MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State softball (9-3) will travel to Florida to compete in The Spring Games between Feb. 29 and March 7. The Mavericks will play 14 games during that stretch.
 
Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 29
vs Montana State Billings (3-6-1), 10:00 a.m.
vs Findlay (5-5), 12:15 p.m.
Friday, March 1
vs Montana State Billings (3-6-1), 8:15 a.m.
vs Bridgeport (2-2), 10:15 a.m.
Saturday, March 2
vs Notre Dame College (Ohio) (4-2), 12:30 p.m.
vs Southern New Hampshire (0-0), 3:00 p.m.
Monday, March 4
vs Ashland (3-4), 12:30 p.m.
vs Grand Valley State (6-3), 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 5
vs Edinboro (0-0), 8:00 a.m.
vs Clarion (0-4), 10:15 a.m.
Wednesday, March 6
vs Mercyhurst (1-3), 11:30 a.m.
vs Dominican University of New York (0-0), 2:15 p.m.
Thurdsay, March 7
vs Concord (7-3), 9:00 a.m.
vs Southern New Hampshire (0-0), 11:15 a.m.
 
About the Mavericks
Between the MSU Dome Tournament and the Washburn Invite, the Mavericks have gotten out to a solid 9-3 start. At the Washburn Invite, Minnesota State picked up wins against Newman, Southwest Baptist, Missouri Western and Central Missouri.

The Mavericks swept NSIC Player of the Week honors after the Washburn Invite. Gianna Lara earned NSIC Player of the Week for her excellent performance; She went 8-19 (.400/.478/.900) from the plate over the weekend. The West Des Moines, Iowa native hit her first three home runs down in Kan., including two on Saturday against Southern Baptist and Missouri Western. Overall, Lara drove in eight RBI and scoring six times.

Freshman Maddie Oetzmann was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week. She pitched 13.0 innings, allowed just three hits and no runs while striking out 14 batters at the Washburn Invite. She now has a 3-1 record on the season with a 0.63 ERA and a .81 WHIP.
Minnesota State ace McKayla Armbruster has started the 2024 season with a 4-2 record. Through 39.0 innings, she has 40 strikeouts while only allowing nine runs on the season. She has an ERA of 1.62 and a WHIP of .82.

Ellie Tallman has had an excellent start to the 2024 season. She is batting .425 with a .927 OPS. She has 17 hits, nine runs scored and four RBI. She hit a triple in a big win over Southwest Baptist.
Lara leads the team in RBI with 11. She's hit three home runs and three doubles. Kylie Sullivan has hit two homers and three doubles with a .316 batting average. She hit both of her home runs in the bottom of the first inning against Southern Baptist.

Ella Schulz is hitting .421 with a team-leading 1.297 OPS. She had a solid weekend at the Washburn Invite, driving in four RBI against Newman and hitting a home run against Missouri Western. She knocked in at least one runner in four of the Mavericks' six games down in Kansas.

Freshmen Rhyan Fritz and Izzy Hycnar have had productive beginnings to their Minnesota State career. Fritz drove in five runners between a homer and a double against Southwest Baptist. Hycnar had an excellent opening weekend, hitting three game-winning hits in the MSU Dome Tournament.

Minnesota State is led by legendary head coach, Lori Meyer, who returns for her 40th season at the helm of the Mavericks' dugout. She is the most winningest coach in NCAA Division II Softball history with a 1,380-730-3 record. Teams under Meyer have been to 17 NCAA Tournaments and three championships, including a win in 2017.
 
About the Yellowjackets
Montana State Billings, through 10 games, has gone 3-6-1. The Yellowjackets tied in their last game against Carrol College (Mont.), 9-9.

Jazlyn Kalehuawehe is the 'Jackets' leading hitter. She is batting .500 on the season with a 1.622. She's hit four home runs and has driven in seven runs. MSU Billings' best pitcher, Caitlyn James, has an ERA of 9.88. She's allowed 40 earned runs through just over 28 innings, striking out six.

The Yellowjackets' head coach, Lisa McKinney, is in her tenth season coaching MSUB. The Mavericks beat the Yellowjackets in their only matchup in 2007.
 
About the Oilers
Findlay has had a middle-of-the-road start to 2024, starting 2024 with a 5-5 record. The Oilers went 1-3 at the Blue Bridge Battle last weekend.

Findlay's leading hitter is Annika Bredel. Bredel is batting .414 with a 1.193 OPS. She's raked in a double and three triples and has driven in four runs. Lainey Bingham leads the Oilers in RBI with 12. Ace pitcher Emma Jones is 3-1 in her first four starts. She has an ERA of 4.44 and a WHIP of 1.18. Jones has struck out 16 batters and allowed 15 earned runs through 23.2 innings of work.

Danielle Lowe is in the midst of her ninth season as the Findlay softball head coach. She has an overall record of 212-146. Minnesota State won the only game played against the Oilers back in 2008.

About the Knights
Bridgeport has a 2-2 record heading into The Spring Games. The Knights lost their first two games to #3 Tampa and took down Polk State College in back-to-back games.

Angela Oros is the Knights' leading batter. Oros is batting .455 at the plate this season with a 1.091 OPS. She has driven in a team-high six runs and has hit two home runs. Kaite Burawski is the Bridgeport leading pitcher. She has an ERA of 2.15 and has struck out 23 batters this season.

The Knights are led by head coach Dawn Stearns. Stearns is in her 15^th season as head coach of Bridgeport. This will be the first game between Minnesota State and the Bridgeport Knights.
 
About the Falcons
Notre Dame College has amassed a 4-2 record. The Falcons lost two-straight games to Findlay to open the season but won all five games at the Blue Bridge Battle last weekend.

Danielle Fick and Alyssa Wahl are the leading hitters for the Falcons. Fick is batting .389 with a 1.228 OPS. She has three doubles and two triples on the season and has driven in five runs. Wahl is batting .357 with a 1.328 OPS. She has two home runs in 2024. NDC's best pitcher is Grace Fisher. Fisher, through 18 innings of work, has struck out 10 batters and has allowed just four earned runs. Fisher has an ERA of 1.56 and a WHIP of 1.17.

Kelsey Stopp is in her sixth season as head coach of Notre Dame College softball. The Mavericks and the Falcons have never played before.
 
About the Penmen
The Spring Games will be the first action of the new season for Southern New Hampshire. The Penmen went 20-22 in 2023.

Alyssa DiMauro returns as the Penmen's leading batter from 2023. She finished the season with a .336 batting average, ending with a total of 44 hits. She hit three doubles, two triples and one home run in 2023 with 16 RBI. Leine McKechnie is SNHU's best pitcher returning in 2024. She ended with a 2.91 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched.

The Penmen's head coach, Deb Robitaille, has been with the team since 2005. She has amassed a record of 438-310-1. Minnesota State is 2-0 when facing Southern New Hampshire.
 
About the Eagles
Ashland is 3-4 in 2024, now having lost three-straight games. After getting an opening win against McKendree at the Blue Bridge Battle, the Eagles lost games against Notre Dame College, Illinois Springfield and Drury.

So far this season, Lily Rockwell is leading the Eagles at the plate, with a .364 average and a .840 OPS. She has two doubles and four RBI on the season. Bryn Grabowski is the team's best pitcher so far this season, culminating a 3.86 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP while striking out seven batters in three appearances.

Emlyn Knerem is the seventh-year head coach for Ashland. The Mavericks are 10-1 against Eagles and have won the last three against Ashland.
 
About the Lakers
Grand Valley State is 6-3 in 2024. The Lakers are currently on a three-game winning streak. GVSU went 4-1 at the Lewis Dome Tournament in Illinois last weekend, including wins over Minnesota Duluth, Truman State, William Jewell and Bemidji State.

Kelsey Komorous is one of the Lakers' best hitters. She is batting .417 on the season with a 1.198 OPS. She has three doubles and one home run and has 10 RBI. Genesis Eggart is the team's leading pitcher. She has a 4-0 record with a 0.58 ERA and a.92 WHIP. Eggart has 32 strikeouts on the season and has allowed just two runs through 24 innings of play.

10^th-year head coach Dana Callihan leads the Lakers from the dugout. Callihan's teams have won 79% of their games with a 352-96 record and is a six-time GLIAC Coach of the Year winner. Minnesota State is 0-3 in games against Grand Valley State.
 
About the Fighting Scots
The Fighting Scots of Edinboro are also beginning their 2024 season at The Spring Games. Edinboro went 15-27 last season.

The best hitter for returning for the Fighting Scots is Stephanie Krick. Krick hit .308 last season, hitting seven doubles and six home runs. She finished 2023 with 19 RBI. The team's ace, Macy Sral, finished last season with an 11-7 record, a 4.22 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. She pitched 108.2 innings, allowing 51 earned runs and striking out 74 batters.

Edinboro is coached by Dan Gierlak, who enters his 32^nd year as head coach of the Fighting Scots. Minnesota State has won all four matchups against Edinboro.
 
About the Golden Eagles
Clarion has lost all four of its games in 2024. Most recently, the Golden Eagles fell to Lincoln Memorial, 9-6.
Emily Buchleitner has a .429 batting average and a 1.000 OPS so far in 2024. She has six hits, a triple and four RBI so far this season. Clarion ace Emma Hipps has a 3.23 ERA on the year with a 1.15 WHIP. She has struck out five batters and allowed six earned runs.

Marissa Pullo is the Golden Eagles' second-year head coach. This will be the first game played between Minnesota State and Clarion.
 
About the Lakers
Mercyhurst currently holds a 1-3 record in 2024. However, the Lakers have only played #10 University of Indianapolis. After being shut out in the first three games against the Greyhounds, Mercyhurst pulled out a 4-2 victory for its first win of the season.

Madison Fry-Fachet leads the Lakers at the plate, with a .333 batting average. She has two doubles so far this season. Alexa North is Mercyhurst's best pitcher so far, with eight strikeouts on the season and a 5.60 ERA.

The Lakers are coached by Leanne Baker, who enters her 11^th season as the Mercyhurst head coach. Minnesota State is 3-0 against the Lakers all-time.
 
About the Chargers
Dominican University New York will be playing its first ball of 2024 at The Spring Games. The Chargers went 11-35 in 2023.

Chloe McIntosh returns for the Chargers in 2024 after leading the team in batting last season. She hit .317 in 2023 with 45 hits, seven doubles, one homer and 14 RBI. Emily Baxter returns for Dominican after a solid freshman campaign. In 149 innings pitched, she amassed a 3.95 ERA and struck 110 hitters.

Samantha McDonald is serving as the Chargers' interim head coach. Minnesota State defeated the Chargers in the two teams' only matchup last season.
 
About the Mountain Lions
Concord is 7-3 so far in 2024. After losing their first game, the Mountain Lions won seven in a row, before recently losing two games to Carson-Newman.

Kylee Stacy has been on a tear in 2024, batting .485 with a 1.144 OPS. Stacy has two triples and five RBI this season. Lacie Lewis has three home runs for Concord, along with 11 RBI. Madison Hollis is 3-1 to start the season. Hollis has a 3.10 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP with 17 K's through four appearances.

Concord's head coach is Alyssa Morris, who is in her third season at the helm of Concord softball. The Mavericks are 3-0 against the Mountain Lions.
 
About the Vulcans
The Vulcans are beginning their 2024 season at The Spring Games. The California, Pa. softball team went 27-24 in 2023.

Kaitlyn Achtermeier was the Vulcans' best hitter in 2023 and returns for her junior season. She hit .382 with a 1.001 OPS last season. She finished with 16 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 40 RBI. Another junior, Caleigh Rister, went 12-7 last season. She ended 2023 with a 2.12 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, 100 punch outs and 43 earned runs allowed in 141.2 innings pitched.

Rick Bertagnolli is the Vulcans' long time head coach. Bertagnolli enters his 37^th season in 2024, culminating in a 922-345 record over those seasons. Minnesota State is 5-2 against California, Pa. Las season, when these two teams faced off, the Vulcans bested the Mavericks 6-2.