MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team will return to action this weekend as it travels to Emporia, Kan., for five games in the Emporia State Softball Classic. Friday, the Mavericks with take on the Southwest Baptist Bearcats and the Washburn Ichabods, Saturday they will take on the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons and the University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars and Sunday Minnesota State will face off against the Missouri Southern Lions.

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (3-1, 0-0 NSIC) went 3-1 two weekends ago in the Minnesota State DII Softball Classic with a pair of wins over the Lewis University Flyers and a nonconference split with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

Impact Mavericks: In the early going of the 2021 season, junior Torey Richards is leading the Maverick offense batting .500 with six hits including two doubles and a triple to with a pair of RBI. Freshman Kylie Sullivan has made an immediate impact batting .444 with four hits, a triple, a homer and four runs scored.

In the circle, Mackenzie Ward is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA with 28 strikeouts while McKayla Armbruster is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and six strikeouts.

Scouting Southwest Baptist: Southwest Baptist is located in Bolivar, Mo., and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Bearcats are 0-4 (0-0 GLVC) to start the season and are led by first year head coach Chad Kerr.

Friday's game will be the second all-time meeting between the two programs with the Mavericks having won the last game 3-0 during the 2018 season.

Scouting Washburn: Washburn is located in Topeka, Kan., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Ichabods are currently 7-2 (0-0 MIAA) on the season and are led by fifth year head coach Brenda Holaday.

Friday's game will be the 21st between these two programs with an even 10-10 record between them. The most recent game was a 7-1 win for the Mavericks during the 2020 season.

Scouting Missouri-St. Louis: Missouri-St. Louis is located in St. Louis, Mo., and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Tritons currently have a record of 3-3 (0-0 GLVC) and are led by fifth year head coach Amanda Scott.

Saturday's game will be the seventh between these two programs with a 5-1 advantage in favor of Minnesota State, the most recent of which was an 10-2 loss for the Mavericks during the 2015 season.

Scouting University of Illinois Springfield: The University of Illinois Springfield is located in Springfield, Ill., and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The Prairie Stars fare currently 1-8 (0-0 GLVC) and are led by seventh year head coach Shannon Guthrie.

Saturday's game will be the third between these two programs with Minnesota State having won both and the most recent was a 3-1 win for the Mavericks during the 1994 softball season.

Scouting Missouri Southern: Missouri Southern is located in Joplin, Mo., and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The Lions are currently 3-1 (0-0 MIAA) and are led by third year head coach Hallie Blackney.

Sunday's game will be the 11th between these two programs, the most recent of which was an 5-4 loss for the Mavericks during the 2020 softball season.

Looking Ahead: After this weekend's slate of games, the Mavericks travel to St. Joseph, Mo., the weekend of March 19-21, to participate in the Hy-Vee Softball Classic.  Minnesota State will play two games Friday and Saturday and will finish the weekend with a single game scheduled for Sunday.