MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team will continue NSIC play with a road trip to Sioux Falls, S.D., this Wednesday for a pair of games with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.  The Mavericks will then return home for a doubleheader with Northern State Saturday with first pitch at 1:00 p.m., before wrapping up the regular season with a Sunday doubleheader against MSU Moorhead for senior day with first pitch scheduled for noon.  
 
Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (29-17, 14-10 NSIC) went 6-0 last week with a two game sweeps over Upper Iowa, Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.  The six wins extend the Maverick win streak to seven straight games.

Impact Mavericks: Junior infielder Amber Kral leads Minnesota State in batting average hitting .369 from the plate and is tied for second in RBI with 24 on the season.  Emma Schifferle leads the team in RBI with 29 and home runs with seven.  

Sophomore pitcher Mackenzie Ward leads the Mavericks with 15 wins and currently holds a 2.50 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .216 average.  Ward was named NSIC Pitcher of the Week after going 3-0 with a save and a .96 ERA last week, the second time this season she has earned the award.

Scouting Sioux Falls: Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Cougars are 23-22 (13-11 NSIC) on the season.  Sioux Falls is led by first year head coach Shannon Pivovar.

The Cougars are led by Lexie Swift who is batting .374 and has 28 runs scored and 19 RBI on the season.  Kerrigan Hoshaw leads Sioux Falls in wins with nine on the season and a 3.35 ERA.

Wednesday's games mark the 12th and 13th meetings between the teams and two seasons ago the Mavericks and Cougars split their two-game series.   

Scouting Northern State: Northern State is located in Aberdeen, S.D., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).    The Wolves are currently 18-28 (10-14 NSIC) on the season and are led by second year head coach Jenny Fuller.  

Northern State is led on offense by Kennady Thompson who is batting .401 on the season with 31 RBI. Andrea Cherney leads the way with a 2.41 era and a 9-11 record.  

These games mark the 25th and 26th all-time meetings between the two teams and last season the Wolves swept the Mavericks 4-1 and 1-0.  

Scouting MSU Moorhead: Minnesota State Moorhead is located in Moorhead, Minn., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).    The Dragons are currently 13-28 (7-17 NSIC) on the season and are led by first year head coach Amanda Reckamp.  

MSU Moorhead is led on offense by Elizabeth Johnson who is batting .333 on the season with 22 runs scored and 15 RBI. Becky Berth leads the way with a 3.68 era and a 10-17 record.  

These games mark the 46th and 47th all-time meetings between the two teams and last season the Mavericks swept the Dragons with 10-0 and 4-0 wins.

Looking Ahead: The Mavericks will have their NSIC Tournament round one opponent determined this weekend before the event begins Thursday, May 2, in Rochester, Minn.