For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 18, 2013
NSIC Media Relations
PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#5  Abby Sonner
IF, Sr.,  R/R,
Johnston, Iowa
Johnston HS
Minnesota State


NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#12  Mandy Greenberg 
RHP, 5-8, Sr. , R/R,
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
Garden City Collegiate
Minot State


NSIC Team Notes
Augustana
No. 16 Augustana played nine games over six days and posted a 7-2 record at the Rebel Spring Games.  In the two defeats the Vikings suffered, both were in walkoff fashion, losing by one run each time.  Jenny Brown continued her hitting streak, reaching safely in all nine games and now owns a 15-game hitting streak.  Jenelle Trautmann proved once again to be the Vikings’ ace by racking up a 7-1 record.  Theresa McMahon led the Augustana offense throughout the week by recording 14 hits including a home run to break the school’s career home run record.
#30 Threresa McMahon (UT, 5-8, Sr., Hartford, S.D./West Central HS)  batted .438 over nine games at the Rebel Spring games to lead the Vikings to a 7-2 record over Spring Break.  The senior also crushed a home run in the Vikings’ win over Tiffin to break the Augustana career home run record with 37 career bombs.  The utility fielder collected team highs in hits (14) and runs (13) in 32 at bats.  McMahon posted two games with three RBI each including the  trip’s final matchup with Northwood (MI) in which she cranked out a three-run home run in the third inning to give the Vikings a lead.  McMahon also tallied three RBI and collected four hits against Caldwell College in a 10-6 win.
#10 Jenelle Trautmann (P, 5-7, So., Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) pitched in all nine games for the Vikings, posting a 7-1 record with four complete games and a 1.04 earned run average.  Trautmann struck out 43 batters while limiting herself to just 17 walks in 53.2 innings pitched.  On two occassions, Trautmann pitched over seven innings for the Vikings and carried them to victory in both extra inning affairs.  In her final four games, Trautmann fanned 27 batters. In the eight innings Trautmann threw for the Vikings against Illinois-Springfield, Trautmann gave up no earned runs and just eight hits while striking out eight batters.  At the plate, Trautmann helped her own cause by batting .387, with 12 hits and 13 run sbatted in aided from four home runs in her nine games in Kissimmee, Fla.

Bemidji State
The Bemidji State softball team went to Florida to play 13 games in seven days on its spring training trip last weekend. The Beavers played three games Tuesday in their first day of action in Titusville, Fla., splitting a doubleheader against St. Mary-of-the-Woods of Indiana with a 2-0 win and a 3-1 loss before trouncing Fisher College of Massachusetts 21-0. BSU then traveled to Clermont, Fla. for its next four games, all four of which were losses. The team fell to West Liberty (W. Va.) 4-1 and Bridgeport (Conn.) 5-1 Wednesday and dropped a 4-2 decision to St. Joseph’s of Indiana Thursday before losing to Bentley of Massachusetts by a 7-2 score. After a day off Friday and two exhibition games in Titusville Saturday, the Beavers swept a doubleheader against Gallaudet of Washington D.C. Sunday, winning 22-0 and 8-0. BSU wraps up spring training Monday with two more exhibition games. After a 4-5 trip, BSU will enter NSIC play with a 6-11 record. Bemidji State starts conference play with eight straight road games, beginning with a March 26 doubleheader against Minnesota, Crookston March 26. The Beavers went 2-2 against UMC last year, but were 0-2 in conference games against the Golden Eagles. The Beavers open at home April 6 against Wayne State (Neb.) with a pair of games.

Concordia-St. Paul
Concordia softball was idle last week and returns to the field this weekend at the 2013 Missouri Western Softball Invite where it will play six games against top regional competition from the MIAA. Concordia carries a nine game win streak to the MWSU Invite.
During the nine game win streak, Concordia has allowed just four total runs to the opposition with the pitching staff being led by senior Ashley Kluever’s 34-inning scoreless streak. Kluever will look to keep her shutout streak alive, having thrown five straight shutouts including three 1-hitters and a 2-hitter among her last four starts. She’s allowed just 10 hits, one for extra bases (2B) during the 34-inning streak with 49 strikeouts. The last team to score against Kluever, NW Missouri State, is Concordia’s opponent for the fifth game of the weekend on Sunday.

University of Mary
U-Mary (11-6) was idle and are not scheduled to play until Mar. 26 as they open up conference play at home against in-state foe Minot State. Allison Brown (OF, 5-10, Jr., R/R, Escondido, Calif. / Fallbrook HS) was named Northern Sun Player of the week last week for the second time in her career.

Minnesota, Crookston
Ashley Manusos (Jr., IF/OF, Spring Grove, Ill.) has gone 3-for-8 with two runs scored and three RBI’s in UMC’s first four games this season as they lost a pair to Cedarville University in Ohio and picked up a split and their first win of the season against Union College in Kentucky. Manuos’s bases clearing double in the top of the fifth inning would prove to be the game-winning hit as UMC picked up their first win of the season in game two against the Bulldogs.
Paige Schaust (Jr., P/OF, Delano, Minn.) pitched seven innings giving up 11 hits and three earned runs in two games this weekend as she pitched against Cedarville and Union. Schaust pitched three innings of relief against Cedarville Friday, going three innings and giving up just three hits and no earned runs. In a start Sunday, Schaust suffered the loss but pitched strong going four innings and giving up three earned runs on eight hits.

Minnesota Duluth
Senior shortstop Kierra Jeffers belted three home runs on the day and reached a milestone no Bulldog has ever done while helping the University of Minnesota Duluth defeat New York Institute of Technology at the NTC Games in Clermont, Fla. 10-2 in five innings and 12-8.
The two victories on Sunday improved UMD to 12-4 on the year and stretched its winning streak to double digits (11).
Jeffers, who is two weeks removed from attaining NSIC Player of the Week honors, capped off the day going 4-for-6 with eight RBIs and became the first Bulldog in history to eclipse the 30 home-run plateau. The Richfield, Minn. native, now has 32 homers for her career and leads the team in home runs (6) and RBIs (21).

Minnesota State
Abby Sonner (Sr., IF, Johnston, Iowa) was one of MSU’s main offensive threats this past week. Through six games, Sonner led the team with a .611 batting average and drove in a team-high seven runs. Her 11 hits also led the team and she also posted 11 assists in the field. In the last six games, Sonner recorded at least two hits in four games, including three games where she tallied three.
Courtney McKelvogue, Sr., P, West Des Moines, Iowa Courtney McKelvogue appeared in four games for the Mavericks last week and won all four decisions. She threw two complete games, including a shutout. In 23 total innings pitched, McKelvogue struck out 14 batters and gave up just four runs, three earned. She held opposing batters to a combined .193 batting average.
Minnesota State finished the week with a 5-1 record, to bring its overall record to 15-5. It also wrapped up the Rebel Spring Games with a 9-1 record.
Courtney McKelvogue earned four of MSU’s five wins this past week and she allowed just four runs, three earned, in 23 innings pitched.
Lindsay Erickson batted .474 and drove in six RBI this past week. She also led the Mavericks with two home runs and a slugging percentage of .842. Junior Anna Cole tallied a walk-off home run in MSU’s 3-2 win over Ashland.Samantha Holien scored a team-high seven runs this past week.

MSU Moorhead
Rachel Sannicandro (So., OF, Elmwood Park, Ill. / Elmwood Park HS), in six games last week, hit .375 with two stolen  bases. She led the team with four runs scored and a .444 on-base percentage. She was also errorless in right field. Her performance overall on the Dragons’ 10-game strip raised her season average 159 points.
Freshman Katie Edison was solid on the mound despite the Dragons’ going 0-6. She had a 2.41 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched for the week.

 Minot State
#4 Jen Dixon (OF/P, 5-9, L/R, Jr., Brandon, Manitoba / Vincent Massey High School) continued to stay hot at the plate, going 17 for 30 in 10 games at the National Training Center Tournament in Clermont, Fla., last week. She helped the Beavers to a perfect 10-0 record. Dixon hit .567 for the tournament, scoring 10 runs, while finishing with a home run, six triples, three doubles and seven runs batted in. She also earned a win and a save in the circle for MISU.
#12 Mandy Greenberg (P, 5-9, R/R, Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba / Garden City Collegiate / University of Winnipeg)  finally gave up a run, ending her scoreless innings streak to start the season at 37, but finished the National Training Center Tournament in Clermont, Fla., with a 5-0 record and two saves. She allowed just three runs, two earned runs, in 32 2/3 innings pitched, raising her ERA to 0.26 on the season. Greenberg struck out 56 batter, including a season-high 14 against Alderson-Broaddus and walked just four batters. On the season she has 100 strikeouts and 12 walks.
Minot State University ran its winning streak to 15 games with a perfect 10-0 record at the National Training Center Tournament in Clermont, Fla. The Beavers outscored their opponents 62-11. The Beavers didn’t allow more that a single run in eight of the 10 games. Leading the way was #12 Mandy Greenberg (P, 5-9, R/R, Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba / Garden City Collegiate / University of Winnipeg) who raised her ERA by giving up two earned runs in 32 2/3 innings pitched. She ran her scoreless innings streak to start the season to 37 before giving up a run. #24 Tiffany Friesen (P/3B, 5-10 R/R, Sr., Morden, Manitoba / Morden Collegiate / Jamestown College) picked up four wins and a save on the mound and went 13 for 31 (.419) with two home runs, three doubles and 19 RBIs, including a season-high five against Spring Arbor University. #4 Jen Dixon (OF/P, 5-9, L/R, Jr., Brandon, Manitoba / Vincent Massey High School) also stayed hot at the plate, going 17 for 30 (.567) with six triples, three doubles, a home run and seven RBIs. She was 1-0 with a save in the circle as well.

Northern State
The Wolves were idle last week after games with Wayne State were canceled due to weather. They will return to action at the Missouri Western Invitational.

Southwest Minnesota State
Southwest Minnesota State started the season 0-4, but has put together a six-game winning streak, its longest since the 2011 season. SMSU went 7-3 at the Rebel Spring Games, including a 6-0 record this past week to put its season record at 7-5. The Mustangs will begin Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on March 26 with a doubleheader versus conference newcomers University of Sioux Falls.
Amy Dreessen (1B, 6-0, Sr., L/R, Elkhorn, Neb. / Elkhorn) put on a hitting clinic this past week at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla., hitting for average, power and spraying the ball to all fields. Dreessen finished the 6-game week with nine hits in 20 at-bats, four of which were for extra bases. Dreessen recorded eight RBI, hit two doubles, a triple and a home run, walked four times, and hit a game-winning 3-run home run. Dreessen finished the week with a slash line of .450/.542/.800 and the spring trip with a line of .424/.513/.697.  Dreessen would come up with another clutch hit for the Mustangs, this time versus Wayne State (Mich.) on Friday. With the Mustangs down 2-1 in the sixth inning and struggling to get hits, Dreessen muscled a ball over the fence in the left center for a game-winning 3-run home run. It was the first home run of the season for the senior, and thirteenth of her career. On the defensive side of the ball, Dreessen finished with 55 put-outs, three assists and no errors.
Rachel Hoeppner (P, 5-10, So., R/R, Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) recorded a perfect 4-0 record this past week at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. The sophomore recorded a 1.24 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched, while pitching a complete game win over Ferris State (Mich.) on Thursday. Hoeppner allowed opponents to hit at a .204 clip, while allowing just 21 hits, eight runs, five earned runs, struck out 17 batters, and only walking five. In addition to her four wins, Hoeppner came out of the bullpen to record two saves.

Sioux Falls
The Cougars (5-9) went 5-5 last week during their annual spring break trip to Clermont, Fla. USF posted wins against UNC-Pembroke (7-6), the University of Bridgeport (6-4), Saint Michaels’s (8-1), Mercy College (11-2) and Alderson-Broaddus (4-3).  The Cougars opened spring break play with a 2-0 loss to No. 20 Molloy College and would later drop three games straight by a single run to the likes of Saint Leo (2-1), Bentley (7-6) and Saint Xavier University (1-0) and wrapped up the week with a 4-0 setback to NYIT. 
Redshirt senior Shelby Thompson’s bat was as hot as the Florida sun, as she batted .424 with 13 RBI and five runs scored in the Cougars’ 10 spring break contests. The hot streak included a pair of 3-4, four-RBI outings against Bentley University and Mercy College.
n terms of pitching, junior Bailey Bouman (2-4) came on strong in the end of the week. Seeing her first action of the season (Bouman also plays basketball at USF), recorded the first one-hitter of her career and picked up her first win of 2013 in the Cougars’ 8-1 drubbing of Mercy College. The Pipestone native needed just 83 pitches to silence the Purple Knights (56 of which were strikes). She allowed one run on one hit with two walks while striking out eight Mercy batsmen. Bouman was also the winning pitcher of record in game one and also led the way for the USF offense in its 4-3 victory over Alderson Broaddus College. She went 2-for-3, including the game-winning RBI single and scored a run. She posted her second straight win in the circle, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits in seven innings with one strikeout and issued a single base one balls. The Cougars are scheduled to host Northwestern College (Iowa) on Tuesday in their home opener. First pitch of the twinbill is slated for 5 p.m.

St. Cloud State
The St. Cloud State University softball team traveled to Kissimmee, Florida to compete in the Rebel Spring games. The Huskies finished the ages with a 8-6 record on their spring training and now stand at 15-12 overall. St. Cloud State finished off play at the Rebel Spring Games with a 2-1 victory over Ashland University. A few of the Huskies bats got hot on the final day of play on Friday, March 15. In game one Stephanie Roan (St. Charles, Ill.) and Mikayla Hogan (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) both hit solo home runs in the top of the fifth to put the Huskies on the board. Hogan and Roan both went two for three in the game with one RBI each. In game two on Friday, Roan connected on a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Thomas to score in the bottom of the seventh. The Huskies grabbed an exciting 2-1 victory over Northwood to wrap up play at the Rebel Spring Games. Mikayla Hogan and Taylor Thomas each finished two for three at the plate. Kendra Merritt (Fort Lupton, Colo.) got the win for the Huskies as she started and pitched all seven innings. Merritt allowed just four hits and struck out nine batters. The Huskies will start their NSIC conference season on March 26 as they travel to Minnesota Duluth for a double header against the Bulldogs

Upper Iowa
Tara Duran (C, 5-3, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) hit . 600 as Upper Iowa swept Lindenwood on Friday, but dropped a pair of contests to Truman State on Saturday.  Duran had 6 hits in 10 at bats including a double.  The sophomore catcher scored 5 runs and plated one Peacock.
The Peacocks split their weekend with a sweep over Lindenwood before dropping a pair of decisions at Truman State on Saturday.  The team hit .294 over the weekend led by Duran (.600), Hailley Haning (.417), Whitney Williams (.364) and Casey Musgrave (.333).  Freshmen Jacqueline Flood and Brooke Redmond picked up wins for the team on Friday.
Upper Iowa will travel to Rosemount, Ill. on Wednesday to face the Flyers of Lewis University in a double header moved away from Fayette due to field conditions.  The games with Lewis are the only contests on the schedule this week for UIU.

Wayne State
The Wayne State softball team’s lone action last week was splitting a doubleheader at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas on Thursday as the Wildcats lost the opener 5-3 but won the nightcap 13-5.  Sophomore first baseman Kaiti Williams (Papillion, Nebraska) extended her hit streak to five games by going 4 for 8 with a double, two RBI’s and two runs scored.  She was 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored to lead a 13-hit attack in Wayne State’s 13-5 win over the Lady Blues to salvage a split.  Wildcat freshman pitcher Sarah Macias worked three scoreless innings of one-hit relief, inheriting two runners with an 8-5 lead until WSC scored five insurance runs in the seventh allowing Macias to notch her first save of the season. 

Winona State
The Warriors will return to action on Tuesday when they travel south for a doubleheader against Missouri Southern State. WSU’s matchup with Wisconsin-Parkside last week was called off due to field conditions. The Warriors are 13-3 on the season.

Past Players/ Pitchers of the Week
2/12/13  Player: Britney Hadley, U-Mary
Pitcher: Mandy Greenberg, Minot State

2/19/13 Player: Alicia Meiser, Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: Janelle Trautmann - Augustana

2/26/13 Player: Morgan Lintz - Winona State
Pitcher: Julia Nealer - Minnesota Duluth

3/5/13 Player: Kierra Jeffers - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher - Ashley Kluever - Concordia-St. Paul

3/12/13    Player: Allison Brown - University of Mary
Pitcher - Ashley Kluever - Concordia-St. Paul

3/18/13  Player: Abby Sonners - Minnesota State
Pitcher: Mandy Greenberg, Minot State