MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State softball team (19-11, 3-1 NSIC) prepares for a trio of double-headers this upcoming week. First, the Mavericks will travel for a pair of road games against Sioux Falls (13-13, 1-3 NSIC) on Wednesday, March 26. Then on Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30, MSU will host Minot State (15-12, 3-1 NSIC) and UMary (9-20, 2-2 NSIC).
Wednesday, March 26 at Sioux Falls
Game 1: 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: 3:00 p.m.
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Saturday, March 29 vs Minot State
Game 1: 12:00 p.m.
Game 2: 2:00 p.m.
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Sunday, March 30 vs UMary
Game 1: 12:00 p.m.
Game 2: 2:00 p.m.
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About the Mavericks
After dropping its first game of the NSIC regular season, Minnesota State won the remaining three games on its opening weekend schedule against Northern State and MSU Moorhead to improve to 19-11 on the year.
The Mavericks fell short of a comeback in game one against the Wolves, but the team crushed 15-4 in game two to get the bats rolling for the following day's doubleheader. Minnesota State fell behind early to the Dragons in game one in Moorhead, but a two-run homer from Gianna Lara tied it up and the game went to extras. The team put three runs across in the top of the 11th and held MSUM scoreless in the bottom frame to secure an 8-5 win. The bats stayed hot into game two, as the Mavericks defeated MSU Moorhead 11-2 in five innings.
Lara ended the weekend batting .500 (7-14 at the plate) with five RBI, two doubles and the game-tying home run. Pitcher Brianne Stone was great in the circle for MSU, as the redshirt senior earned three wins, tallied a 1.37 ERA and struck out 16 opposing batters in 10.2 innings in the circle.
Freshman phenom Finley Anderson leads this Mavericks team in batting average (.446), OPS (1.449), doubles (9), triples (5), home runs (4) and RBI (23). She currently ranks first in the NSIC in slugging percentage (.923) and triples, second in OPS, third in batting average and on base percentage (.526), fourth in doubles and stolen bases (13), sixth in runs batted in and seventh in home runs. With a single in the first inning against Northern State, Anderson extended her hitting streak to 13 games. She went 6-10 with three RBI at the plate last weekend after earning her first career NSIC Player of the Week nomination for her performance in Florida.
There are four other Mavericks also hitting above .300 this season. The aforementioned Lara is second on the team in many statistical categories, like average at the plate (.337), OPS (.940), doubles (7), home runs (3) and RBI (20). Sophomore middle infielder Izzy Hcynar is hitting .324, also with seven doubles. She has 19 runs batted in in 2025 and an OPS of .876. The team's hits leader is senior third baseman Cheyenne Behrends. She has 31 base knocks this season with a .320 average, up .081 from last year. Freshman Hannah Tong is hitting .317 with three doubles, a triple and a home run with eight RBI in 14 games played.
In the circle, Sailor Hall leads the team in ERA (1.83), wins (7) and strikeouts (59) in 2025. Stone, with her three wins last weekend, improves to 5-3 on the season with a 1.89 ERA, a team-best .96 WHIP and 29 Ks. Maddie Oetzmann has a 2.04 ERA with 26 strikeouts in the pitcher's circle.
Legendary head coach Lori Meyer is in her 41st 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.
Minnesota State is 20-2 against the Cougars of USF all-time. The Mavericks have won the previous four matchups. Sioux Falls got its second win against MSU at a neutral site game in 2022.
The Mavericks are 22-2 versus Minot State and have won eight of the last ten, including a sweep over the Beavers last season.
MSU is 20-10 against UMary. The Mavericks have won the last six games against the Marauders. Minnesota State is only 8-6 against UMary at home.
About the Cougars
Sioux Falls is an even 13-13 headed into Wednesday's double-header against MSU. The Cougars opened up the NSIC regular season with a 6-1 win over UMary but lost 4-2 in game two against the Marauders before getting outscored 14-0 in a pair of losses to Minot State on Sunday.
Sophomore catcher Morgan Linstad leads the team with a .420 batting average and a 1.092 OPS. Savanna Isaacson is hitting .373 with a 1.015 OPS, 31 base hits, seven doubles, three triples and three home runs. The freshman infielder leads the team with 23 RBI in 2025. There are five other Cougars hitting above .300.
Maddi Duncan leads the team in innings pitched (79.2), ERA (3.16), WHIP (1.08), wins (8) and strikeouts (97). She has held opposing baters to just a .186 batting average this season.
The Cougars are coached by interim head softball coach Madie Brink.
About the Beavers
In the team's opening weekend, Minot State grinded out a 1-0 win over Wayne State before falling to the Wildcats 2-1 in game two. The Beavers won another low scoring affair, 1-0, against the Cougars before crushing them 13-0 in five innings. With the 3-1 start, the Beavers improved to 15-12 on the year.
Anna LaCount is the Beaver's leading bat, with a .377 average the plate, 29 base hits and a .909 OPS. She is tied for the team lead in doubles with six and has 13 RBI. Sara Van Wickler is Minot State's power bat, as she leads the team with a .981 OPS and a .595 slugging percentage. She has five doubles, three triples and three homers in 2025. Like LaCount, Van Wickler also has 13 RBI.
Reegan Floyd is the team's leading starter. In 14 appearances and 73.1 innings, Floyd has accumulated a 1.81 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, an 8-3 record and 67 strikeouts already this season. Jasmine Blizzard leads the team in earned run average with a 1.66 ERA. Blizzard has struck out 37 opposing batters this season.
Sal Rodriguez is the head coach of the Beaver softball program. This is his second season as head coach after serving as interim coach.
About the Marauders
UMary went 2-2 in the first weekend of conference play in 2025. The team lost its first games to Sioux Falls and Wayne State but earned close wins to close out each series.
Janelle Bergmann is the best all-around hitter on the Marauders squad. She is batting .339 with a .975 OPS in 2025. She has 20 hits, four doubles and a team-high four homers. She also leads the team with 17 RBI. Ariana Retuta leads the team in hits (24) and has 14 runs batted in this season.
Elyssa Verpoloegen, freshman pitcher from Havre, Mont., leads the Marauders with 39 putouts in 54 innings in the pitcher's circle. She has an ERA of 7.83 and a WHIP of 2.19.
Amy Schmeckpeper is the new head coach of the UMary softball program. Previously, Schmeckpeper was the head coach a Garden City Community College in Kansas.
