Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University softball team will open the NSIC Tournament on Thursday versus St. Cloud State at 12 p.m. from Bowden Field in Sioux Falls. The Wolves earned the fifth seed in the tournament, after posting an 18-10 conference record.
 
The Wolves enter the conference tournament hitting .313 with 399 hits, 220 runs scored, 76 doubles, four triples, 20 homeruns, and 203 RBI. They are fielding .956 on the year, with 936 putouts, 465 assists, and 65 errors. The pitching staff has posted a 3.52 ERA through 312.0 innings pitched with 136 strikeouts and a .285 opponent batting average.
 
Northern finished the conference regular season top-5 in the league in hits, doubles, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, ERA, innings pitched, wins, and fielding percentage against league opponents. Courtney Sjerven ended the year fifth in the NSIC in hits with 39, and leading the league with three triples. Jamie Fisher sits eighth in ERA, sixth in strikeouts, and third in looking strikeouts, and first in innings pitched and wins.
 
Sjerven leads the team hitting .391 with 61 hits, 31 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, and 36 RBI, while Kennady Thompson is hitting .391 as well with 59 hits, 21 runs scored, nine doubles, four homeruns, and 30 RBI. Fisher broke the single season school record with 21 wins thus far in 2018, posting a 2.77 ERA through 212.0 innings pitched. The junior has tallied 103 strikeouts with a .267 opponent batting average. She is also getting the job done offensively with a .354 average at the plate.
 
About St. Cloud State
- The Huskies earned the fourth seed with a 34-17 record overall and 20-10 mark in the NSIC
- St. Cloud is hitting .303 on the year with 410 hits, 273 runs scored, 81 doubles, three triples, 32 homeruns, and 241 RBI
- They are fielding .962 on the year with 1002 putouts, 396 assists, and 55 errors
- The pitching staff holds a 3.42 ERA through 334.0 innings pitched with 170 strikeouts and a .290 opponent batting average
- Maya Keating leads the team hitting .388 with 62 hits and 39 runs scored
- Morgan Emmans is second on the team hitting .348 with 54 hits, 42 runs scored, 19 doubles, 11 homeruns, and 59 RBI
- Kate Kopeck and Kylie Thomsen lead the team with 12 wins each, while Bradi Yost has a team low 1.85 ERA
- Kopeck has a team high 87 strikeouts, whole Thomsen has thrown 134.1 innings pitched
- SCSU is led by head coach Paula U'Ren in her 21^st season at the helm
 
Earlier this Season
- The Wolves split with the Huskies on the road, falling 2-1 in game one, and winning 6-2 in game two
- Fisher led the team on the day going 4-for-7 with four RBI
- Sjerven went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the win
- Fisher grabbed the win on the mound throwing 7.0 innings with two earned runs on six hits and five strikeouts
- Northern is 7-29 all-time against St. Cloud State