. She also posted 11 strikeouts and one complete game.

About Upper Iowa: The Peacocks ended their season with a 23-28 overall record and a 18-12 record in NSIC play. UIU is coached by Amanda Bradberry, who is in her second season on the job. 

Thursday's game between UIU and MSU, will mark as the 19th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Mavericks currently hold a 16-2 overall record against the Peacocks. The two teams split earlier this year in doubleheader action in Fayette, Iowa.  

MSU lost game one in the twinbill, 10-4, as the Mavericks scored the game's first four runs before surrendering 10 straight runs to the Peacocks. Coley Ries took the loss in the game as she gave up all 10 runs in 5.2 innings of work.

The Mavericks got some revenge in game two over UIU, with the score being 6-0. Libby Bemis earned the shut out victory as she pitched all seven innings, struck out four batters and gave up just three hits. In the game, Molly Sager went 2-3 from the plate, including a solo home run, while Emily Bransky went 3-4 from the plate and added two RBI and one run scored.

Upper Iowa is batting .299 this season and is averaging 4.76 runs a game. The Peacocks  hold a .443 slugging percentage and a .360 on-base percentage. UIU has stolen 56 bases and has belted 41 home runs this season, which places them fifth in the NSIC.

UIU owns a 4.70 team ERA in 51 games played. The pitching staff averages 4.16 strikeouts a game and give up 9.21 hits a game.  The Peacocks have 190 total strikeouts on the season and are holding opposing batters to a .310 batting average.

The Peacocks are led by Jacqueline Flood who leads the team in both hitting and pitching. From the plate, Flood leads the team with a .429 batting average, .718 slugging percentage, 67 hits, 51 RBI, 43 runs and a tied for a team-leading 10 home runs. She also has nine doubles, nine walks and three triples on the year. Flood currently ranks fourth in the NSIC in slugging percentage, fifth in both on-base percentage (.494) and RBI, sixth in batting average and eight in total bases (112).

From the circle, Flood owns a 13-12 record in 32 appearances and leads UIU with a 3.51 ERA, 163.1 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts.

Senior Whitney Williams is batting .327 from the plate and leads the team with 12 stolen bases and 19 doubles. Junior Erica Kirgan is batting .310 this season, while raking in 10 home runs and 38 RBI so far.

How We Stack Up: As a team, the Mavericks   offensively sit first in the NSIC in triples (24) second in stolen bases (153), hits (484), fourth in batting average (.318), doubles (73), on base percentage (.372), total bases (680), fifth in runs scored (268) and sixth RBI (231) and slugging percentage (.447).

Pitching wise, MSU ranks first in the conference in innings pitched (375.1), second in strikeouts (393) and opposing batting average (.237) and fourth in ERA (2.78).

Individually Speaking: Junior Tatum Klein places in the top-ten in a variety of categories in the NSIC. She ranks first in stolen bases (44) and total plate appearances (215), tied for third in triples (5), fourth in hits (83), eighth in runs scored (44) and batting average (.411).

Freshman Jess Meidl finds herself ranked tied for third in triples (5) and fourth in stolen bases (29). 

Sophomore Dana Mogren is tied for tenth in doubles with 13.

Junior Emily Bransky is tied for fifth in the NSIC in stolen bases with 25, tenth in batting average (.394) and tied for tenth in triples (3).

Sophomore Ashley Thell is tied for seventh with 14 doubles.

Sophomore Samantha Buhmann is tied for tenth with three triples.

Sophomore Coley Ries finds herself in the top-ten of a number of categories. Ries ranks tied for first in strikeouts (260), second in opposing batting average (.214), fifth in innings pitched (198.0), sixth in ERA (2.47) and wins (19).

Freshman pitcher Libby Bemis ranks eight in opposing batting average (.247) and ninth in ERA (2.56). 

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