WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University softball team will conclude the home portion of the 2022 Warrior season today, Thursday, April 28, hosting Upper Iowa University in an NSIC doubleheader at Maynard R. Johnson Field in Winona. The twin bill will start with game one at 2 p.m.
The Warriors (31-13 / 17-6 NSIC) are looking to rebound after a pair of hard-fought contests against #16 Minnesota State - Mankato on Tuesday. Playing the Maverick All Sports Dome, Minnesota State defeated Winona State in two one-run losses, 1-0 and 4-3.
Today against the Peacocks, senior pitcher
Liz Pautz will enter the fray with 745 career strikeouts, just five short of the 750 mark. Pautz has picked up 52 victories in her career, 16 of which were shutouts.
Abby Smith has started the second contest in the last three WSU doubleheaders.
Two Warriors are hitting over the .400 mark, with
Abbie Hlas (.471) and
Sam Keller (.418) creating offense with both timely hitting and power. Hlas and Keller each have racked up double-digit doubles, with Keller's 21 and Hlas' 14 leading the team.
Rylee Stout has eight home runs heading into today's contest and
Marissa Mullen leads the team in RBI with 35.
Winona State brings an eight-game winning streak over Upper Iowa (21-22, 12-11 NSIC) into today's contests and WSU dispatched UIU by 13-1 and 12-1 scored in Fayette last spring. UIU most recently split with Concordia - St. Paul, losing game one 11-6 but rebounding in game two, 5-3.
The games this afternoon will be the final home series for four seniors; Pautz,
Rylee Stout,
Ann Smolenski, and
Kayla Kerkman. Combined the four players have been a part of a 50-11 home record for the Warriors since the 2018 season, good for a .819 winning %.
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.
