CLERMONT, Fla. - The Winona State University softball team opens up the 2023 Warrior spring break trip with six games in three days at The Spring Games in Clermont, Florida. WSU will play two games each day over Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5.
Winona State (7-4, 0-0 NSIC) will face six different opponents over the Warrior weekend, including a couple of familiar foes and the current No. 1 ranked team in the country.
The 2023 Winona State team was predicted to finish third in the
2023 NSIC softball coaches' poll;
Abbie Hlas was tabbed as the NSIC Preseason Player-of-the-Year and
Abby Smith is the Warrior Pitcher-to-Watch.
GAME & FAN INFORMATION
Live stream for The Spring Games are pay-per-view and only available via FloSports.
FloSports does not provide live stats.
WINONA STATE STORYLINES, entering the weekend...
The Warriors are 7-4 overall, 0-0 in the NSIC.
WSU has played eight contests in domes this season, four games outside.
Carly Engelhardt leads Winona State in batting average (.433), RBI (12), triples (2) and slugging percentage (.767).
Abbie Hlas leads the Warriors in doubles with six on the year and has a triple.
Hlas has the most hits on the team (14).
In the circle, Abby Smith is 4-1 with a 1.31 ERA.
Smith has 16 strikeouts and just six walks.
Hlas is 3-1 overall, striking out 30 and walking 14.
Both Hlas and Smith have five appearances and four complete games.
Greg Jones enters the Winona State Florida trip with 898 wins.
Friday-Saturday-Sunday opponent storylines
California (Pa.) and Winona State have played once before; a 7-0 Warrior win on March 12, 2015.
The Vulcans enter the weekend 4-2 overall.
Dominican (N.Y.) and WSU also have a one-game series so far. Winona State beat DU 5-3 on March 13, 2019.
The
Chargers enter the weekend 1-5 on the year.
Rogers State eliminated Winona State from the 2022 NCAA Division II tournament last year.
The
Hillcats begin their spring trip with a 12-1 record and are No. 1 in the NFCA Coaches poll.
Clarion University has started 2023 with a 3-3 mark on the year.
The 2023 matchup will be the first time the Warriors and
Golden Eagles have played in NCAA competition.
Ferris State is 3-7 on the 2023 season so far.
WSU shutout the
Bulldogs 7-0 at the Lewis Dome Invite earlier this year.
Holy Family University enters The Spring Games with a 0-4 record.
Winona State beat the
Tigers by a 4-1 scoreline on March 10, 2016 in the only meeting between the two schools.
WARRIOR NOTABLES
Winona State standout
Abbie Hlas was named the 2023 NSIC Preseason Player-of-the-Year by coaches around the league.
Head coach
Greg Jones entered the 2023 NCAA Division II season 13th among active coaches in victories (891) and seventh in winning percentage (.747).
Winona State has made 15 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances as a program, all with Jones at the helm.
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.
