MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State softball (37-13, 17-7 NSIC) wraps up the 2024 regular season on the road this weekend. The Mavericks will play Southwest Minnesota State (19-30, 10-16 NSIC) and the top team in the conference, Augustana (40-13, 25-1 NSIC). The games against Augustana moved up to Thursday, April 25.
 
Schedule
Thursday, April 25
at Augustana, 2:00 p.m.
at Augustana, 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
at Southwest Minnesota State, 1:00 p.m.
at Southwest Minnesota State, 3:00 p.m.
 
About the Mavericks
Minnesota State went 2-2 last week, splitting games against Winona State and Wayne State.
 
The Mavericks remain in third place in the NSIC standings but are now tied in the standings with Minot State, who is also 17-7 in conference play. Minnesota State defeated the Beavers in both games against them in late March.
 
The team is hitting .324 at the plate with a .852 OPS, driving in 233 RBI. Pitchers on the roster have struck out 247 batters in 2024, walking just 69 opponents. Overall, the team has a 2.20 ERA.
 
Leadoff hitter, Ellie Tallman is having an impressive senior campaign, batting .409, the highest batting average on the team, with a .954 OPS. She also leads the team with 65 hits in 2024. Tallman's senior outfielder counterpart, Kylie Sullivan, is also closing out her career on a high note, batting .364 with a .997 OPS. Sullivan has nine doubles, five triples and four homers with 32 RBI so far in her senior season.
 
Newcomers play a large role on this 2024 MSU softball squad. Courtney Kessler is hitting .379 with an OPS of .903. She has a team-high 12 doubles and 15 games with multiple RBI in her freshman season. Kessler has 36 RBI. Rhyan Fritz and Izzy Hycnar both share time at shortstop. Fritz is hitting .324 in 37 games this season. She has nine doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI. Hycnar has nine RBI and had several key hits early in the year. Maddie Helin has found her way into the starting lineup recently due to injury; she is hitting .318 with a team-high 1.003 OPS, hitting three home runs in the last month, driving in 12 RBI.
 
Freshman pitcher Maddie Oetzmann has also been great in her first season in a Maverick uniform. She is 16-3 with 74 strikeouts and just 33 earned runs in 97.2 innings of work. Her mentor, graduate ace McKayla Armbruster is having another great season to close out her MSU career. She is 19-5 with 140 strikeouts and just 26 walks. She has a 1.64 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP.
 
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, reaching 1,400 wins against St. Cloud State a few weeks ago. Teams under Meyer have been to 17 NCAA Tournaments and three championships, including a win in 2017.
 
 
About the Mustangs
Southwest Minnesota State is currently fighting for one of the last spots to make the NSIC Tournament. The team is 19-30 with a 10-16 conference record. The team is 1-3 in its last four games, taking a game at Concordia-St. Paul, winning 5-1, before losing two games to Winona State.
 
The team is hitting .259 overall, driving in 136 RBI. The Mustang's pitching staff has a 4.29 ERA and has 194 strikeouts.
 
The Mustangs have three players hitting over .300 this season. Abby Russell is hitting .340 with a .875 OPS, both team-highs. She has nine doubles and 16 RBI in 2024. Jillian Noel is hitting .333 with 11 doubles, two homers and 36 RBI. Riley Kramolisch is hitting .304 and is tied with Russell for the team lead in hits with 49.
 
SMSU's best pitcher is Karlie Miller. She has an ERA of 3.40 with 115 Ks in 166.2 innings of work in the pitcher's circle.
 
Southwest Minnesota State is coached by Bailey Bouman, who is in her sixth season as the head coach of the Mustangs.
 
MSU is 76-25 all-time against the Mustangs. The Mavericks have defeated Southwest Minnesota State in 12 straight games.
 
 
About the Vikings
The Augustana softball team has had a plethora of success in 2024. The team is 40-13 with a 25-1 conference record, holding the top spot in the NSIC. The Vikings have won 22 straight games and are undefeated at home this season.
 
Augustana is hitting .355 as a team with a 1.002 OPS. The team has driven in 330 RBI and has hit 75 home runs. There are eight players hitting above .330 on the roster. The Viking pitching staff has a 1.88 ERA with a 1.10 ERA, striking 286 opposing batters and allowing just 92 earned runs in 343.1 innings.
 
Desi Cuevas has the second-highest batting average in the NSIC, hitting .441 with a 1.196 OPS. Torri Chute has 16 home runs and 59 RBI in 2024.
 
Grace Glanzer is one of the best pitchers in the conference. She has an ERA of 0.69 and a .67 WHIP in 25 appearances. She is 19-3, with 152 strikeouts and only 15 earned runs allowed in 2024.
 
The Vikings are coached by Gretta Melsted, who is in her 18^th season as the Augustana head coach. She has guided the Vikings to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and a NCAA DII Championship in 2019.
 
Minnesota State is 58-79 against Augustana, losing the last two games to the Vikings last season.