MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State softball (26-8, 6-2 NSIC) will host Sioux Falls (14-15, 5-3 NSIC), Bemidji State (8-21, 2-4 NSIC) and Minnesota Crookston (8-22, 1-5 NSIC) all this week.
 
Schedule
Wednesday, April 3
vs Sioux Falls, 11:30 a.m.
vs Sioux Falls, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 6
vs Bemidji State, 12 p.m.
vs Bemidji State, 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 7
vs Minnesota Crookston, 12 p.m.
vs Minnesota Crookston, 2 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
After losing its first two conference games to MSU Moorhead, Minnesota State has won six-straight games against NSIC opponents. The Mavericks had a great weekend, winning all four games against both UMary and Minot State. The team outscored opponents 25-2 last weekend.
 
The team sits in third place in the NSIC, with a 6-2 conference record, sitting behind Augustana and Concordia-St. Paul.
 
Minnesota State has seven players hitting over .300 in 2024. Junior outfielder Marina Carter leads the team with a .403 batting average, with an on-base percentage of .463. Kylie Sullivan is batting .385; she leads the team in hits with 40, triples with four, and OPS with a 1.084. Sullivan is tied with Gianna Lara with four home runs on the season. Lara is batting .343 with a .959 OPS and is tied with freshman Courtney Kessler with eight doubles. Lara also leads the team with 30 RBI.
 
Speaking of freshmen, underclassmen are a vital part of this team. Kessler is batting .349 to start her career, raking in 30 hits and driving in 24 runners so far. Rhyan Fritz, another incoming freshman, is batting .344 with a .971 OPS. She has six doubles, a triple and two homers this season, along with 16 RBI.
 
Ellie Tallman is batting .364 this season, with 39 hits and 10 RBI. She has four multi-hit games so far in conference play this season. Courtney Baxter is hitting .329 and has eight extra-base hits and 15 RBI.
 
The Mavericks have two aces, who have been vital to the team's success. Fifth-year graduate student McKayla Armbruster has been excellent this season. She is 11-4 in 16 starts with an ERA of 1.63 and a WHIP of 1.00. She has struck out 92 batters this season while allowing just 25 runs in 94.1 innings. Another impactful freshman, Maddie Oetzmann, is having a great start to her career. Oetzmann is 13-1 in 15 starts, with a 0.92 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. She is 62 K's and 17 runs allowed in 2024. Oetzmann has earned NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors twice in her young career already.
 
Overall, the team is batting .319 at the plate, with 75 extra base hits. Opponents are batting just .223 against MSU. The Mavericks have only given up 42 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 1,386-732-3 record. Teams under Meyer have been to 17 NCAA Tournaments and three championships, including a win in 2017.
 

About the Cougars
Sioux Falls is one game under .500, sitting at 14-15. The Cougars are 5-3 in conference play, most recently losing to Minnesota Crookston after winning five-straight games. The team is currently sixth in the NSIC.
 
As a team, the Cougars are batting .288 at the plate, with 57 extra base hits, including 39 doubles and 13 home runs. USF Pitchers have allowed 102 earned runs in 2024 and have struck out a total of 123 batters. Teams hit .279 against the Cougars.
 
The Cougars' best hitter is Riley Schwisow, who is batting an outstanding .443 in 2024 with an OPS of 1.315. She has 39 hits, six doubles, two triples and eight home runs. The freshman has 33 RBI in her young career.
 
Sioux Falls' ace is Maddi Duncan, who is 10-4 in 15 starts. She has an ERA of 2.99 and a WHIP of 1.20. She has 81 strikeouts on the season and has allowed 35 runs.
 
The Cougars are coached by first-year head coach Erin Bly. She was formerly at Briar Cliffy University in Sioux City, Iowa.
 
Minnesota State dominates the all-time series against Sioux Falls, winning 18 of 20 matchups against the Cougars. The Mavericks have won two-straight against USF.
 

About the Beavers
The Beavers have struggled out of the gates, starting 8-21 with a 2-4 conference record.
 
The team is hitting .266 as a team, with 25 extra-base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .333 against Bemidji State, with 190 runs scored against the Beavers.
 
Jackie Larsen and Alexa Christenson are the leading batters for BSU, hitting .338 and .337, respectively. They have combined for 50 hits and five doubles this season. Each of the Beavers has 14 RBI.
 
Bemidji State is coached by Jordan Peterson, who is in her third season as the head coach of the Beavers.
 
Minnesota State leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 37-2. Despite the domination in the series, the Mavericks lost the last game against the Beavers, losing 9-4 last season.
 

About the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston is 8-22 in 2024, with a 1-5 NSIC record.
 
The team is batting .244, with 41 extra-base hits in 2024. The pitching staff allows opponents to hit .346 against them and has given up 187 runs this season.
 
Whitnee Curry is the best hitter for the Golden Eagles. She is hitting .310 with 27 hits and 12 RBI. Shaelyn Grant is hitting .303 with eight home runs and 22 RBI.
 
Nick Weinmeister is the head coach for the Minnesota Crookston softball team. He is in his third year as head coach of the Golden Eagles.
 
Minnesota State is 25-1 against Minnesota Crookston. The Mavericks have never lost to the Golden Eagles at home.