WINONA, Minn. – Mother Nature may have delayed the home portion of the 2024 Winona State softball home schedule longer than originally planned, but WSU is set to start this week at Maynard Johnson Field in Winona against Concordia University, St. Paul.  The WSU home opening day against the Golden Bears will highlight a pair of notable benchmarks already reached this season in the Warrior dugout.

Head coach Greg Jones notched win number 950 this past weekend as Winona State dealt Minnesota State Moorhead a 5-0 shutout loss on Saturday. Jones saw starting pitcher Izzy Howe's four-hit gem elevate him to the nifty 950 mark, with Howe striking out 11 and walking just two Dragons. In reaching the 950-win plateau, Jones currently owns a 950-329-4 (.742) ledger and adds to his impressive 24 seasons at the helm.

Heading into the 2024 season, exactly 50 NCAA softball coaches across all three levels had surpassed the 1,000-win plateau. The current all-time wins mark is held by Carol Hutchins, whose 1,707 wins between Ferris State University and the University of Michigan sits atop the list. Lori Meyer, head coach at NSIC-rival Minnesota State Mankato is the top NCAA Division II victory leader with 1,366.

Joining Jones in the record-setting season is senior infielder Abbie Hlas, who took over the Winona State career doubles top spot earlier this year. Hlas hit doubles on March 1 - the opening day of play at The Spring Games in Florida - to surpass former Warrior standout Sarah Carlson, who hit 62 between 2003 and 2006. Hlas has been on a tear ever since and heads into the home portion of the WSU slate, hitting .381 and owning a .466 on-base percentage.

The senior from Adel, Iowa, currently leads Winona State in doubles (13) and walks (17) while ranking second in at-bats (113).  So far this spring, Hlas has put together 12 multi-hit games, including an eye-popping 4-for-4 outing against Truman State on February 18.

Winona State (21-13, 5-3 NSIC) will face Concordia University, St. Paul, on Thursday, April 4, in the first Winona-based home contest of the year; WSU and CSP were originally slated to face off Tuesday, but weather and field conditions postponed the match-up. WSU has played a pair of home doubleheaders in the RCTC Dome this season, including an impressive sweep of the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.