Mankato, Minn. --- The #18 ranked Minnesota State softball team returns to the diamond Thursday as they prepare for another trifecta of NSIC opponents. The Mavericks begin the week against the Cougars of Sioux Falls as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a doubleheader at Sherman Park with first pitches slated for 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m., Then, Minnesota State returns home to the MSU Softball Complex for a pair of doubleheaders against Northern State with first pitches set for 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the Mavericks welcome the Dragons of MSU Moorhead to town with first pitches set for 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.

Mavericks at a Glance: Minnesota State (32-10, 14-4 NSIC) begins the week ranked as the #18 team in the NFCA Coaches Poll. The Mavericks went 6-0 last week in their trio of NSIC doubleheaders. On Tuesday, Minnesota State traveled to Upper Iowa University as they took on the Peacocks. The Mavericks got the sweep with a game one win, with a final score of 8-1. In an eight inning slugfest, MSU prevailed with a final score of 12-11. Then on Friday, the Mavericks hosted the Golden Eagles of Minnesota Crookston inside the Mavericks All-Sports Dome. In game one, MSU took down the Golden Eagles 7-0 and followed it up with a 6-1 win. In the weekend finale on Saturday, Minnesota State hosted the Beavers of Bemidji State once again in the Mavericks All-Sports Dome and completed the perfect week with a 1-0 win and a 2-0 win in game two for the perfect 6-0 record.

Scouting University of Sioux Falls: Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Cougars currently own an 17-17 (5-8 NSIC) record and are 11th in the NSIC. Sioux Falls is led by head coach Shannon Pivovar (4th season).

Thursday's games mark the 16th and 17th all-time meetings between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 1-0 win for the Mavericks on May 9, 2021.

Scouting Northern State: Northern State University is located in Aberdeen S.D., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Wolves currently own an 10-28 (2-14 NSIC) record and are last in the NSIC standings. The Wolves are led by head coach Ashley Schilling (1st season).

Saturday's games mark the 28th and 29th all-time meetings between these two programs, the most recent of which was an 3-2 win for Minnesota State on April 26, 2019.

Scouting MSU Moorhead: MSU Moorhead is located in Moorhead, Minn., and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Dragons currently own an 6-26 (3-13 NSIC) record and are 15th in the NSIC standings. The Dragons are led by head coach Mike Armitage (1st season).

Sunday's games will be the 54th and 55th meetings between these two programs, the most recent of which was a 9-1 win for the Mavericks on May 1, 2021.

1,000 K's: Senior pitcher Mackenzie Ward recorded her 1,000th career strike out against Bemidji State last Saturday inside the Mavericks All-Sports Dome. Ward is the second Maverick all-time to reach this mark. The only other Maverick pitcher to reach this mark was Coley Ries (2013-17) who recorded 1,418 strikeouts during her time as a Maverick.

K's For Days: Mackenzie Ward is currently sixth in the nation and is second in  the NSIC with 220 strikeouts in 27 appearances. Ward is third in the country and first in the NSIC in earned run average with 0.74, allowing just 16 earned runs in 151.2 innings pitched. Ward has held opposing batters to an average of .153 which leads the NSIC. Her 21 wins is leading the conference and tied for second in the NCAA. Ward has also been named NSIC Pitcher of the Week the last six out of seven weeks. She has been named Pitcher of the Week 14 times in her career.

Stat Pack: Ellie Tallman leads the Mavericks and is 10th in the NSIC in hitting with a .420 average and 18 runs batted in and leads the team in on-base percentage with .474. Madi Newman and Torey Richards lead the team in RBI as they have each drove in 31 and 24 runs, respectively. Madi Newman also leads the team in homers with six. Richards now ranks 10th all-time in hits as a Maverick. Richards surpassed Kelly Wood (2011-14) who had 224 career hits with her three-hit performance in game one of against the Peacocks last Thursday. In the pitching department, Mackenzie Ward is leading the way with a team best 21-3 record and 0.74 ERA. Ward owns a team high 220 strikeouts thus far. In the 151.2 innings pitched she has only given up 29 runs (16 earned) on 80 hits. Ward has only walked 42 batters. Sydney Nielsen & Hailey Forshee have the hot hands in the field. Nielsen has 167 put outs with no errors for a perfect fielding percentage with one double play. Forshee has 273 put outs with only two errors for a .993 fielding percentage. She has assisted in turning nine double plays for Minnesota State so far in the 2022 campaign.

Record Setter: With the Mavericks win over Stonehill College March 10, head coach Lori Meyer (1,313) earned her 1,300-career win. Meyer, who began her coaching career at MSU in 1985, entered 2022 as the winningest active coach in NCAA Division II. She is only the second coach in the history of NCAA DII softball to win at least 1,300 games, trailing only Gary Bryce, who had 1,340 wins at Wayne State (Mich.) in a career that spanned 1982-2021.

Minnesota State History: The 2022 season marks the 49th season of Maverick softball. MSU owns an all-time record of 1,422-802-7 (.637) in 2,232 games, and has four North Central Conference (NCC) titles (1984, 1987, 1989, 2007), five  NSIC titles (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) and 17 appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (1984, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) to its credit. The Mavericks claimed their first National Championship in 2017 after defeating No. 1 Angelo State, 5-1, on May 29, 2017, in Salem, Va. 


Looking Ahead: Up next,  the Mavericks enter the final week of the regular season as they begin by hosting Winona State University at the MSU Softball Complex with first pitches set for 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively. The Mavericks then hit the road for the final two doubleheaders of the regular season at UMary and Minot State with first pitches for these games set 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively.