Winona, Minn. - The Winona State University softball team moved up one place to #20 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll this week and will hit the road tomorrow, Thursday April 22, for the first of several NSIC doubleheaders.
WSU is currently 23-6 overall and 12-4 in NSIC play.
The #20 Warriors will take on the Concordia - St. Paul Golden Bears on Thursday in a series that was moved back one day due to forecasted temperatures in St. Paul. The NSIC twin bill will be the first of three doubleheaders in four days, as WSU travels to St. Paul, St. Cloud and Duluth in a Minnesota road trip that will conclude the April portion of the Warrior schedule.
Against CSP, Winona State will arrive at Carlander Field having won six straight games, a stretch that included a
Jordyn Kleman no-hitter on April 17, a 8-0 win over Bemidji State. The next day, senior pitcher
Liz Pautz one-hit complete-game effort against Minnesota Crookston, a 7-1 win which featured 15 strikeouts by Pautz, helping her eclipse the 100 strikeout mark for the season. Combined, Pautz (101) and Kleman (125) have struck out 226 opposition batters.
With successive sweeps over Southwest Minnesota State, Bemidji State and Minnesota - Crookston, head coach
Greg Jones and his team will look to maintain momentum as they move up in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) standings, currently all alone in second place.
Earlier this week, Coach Jones and HBC sports director Justin Barrientos connected to chat about the Warrior softball recent success, including some historical individual marks achieved by Winona State student-athletes recently.
Watch at this link.
Scouting Concordia - St. Paul...
In the circle - Kali Kaestner leads the Golden Bears with a 8-5 overall record in 17 appearances. She has thrown seven complete games and her 72.0 innings pitched this year lead a CSP staff that includes Bryanna Olson and Aryka Knoche, who have tossed 65.1 innings and 53 innings, respectively.
At the plate and on the run - Four Golden Bears claim batting averages over the .300 mark, with Grace Beseman, Clara Heislen, Kris McIntyre and Amanda Parsons all having strong years at the plate. Beseman has an impressive 11-for-11 streak in stolen bases for CSP on the season so far.
Extra bases - At 11-5, Concordia St. Paul is among the top teams in the NSIC standings, currently tied with Minnesota State - Mankato and Northern State for third place. The Golden Bears are 8-2 at home, the second-best home record in the league behind only #1 Augustana. Golden Bears bench boss Bob Bartell is in his 16th season coaching the Concordia - St. Paul program.
Scouting St. Cloud State ...
In the circle - Lauren Kirchberg and Kylie Thomsen are tied in pitching appearances for the Huskies, with 12 apiece. Thomsen has tossed 59.1 innings, while Kirchberg has contributed 45.2 frames. Both pitchers have ERA's under 2.50, with Thomsen's at 2.01 and Kirchberg's sporting a 2.45 mark.
At the plate and on the run - Raven Vanden Langenberg leads SCSU in at-bats (81), batting average (.469) and hits (38). The junior from Seymour, Wis. is currently second in the NSIC in batting average, while teammate Jasmin Estrada is sixth in the conference with a .425 average. As a team, the Huskies have swiped 66 bases this season.
Extra bases - SCSU holds the most-runs-scored-in-a-game mark in NSIC softball for the 2021 season to date; the Huskies beat Viterbo University 30-6 in a game played on Feb. 14; they also hung 17 runs on Truman State the day before. Head coach Paula U'Ren is in her 24th season at the helm of the St. Cloud State softball program.
Scouting Minnesota Duluth ...
In the circle - Lauren Dixon and Sam Pederson lead the way for the Bulldogs in terms of pitching performances. The pair account for 14 of UMD's 20 wins this season. Dixon also has two saves in relief work for Minnesota-Duluth.
At the plate and on the run - Minnesota-Duluth is one of the few NSIC teams with two players hitting above .400, with Jordyn Thomas (.407) and Lauren Oberle (.420) turning some heads in their 30 games played so far. Thomas leads her team in RBI with 30, while Oberle is the top Bulldog in walks at 23. Jessica Bren is a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts this year; Oberle is 11-for-12.
Extra bases - UMD has been effective putting games away early in 2021; the Bulldogs are 17-3 when leading after the fourth inning. Since 2016, Minnesota-Duluth has appeared in the NCAA Division II post-season three times under head coach Jen Walter.
About the #20 Warriors...
In the circle - Jordyn Kleman added to her program-record no-hitter tally last week, tossing her ninth career no-hitter against Bemidji State. Overall, Kleman is 14-3 on the season. Fellow senior
Liz Pautz is 7-3 so far this year and has appeared in 13 games; the senior from Pulaski, Wis. threw a one-hit complete-game against Minnesota Crookston. Combined, the Warrior pitching duo have thrown the last 26 innings, sweeping the Beavers and the Golden Eagles in the process.
At the plate and on the run - Katie Kolb has 20 walks so far this season and is the all-time Warrior leader in that category. She also is perfect in stolen base attempts at 6-for-6 this season.
Abbie Hlas is third in WSU RBIs with 21, while batting .425, the top mark for the program.
Libby Neveau leads the NSIC in RBI at 37 and is tied for second in the league in home runs (8) with three other players.
Sam Keller and Kolb are tied for fifth in the NSIC in runs scored, having both crossed home plate 28 times each this season.
Extra bases - Winona State's current six-game winning streak is their second-longest unbeaten run this year; WSU started the season 8-0 before falling to Rogers State, ranked ninth in the country at the time. The Warriors have allowed either no runs or one just one run in their six consecutive wins.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
