Softball | 4/15/2018 10:15:00 AM
Aberdeen, S.D. – The previously scheduled Tuesday doubleheader for Northern State softball versus Minnesota Duluth has been moved to Thursday. The Wolves will face the Bulldogs beginning at 12 p.m. on Griggs Field.
Aberdeen, S.D. - The Northern State University softball team is moving around their week schedule to accommodate poor weather conditions in both Sioux Falls and Duluth. The Wolves will now face the No. 21 Vikings tomorrow from the Presentation College Dome. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. between the two squads, with Augustana remaining as the home team.
Northern's Tuesday doubleheader with the Bulldogs has been moved back to Wednesday or Thursday pending snow in the Duluth area. Full game information will be released on nsuwolves.com as it becomes available. Finally the Wolves rescheduled doubleheader at MSU Moorhead has been moved back one week to April 26. The match-up with the Dragons had previously been moved to the 19th.
The Wolves enter the four games with a 19-13 record overall and 9-3 mark in the NSIC. Northern is hitting .321 as a team with 267 hits, 150 runs scored, 53 doubles, three triples, 15 homeruns, and 140 RBI. They hold a .946 fielding percentage with 625 putouts, 311 assists, and 53 errors. The NSU pitching staff has posted a 4.10 ERA through 208.1 innings pitched with 99 strikeouts and a .273 opponent batting average.
Jamie Fisher leads the Wolves on the mound with a 14-8 record and three saves. The junior has a team leading 2.68 ERA through 147.2 innings pitched, with 80 strikeouts and a .244 opponent batting average.
Kennady Thompson leads seven starters hitting above .300 this season with a .408 average. The sophomore has tallied 40 hits, 16 runs scored, and 24 RBI. She is closely followed by
Courtney Sjerven with a .392 average, notching 40 hits, 16 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples, and 25 RBI.
Shayla Steinley and
Jenna Helgeson lead the team with nine and seven stolen bases respectively.
About the Vikings
- Augustana enters the weekend ranked No. 21 in the NFCA Top-25 Poll
- Augie is 28-8 overall this season and 10-2 in the league
- The Vikings are hitting .357 on the year with 371 hits, 237 runs scored, 51 doubles, eight triples, 28 homeruns, and 205 RBI
- The pitching staff holds a 2.32 ERA through 232.1 innings pitched with 213 strikeouts and a .229 opponent batting average
- Defensively, Augie has a .958 fielding percentage with 693 putouts, 262 assists, and 42 errors
- Ashley Mickschl leads three players hitting above .400 this season with a .479 average, notching 56 hits, 35 runs scored, and 28 RBI
- Mickschl also leads the pitching staff with a 12-3 record overall, recording a .240 ERA with 78 strikeouts and a .247 opponent average
- Amber Elliott holds a team low 1.87 ERA with a 3-1 record overall and .181 opponent batting average
- Augustana is led by head coach Greta Melsted in her 12
th season at the helm
A Season Ago
- The Wolves twice fell to the Vikings in 2017, with game scores of 5-4 and 6-2
- Northern tallied four hits, including a homerun from
Jenna Helgeson in the game one loss
-
Kennady Thompson and
Jamie Fisher each notched a double in game two, as Northern came away with just three team hits
- NSU is 2-24 all-time against Augustana, with their last win coming in 2013
About the Bulldogs
- Minnesota Duluth enters the match-up with a 29-8 record overall and 11-3 mark in the NSIC and a Sunday match-up against Winona State
- The Bulldogs are hitting .338 with 341 hits, 288 runs scored, 64 doubles, nine triples, 46 homeruns, and 270 RBI
- Defensively they have posted a .965 fielding percentage with 692 putouts, 258 assists, and 34 errors
- The Duluth staff posts a 3.19 ERA through 230.2 innings pitched with 139 strikeouts and a .271 opponent batting average
- Hannah Schmoll leads five starters hitting above .300 on the year with a .460 average, notching 57 hits, 47 runs scored, and 27 RBI
- Breanna Swint leads the team with a 15-2 record overall, recording a 2.75 ERA with 63 strikeouts and a .242 opponent average
- Valerie Hohol is 12-4 on the year with a 3.24 ERA, adding 63 strikeouts and a .279 opponent average
- UMD is led by head coach Jen Walter in her third season at the helm
A Season Ago
- The Wolves split with the Bulldogs in 2017, taking game one 3-1 and falling in game two 4-2
- Thompson tallied a double in the victory as the Wolves connected for seven team hits
- Fisher grabbed the win on the hill, her tenth of the season, holding the Bulldogs to just one earned run on four hits
- Helgeson led the team going 1-for-3 with a run scored and a double in the loss
- Northern is 7-33 all-time against Minnesota Duluth
