WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University softball team remained at #20 in the latest
National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll, having spent most of the last week as road Warriors, playing three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) doubleheaders on the road in four days in St. Paul, St. Cloud and Duluth, Minn.
Head coach
Greg Jones and his team performed well in tough conditions, going 5-1 in that time frame, sweeping both Concordia - St. Paul and St. Cloud State, before eventually settling for a split with Minnesota Duluth on Sunday.
Winona State currently owns a 28-7 overall record and is 17-5 in NSIC play, good for third place in the standings as Conference teams head into the home stretch. The Warriors will return to action this week in their final two away doubleheaders of the season, traveling to Minot State University and the University of Mary for contests on May 1 and May 2, respectively.
In addition to earning praise from the NFCA polling committee, the Warriors have garnered the attention of the NCAA Division II Regional Softball committee, with the WSU program found among the top eight regional teams under current consideration by the NCAA.
Due to the disparity of games played this season and the limited data available, schools are listed as "under consideration" in alphabetical order this week for championship selection. Three conferences, the NSIC, the MIAA and the GAC are represented in the current rankings. For more on the NCAA Softball Central Region rankings, head
to this link.
Also, earlier this week, Coach Jones and HBC Sports director Justin Barrientos connected to talk all things Winona State softball.
Head here to watch the interview.
For more on the upcoming Winona State softball road trip, read on for previews of the Minot State and the University of Mary series.
Scouting Minot State University...
In the circle - Trinity Valentine leads the Beavers in wins (8), appearances (24) and innings pitched (105.1), striking out 94 batters along the way. She also has one save. Gabi Dawyduk and Zoya Robbins are next in line for the MSU circle, with 17 and 12 appearances, respectively. As a staff, Minot State's pitchers have accumulated four shutouts.
At the plate and on the run - Jamie Odlum owns a .423 batting average, tops on the team and one of the best in the NSIC; Odlum has an on-base percentage of .517 and has racked up a team-best 41 base hits. Isis Cabral is batting .398, while teammate Jazmin Karunungan is hitting .349. Julia Suchan leads the program with 27 RBI so far this season
Extra bases - While Minot State is 16-18 on the year, 9-11 in the NSIC, the Beavers have picked off some top conference programs, including an 8-6 win over Minnesota State on April 2 and a sweep of Northern State on April 21.
Scouting the University of Mary...
In the circle - Alissa Alvarado is 3-8 on the year, throwing eight complete games for the Mauraders. Brooke Harder has two wins among her seven decisions on the year, while Kaitlyn Alvarado and Nicole Eckhardt have all spent time pitching for UMary.
At the plate and on the run - Mariah Sanchez leads the Mauraders in almost every offensive category, including average (.305), at-bats (105), hits (32) and stolen bases (4-for-4). In the power department, Rachael Laetsch has five home runs on the year, while Kaylee Kanneglesser leads the team in doubles (6) and RBI (16).
Extra bases - UMary and Winona State have not faced off since April 26, 2019 when WSU swept the Mauraduers, 9-0 and 5-2.
Liz Pautz threw a one-hitter in the 9-0 shutout, striking out 12 UMary batters that day.
About the #20 Warriors...
In the circle - Jordyn Kleman is currently second in the NSIC in ERA with a 1.56 mark, and is tops in the league in wins, with 17. Her 15 complete games is also the best in the Conference, while her 116.2 innings pitched is the fourth most in the NSIC. Fellow senior
Liz Pautz is tied for sixth in the Northern Sun in wins with 11, and has 152 strikeouts on the season. Combined, Kleman and Pautz have a remarkable 305 strikeouts on the season. Only one pitcher, Mackenzie Ward of Minnesota State - Mankato, has punched out more batters that either Kleman or Pautz, who current rank #2 and #3 in the league in strikeouts.
At the plate and on the run - Libby Neveau leads the NSIC in RBI, with 41 so far on the year and is second in the Conference in home runs with 11. Warrior teammate
Rylee Stout is eighth with 32, while
Katie Kolb has earned the most walks of any NSIC batter this year to date, with 28 free passes and has scored 36 times, tied for third in the Northern Sun so far.
Abbie Hlas has three triples on the season, which is tied with several other athletes for third-most in the league.
Extra bases - Winona State has owned the away team success this year, earning a 16-2 record when playing as the visitors, and are 5-1 in neutral-side contests. The Warriors are one of three NSIC schools under consideration in the current NCAA Division II Regional Rankings and have eight games remaining - four home, four away - in the regular season schedule.
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.
Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu
