WINONA, Minn. – No. 10 Winona State University continues its long-standing rivalry with (RV) Minnesota State Mankato in Thursday's doubleheader at Maynard R. Johnson Field in Winona. Game times are scheduled for 2/4 p.m.
The games were originally scheduled to be played on Wednesday, but were postponed one day for field preparations. The Warriors have been limited to just eight games over the last three weeks due to inclement weather.
The Warriors (28-4, 7-1 NSIC) already hold a victory over the defending National Champion Mavericks (24-10, 5-5 NSIC) when Mankato was ranked atop the NFCA Coaches' Poll on March 4th. It marked the first time in head coach Greg Jones' 17-year WSU tenure the Warriors have knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. Mankato leads the all-time series 50-43, but Winona holds a 10-6 edge dating back to 2013.
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PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Jordyn Kleman will enter the circle Wednesday as the reigning NSIC Pitcher of the Week. The right-hander no-hit Wayne State in her most recent outing last Wednesday while striking out a career-high 15 batters. It marked her first no-hitter of the year and fourth of her collegiate career. Kleman (11-1) leads the WSU pitching staff with a 1.95 ERA, including a 1.05 mark (5 ER/34.0 IP) over her last five starts. She ranks second in the NSIC this season in strikeouts (75) and is third in opponent batting average (.219). Kleman has tossed nine complete games and four shutouts this year.
KENNA CAN: Winona State's version of Bo "Knows" Jackson comes in the form of senior McKenna Larsen. She enters play on Wednesday with a 9-3 record to go along with a 1.99 ERA in the circle while batting .405 with 22 RBI at the plate. After completing an All-American volleyball career in the fall and rewriting the record book in that sport, Larsen is also leaving her mark on the softball record book. She is just two hits away from becoming the 16th player in program history with at least 200 hits. Larsen's 126 career RBI are tied for 11th all-time and her 33 career doubles are tied for 12th in program history. In the circle, her .797 winning percentage (47-12) ranks fifth all-time and her 16 shutouts are tied for seventh.
TWO-OUT MAGIC: One of the keys to the Warriors' offensive success this season has been their ability to produce clutch hits with two outs. Winona State is collectively batting .339 (104-for-307) with two outs and has driven in 77 two-out RBI. Mariah Schultz is hitting a team-best .617 (29-for-47) with two outs and Rylee Stout leads the team with 16 two-out RBI.
SET THE TABLE: Winona State's leadoff hitter and centerfielder, Katelyn Kolb, is batting .509 (28-for-55) when leading off an inning for the Warriors this season. She has collected nine multi-hit games, including a 4-for-6 effort against Emporia State in which she recorded the game-winning knock. Kolb enters Thursday batting .323 overall with a .419 OBP, 16 walks and 29 runs scored.
OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: Shortstop Lani Van Zyl is among the league leaders in nearly every offensive category this season. The junior ranks fifth in the NSIC in slugging (.726), seventh in batting average (.425), and eighth in RBI (34). Van Zyl's seven homers are already a new career high and she is just nine RBI away from matching her season-best of 43 set last year. Van Zyl enters play Thursday riding a season-best 14-game hitting streak and leads WSU with 14 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games.
DEEP DISH: Freshman Rylee Stout is off to a great start in her collegiate career at the dish and from her defensive position behind the plate. The West Chicago, Illinois native's first collegiate hit was a home run against Grand View and she now leads the Warriors with eight long balls. Stout ranks second on the team in RBI (33) and slugging (.683). The rookie catcher has thrown out four of nine attempted base stealers defensively.
IN A PINCH: Junior Katie Schlegel has proven herself to be a jack-of-all-trades for the Warriors this season. Schlegel is batting .417 with six RBI on the year and is 3-for-6 as a pinch hitter, including a pair of pinch-hit home runs. She is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA over three starts and eight total appearances in the circle.
PREASEAON PICK: Winona State was tabbed as the NSIC preseason favorite in the conference poll released before the beginning of the year. It marked the third time in the past four seasons the Warriors have been selected as the preseason favorite to win the league. Mankato was selected third in a close vote behind Augustana who was tabbed second.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: The Warriors weekend schedule has also been reshuffled due ongoing inclement weather. Winona State will travel to St. Cloud for a Friday afternoon doubleheader and then play Minnesota Duluth at the Husky Dome on Sunday night in neutral site action.
