MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State softball team (20-6) hosts MSU Moorhead (13-9) and Northern State (14-6). This is the first weekend of conference play in the 2024 season for the Mavericks. All games will be held in the MSU All Sports Dome in Mankato.
 
Schedule
Friday, March 22
vs Minnesota State Moorhead (13-9), 11:30 a.m.
vs Minnesota State Moorhead, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 23
vs Northern State (14-6), 12:30 p.m.
vs Northern State, 2:30 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
Minnesota State had a great showing at The Spring Games, going 11-3 over the course of a week down in sunny Florida. The Mavericks began their time at the tournament with seven straight wins, capped off by a 3-2 over Ashland in extra innings.
 
The team is 20-6 heading into conference play, the best record in the NSIC.
 
Gianna Lara is the leading hitter for the Mavericks. So far in 2024, Lara is batting .385 with a 1.090 OPS. She's hit seven doubles, four home runs and has driven in 26 RBI. The West Des Moines native was named the NSIC Player of the Week in late February, after going 8-20 from the plate, hitting three home runs and eight RBI.
 
Speaking of conference honors, freshman pitcher Maddie Oetzmann has earned NSIC Pitcher of the Week twice already in her young career. Oetzmann is 9-1 and in nearly 59 innings of work has an ERA of just 0.60 and a .84 WHIP. The freshman has struck out 52 batters while only allowing five earned runs in 2024. Opponents are hitting just .142 against the Urbandale, Iowa native, the lowest in the NSIC.
 
The Mavericks are fortunate enough to have another ace on the roster. McKayla Armbruster is 9-3 this season, pitching a team-high 67.2 innings. She has struck out a team-high 68 batters while walking just six. Armbruster has a 1.45 ERA and a .92 WHIP in 2024.
 
Other than Lara, Minnesota State has three players hitting above .350. Senior Courtney Baxter is hitting .359 with 23 hits, six doubles, one triple and 11 RBI. Leadoff batter Kylie Sullivan is hitting .358 for the Mavericks with a 1.046 OPS. Sullivan has four doubles, two triples and four home runs this season, along with 14 RBI.
 
Freshmen Courtney Kessler and Rhyan Fritz are also having solid starts to their Maverick careers. Kessler is batting .356 with 21 hits and five doubles and has driven in 16 runners. Fritz, in 15 games played, is batting .375 with a 1.132 OPS. She has 15 hits, six doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI so far in 2024. Izzy Hycnar, another freshman teammate, had a big opening weekend at the MSU Dome Tournament, as she hit three clutch hits for Minnesota State.
 
Overall, the team is batting .315 at the plate, with 60 extra base hits. Opponents are batting just .203 against MSU. The Mavericks have only given up 24 extra base hits all season.
 
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 Dragons
Minnesota State Moorhead is 13-9 heading into conference play. The Dragons currently sit at seventh in the NSIC rankings.
 
As a team, the Dragons are batting .263 at the plate, with 41 extra base hits, including 33 doubles. MSUM Pitchers have allowed 68 earned runs in 2024 and have struck out a total of 100 batters. Teams hit .273 against the Dragons.
 
MSU Moorhead's two best hitters are Chloe Makinney and Azalya Lopez. Makinney is batting .364 in 2024. She has three doubles and nine RBI on the season. Lopez is batting .359 with an OPS of .932. She has hit three doubles, two triples and one homer this season, driving in a team-high 17 RBI.
 
Lopez is also the Dragons' ace. She has amassed a 2.45 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. She is 6-4 in 12 appearances. In nearly 49 innings of work, Lopez has struck out 44 batters while walking just nine.
 
The Dragons are coached by Mike Armitage, who is in his third season as the head coach at MSU Moorhead. Armitage led his team to a 30-16 overall record last season, the most wins in a season for the program since 2007.
 
The Mavericks dominate the all-time series against the Dragons, holding a 48-8-1 record against MSU Moorhead. The Mavericks won 30-consecutive games against the Dragons, until MSUM beat the Mavericks 13-3 last season in late April.
 
 
About the Wolves
Northern State enters the first weekend of NSIC play with a 14-6 record, currently sitting solid at fourth in the conference.
 
The Wolves are hitting an outstanding .342 as a team in 2024, with 49 extra base hits and 116 total RBI. Teams are hitting just .244 against Northern State pitching, as the Wolves have limited opponents to just 20 extra base hits this season.
 
NSU has four players hitting above .400 so far this season. Lexi Chase is the team's leading hitter, batting .468 with a 1.157 OPS. She has 22 hits, two doubles, three triples and 12 RBI. Elly Smith is batting .463 with a 1.091 OPS. In 2024, Smith has six doubles and a team-high 18 RBI.
 
Northern State has several pitchers that start. Freshman Taylor Coleman has been impressive early in her career. In just five appearances, Coleman has 41 strikeouts. Mckenzie Wanner has started the most games for the Wolves (6) and has a 2.42 ERA on the season.
 
Another third-year head coach, Ashley Schilling is the softball head coach for Northern State. So far, Schilling has a 40-78 record with the Wolves.
 
The Mavericks are 24-7 all-time against the Wolves. Northern State bested Minnesota State in the last matchup, winning 4-2 in late April.