MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team will return to action this weekend as it travels to St. Joseph, Mo., for five games in the Hy-Vee Softball Classic. Friday, the Mavericks with take on the Emporia State Hornets and the Northeastern State RiverHawks, Saturday they will take on the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats and the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos and Sunday Minnesota State will face off against the Missouri Western State Griffons.

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (7-2, 0-0 NSIC) went 4-1 two weekends ago in the Emporia State Classic with wins over Southwest Baptist, Washburn, Missouri-St. Louis and Missouri Southern and the lone loss coming at the hands of the University of Illinois Springfield.

Impact Mavericks: In the opening weeks of the 2021 season, junior Torey Richards is leading the Maverick offense batting .483 with 14 hits including three doubles and a triple to with four RBI. Senior Carly Esselman is the second leading hitter for Minnesota State batting .464 with 13 hits, six doubles and five RBI. Senior Hannah McCarville is leading the team in RBI with nine while batting .458 and two homeruns.

In the circle Mackenzie Ward is 4-2 with a 1.27 ERA with 62 strikeouts while McKayla Armbruster is 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

Scouting Emporia State: Emporia State is located in Emporia, Kan., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Hornets are 10-2 (0-0 MIAA) to start the season and are led by sixth year head coach April Rosales

Friday's game will be the 24th all-time meeting between the two programs with the Hornets having won the last game 4-3 during the 2020 season.

Scouting Northeastern State: Northeastern State is located in Tahlequah, Okla., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The RiverHawks are currently 12-6 (2-2 MIAA) on the season and are led by ninth year head coach Clay Davis.

Friday's game will be the fifth between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 2-0 win for the Mavericks during the 2019 season.

Northwest Missouri State: Northwest Missouri State is located in Maryville, Mo., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Bearcats currently have a record of 5-3 (0-0 GLVC) and are led by 15th year head coach Ryan Anderson.

Saturday's game will be the 28th between these two programs with a 21-6 advantage in favor of Minnesota State, the most recent of which was an 8-0 win for the Mavericks during the 2020 season.

Scouting Central Oklahoma: The University of Central Oklahoma is located in Edmond, Okla., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Bronchos are currently 12-4 (5-1 MIAA) and are led by eighth year head coach Cody White.

Saturday's game will be the seventh between these two programs with Minnesota State holding a 5-1 advantage. The most recent game was a 10-2 win for the Mavericks during the 2018 softball season.

Scouting Missouri Western State: Missouri Western State is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Griffons are currently 9-1 (0-0 MIAA) and are led by 20th year head coach Jen Bagley Trotter.

Sunday's game will be the 31st between these two programs, the most recent of which was an 4-2 win for the Mavericks during the 2020 softball season.

Looking Ahead: After this weekend's slate of games, the Mavericks will open NSIC conference play with a pair of games on the road against Concordia-St. Paul, scheduled for Tuesday, March 30, with first pitch in game one scheduled for 2:00 p.m.