MANKATO, Minn. – The 2025 Minnesota State softball season is upon us. The Mavericks play host to Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth on Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8 in the Maverick All-Sports Dome. The schedule of games is listed below.
 
Friday, February 7
10 a.m. – Concordia-St. Paul vs Minnesota State
12:30 p.m. – Minnesota Duluth vs Concordia-St. Paul
3 p.m. – Minnesota Duluth vs Minnesota State
 
Saturday, February 8
10 a.m. – Concordia-St. Paul vs Minnesota Duluth
12:30 p.m. – Concordia-St. Paul vs Minnesota State
3 p.m. – Minnesota Duluth vs Minnesota State
 
About the Mavericks
Last season, Minnesota State accumulated a 39-16 record and went 19-9 in conference play. The team eventually fell to MSU Moorhead in the NSIC Tournament to end the 2024 season.
 
This 2025 Minnesota State team has a nice balance of experience and newcomer talent. The Mavericks have eight newcomers on the team, including seven freshmen and a transfer athlete.
 
The leading bat returning from last season is senior outfielder Marina Carter. In 2024, she tallied a .372 batting average with 45 hits and 16 stolen bases. Junior infielder Gianna Lara also returns to the team for her third season in a Maverick uniform. Lara ended last season hitting .331 with 46 hits and a team-high seven home runs and 40 RBI.
 
Minnesota State is also bringing back a handful of impactful sophomores returning after their rookie campaign. Middle infielders Izzy Hycnar and Rhyan Fritz return in larger roles for the Mavericks in 2025. Hycnar played in 32 games last season and ended the year with a .273 batting average, five extra-base hits including one homer and 28 RBI. Hycnar ended her first MSU game with a walk-off single to defeat Lewis. Fritz also had a great freshman season, ending with a .301 batting average with 13 extra-base hits, two home runs and 19 RBI. She had a five-RBI game against Southwest Baptist in Florida; Fritz hit a three-run home run and hit a two-RBI double to give the Mavericks a 17-8 win over the Bearcats.
 
Another sophomore returning for the 2025 season is pitcher Maddie Oetzmann. She enters the season as the team's ace. In 20 starts, Oetzmann held a 17-3 record with a 2.36 ERA. She struck out 74 batters and held opposing hitters to a .243 batting average. She threw two shutouts and was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week twice as a freshman.
 
Maddie Helin also returns to Minnesota State softball. In 2024, Helin hit .304 with 17 hits in 56 at-bats. She has some pop in her bat, as she was tied for second on the team with four home runs. Helin posted an OPS of .980 last season, which led the team.
 
Other key returners for MSU are senior third baseman Cheyenne Behrends and catcher Ella Schulz. Behrends ended her junior season with eight doubles, three triples and four home runs. She batted in 25 RBI and stole three bases. Schulz ended the year with 25 hits, five doubles and two home runs.
 
Sailor Hall joins the squad from Kirkwood Community College. As a utility player, she was great for the Eagles, as Hall appeared in 130 games and had a career batting average of .336 with 30 doubles, 19 home runs and 107 RBI. She also held a 32-7 record as a pitcher with Kirkwood, as she posted a 2.84 ERA and struck out 157 batters. She pitched 22 complete games in 52 appearances in the pitchers' circle. Last season, Hall batted .371 and hit nine homers. Hall helped Kirkwood reach the NJCAA National Final where the Eagles finished as the runner-up. Then, last summer, Hall, as a member of the Mankato Habaneros in their inaugural season, led the team to the first Northwoods Softball League Championship. She batted .390 with 20 extra-base hits and 36 RBI. Hall was the NWSL Home Run Derby Champion in 2024, also.
 
The team also brought in seven incoming freshmen to the squad in 2025. Three infielders, Ysabel Lerma, Carly Kimmes and Jordan Schwantz, join the team, as well as two outfielders, Finley Anderson and Ireland Broderick. MSU also welcomed a new pitcher-catcher combo with Hannah Tong throwing to Ryanne Mellum behind the plate.
 
Legendary head coach Lori Meyer begins her 41^st season as the Minnesota State softball coach. Meyer has accumulated a 1,405-749-3 record with the Maverick softball team, which is the most wins by an NCAA Division II coach in history. She has coached 31 All-Americans and 126 All-Conference players and has won eight conference titles, taken 17 trips to the NCAA Tournament, and three of her teams have made the NCAA Championship. In 2017, Meyer and the Mavericks won the NCAA DII National Championship.
 
 
About the Golden Bears
Concordia-St. Paul also begins its 2025 season in Mankato this weekend. In 2024, the team went 37-14 with a 19-7 NSIC record, good for second in the conference. The team's season came to a close when the Golden Bears lost to Minot State in the quarterfinal round of the NSIC Tournament, 5-2.
 
The team returns its top two hitters from last season. Sophomore Alexis Monty dominated the NSIC in her freshman season, as she ended the year with a .486 batting average, 22 doubles, 40 RBI and an OPS of 1.205. Monty was named the 2024 NSIC Freshman of the Year for her incredible performance on the field. Senior catcher Danni Sharum also returns after she hit .366 with a team-high seven home runs and a team-high 44 RBI. She was a member of the NSIC All-Conference Second Team last season.
 
Erica McCullough, the Golden Bears' ace, is back for her senior season with CSP. Last season, she went 24-7 in 37 appearances. She maintained an ERA of 3.30 and ended the year with 136 strikeouts. She pitched three shutouts last season and had four saves.
 
CSP is coached by Bob Bartel, who is in his 21^st season with the Golden Bears. He is 566-456-1 in those seasons and has led Concordia-St. Paul to four NCAA Tournament berths, three Sweet Sixteen appearances and an Elite Eight berth in 2005.
 
 
About the Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth has already begun its 2025 season at the St. Cloud State Dome Invite last weekend. The Bulldogs went 3-1 in St. Cloud, Minn. and defeated Southwest Minnesota State twice and SCSU before dropping their final game of the invitational to Bemidji State.
 
Senior infielder Nicole Schmidt played incredibly well last weekend and earned NSIC Player of the Week honors for her outstanding performance. She batted 10-14 for a .714 batting average and ended the weekend with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI. She had multi-hit games in all four of the Bulldogs' games, including a 4-4 performance with two doubles, three runs scored and three RBI against SMSU. Her two home runs were go-ahead shots on opening day.
 
Allison Luoma is UMD's leading pitcher thus far. In 12 innings of action in the circle, she has struck out 12 batters and allowed 11 hits. She holds an ERA of 3.75 through four games and has held opposing batters to a .234 average.
 
The Bulldogs have a new coach in 2025, Nat Wagner. Wagner was with the University of St. Thomas during its transition from DIII to DI.