For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

NSIC Player of the Week
#4  Jen Dixon  
LF, 5-9, Sr., L/R
Brandon, Manitoba
Vincent Massey HS
Minot State

Dixon upped her batting average 20 points in six games as she hit .529 (9-for-17) during the week with five home runs and nine runs batted in. Dixon reached double-figures in home runs for the season, ending the week with 11 to lead the NSIC. She als scored six runs, three walks and 24 total bases. Dixon has her batting average up to .364 on the season.

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#16  Sara Scheffert  
RHP, 5-8, Jr.,  R/R,
Lincoln, Neb.
Lincoln Southeast HS
Wayne State

Scheffert was near perfect for the Wildcats during the week, going 3-0 with one save in four appearances with a 0.00 ERA.  In 24 innings pitched, she allowed just 19 hits with 23 strikeouts and one walk.  On Wednesday, she fired a five hit shutout in a 4-0 win at Southwest Minnesota State, then came back in the second game with three shutout innings of relief to save a 3-2 win over the Mustangs.  Saturday in frigid temperatures at Duluth, Scheffert struck out 10 batters with a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win at Minnesota Duluth and capped her week Sunday with another shutout and five strikeouts in a 11-0 win at St. Cloud State. 
 
          
NSIC SOFTBALL TEAM NOTES
Augustana
#24 Caitlin Nichol (IF, 5-6, Jr., L/R, Davenport, Iowa/West HS) had a big weekend out of the leadoff spot for Augustana picking up 11 hits in 23 at bats for a .478 batting average. Of her 11 hits she had one double and three home runs while driving in six runs over the six-game stretch. Nichol started her week by going 2 for 3 with two singles in game two at USF before having a monster weekend at Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. In the four games over the weekend, Nichol batted .563 with nine hits in 16 at bats. In the UMD series Nichol was 4 for 8 with two home runs and four RBI in the doubleheader after going 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBI in game two. Nichol continued to swing a hot bat on Saturday finishing with a career-high four hits going 4 for 4 with a double and a home run while driving in two runs in a game one win over St. Cloud State.
#10 Jenelle Trautmann (P/U, 5-7, Jr., R/R, Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) posted a 2-1 record on the week while compiling a 2.88 ERA in four appearances and three starts. She finished with week with 18 strikeouts in 17 appearances while holding opponents to a .230 batting average. She picked up her first win of the week against USF on Wednesday where she struck out six batters while allowing two runs on four hits. Trautmann picked up her second win of the weekend to improve to 20-3 tossing a one-hitter at St. Cloud State while striking out six batters and walking just one. She has won 20-plus games in three straight seasons for the Vikings and currently leads all pitchers in the NSIC in wins.     
 
Bemidji State
The Bemidji State University softball team went 0-4 last week. The Beavers lost a pair of close ones to Southwest Minnesota State Friday by scores of 3-0 and 2-1. BSU was then swept in a twin bill against the University of Sioux Falls by scores of 8-0 and 11-0. Bemidji State now has a record of 11-19 (0-14 NSIC).
This week, BSU is scheduled to play three doubleheaders on the road against St. Cloud State, Minnesota State Moorhead and Northern State. The Beavers have had quite a bit of success against the Dragons as they have taken a game from MSUM in each of the past three seasons. Bemidji State’s last wins against St. Cloud State and Northern State came in 2010 and 20111, respectively.

Concordia-St. Paul
Concordia-St. Paul went 1-5 on their six-game homestand this past week as they snapped a five game losing streak in the final game. The Golden Bears had their home opener last Wednesday at Carlander Field as they played host to the Winona State Warriors. The Warriors took game one by a score of 3-2 and game two by a score of 14-4. With the wind gusting out for much of the day, the Warriors slugged out six homers and 27 hits in the doubleheader while the Golden Bears picked up 20 hits and failed to go deep. They returned to the field on Sunday after having their weekend games pushed back a day and they were swept by the University of Mary. The Marauders took game one 10-1 and game two 4-2 on the cold and windy day. U-Mary pitcher Cherlyn Trujillo allowed just one run on eight hits while striking out 18 in 11.1 innings of work. The reigning NSIC Newcomer of the Year picking up two wins in the doubleheader. On Monday, the Golden Bears gave up a late lead to Minot State as the Beavers scored six runs in the final three innings to take the first game 6-4. Concordia bounced back in game two as they scored at least a run in each of the first five innings en route to a 9-5 win.

University of Mary
#13 Kristin Ormsby (SS/3B, 5-4, Jr., R/R, San Ramon, Calif. / Monte Vista HS) swung a hot bat for U-Mary last week going 7-for-13 with three home runs as she led the Marauders to a 3-1 record. Ormsby finished the week with a 1.308 slugging percentage and a .600 on base percentage as she drove in eight runs. The senior’s top performance of the week came in a 10-1 win over Concordia-St. Paul as she finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI.
#24 Cherlyn Trujillo (LHP, 5-9, Sr., L/L, San Jose, Calif. / Mission College) picked up all three of U-Mary’s wins on the week as she posted a perfect 3-0 record.  Trujillo struck out 34 batters in 22.2 and allowed just four earned runs. The lefty allowed opponents to hit just .185 on the weekend and posted a 0.97 WHIP. Trujillo’s top performance of the week came in a complete game, 13 strikeout effort in a 10-1 win over Concordia-St. Paul.  The Calif. native came back in the second game of the doubleheader to pitch 4.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts.


Minnesota Crookston
The Minnesota Crookston softball team’s week was highlighted by a 4-3 win over St. Cloud State University in a mid-week doubleheader. The Golden Eagles were led in the game by the pitching of Paige Schaust (Sr., Delano, Minn.), who went seven innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits. Schaust had a two-hit shutout going into the sixth inning. Center fielder Ashley Manusos (Sr., Spring Grove, Ill.) made a game-saving grab for the last out as she saved a home run and helped send the Golden Eagles to the win.
UMC finished the week with overall mark of 1-5 with one loss to St. Cloud State, two to Sioux Falls and two to Southwest Minnesota State. The Golden Eagles are scheduled to play a mid-week doubleheader against University of Minnesota Duluth and then weekend series’ against Minnesota State University Moorhead and Northern State University. The Golden Eagles are 3-24 overall with a 1-13 mark in conference play. Josee Plante (Jr., Manitou, Manitoba) leads the way at the plate with a .268 batting average, eight runs scored and seven RBI’s. In the circle, Schaust comes in with a 3-9 mark and a 6.18 ERA in 67 innings pitched.

Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth pulled off an upset of No. 13 Augustana to go 1-2 over the weekend in the Bulldogs’ return to Duluth after a two-year hiatus. UMD (18-16 overall, 4-5 NSIC) defeated the Vikings 4-1 on its first-ever game on James S. Malosky Stadium, which add softball to the list of nearly 500 hosted events. The Bulldogs have three victories over National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Top 25 ranked opponents in five tries this spring. UMD dropped the final two decisions to Augustana (9-2 Augie) and Wayne State (3-0 WSC). The Bulldogs had Tuesday’s double header against Minnesota Crookston postponed and will conclude the week on the road with two-game series against Minot State and Mary.
Ashley Lewis (U, 5-4, So., Minnetrista, Minn./ Delano HS) batted a team-high .375 (3-for-8) and drove in three runs in the three games. Lewis hit a sharp liner down the left field line that led to the eventual game-winning run against No. 13 Augustana in the fourth inning. The sophomore finished 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Lewis, who is second on the team with a .357 average, had a four-game hitting streak and a five-game RBI-streak snapped after going hitless versus Wayne State.
Cayli Sadler (P, 5-6, So., Brooklyn Park, Minn./ Maple Grove HS) started all three games for the Bulldogs and picked up all three decisions to improve to 14-10 on the year. The staff ace was a workhorse in the circle pitching 16 of the 21 innings and held opposing hitters to a .234 average including .179 with runners on base. Sadler played a vital role in the upending the Vikings by outdueling NSIC counterpart Janelle Trautmann, pitching a complete game three-hitter giving up a lone run and fanning eight batters.
 
Minnesota State
The Minnesota State softball continued its hot streak, as it improved to 32-6 overall and 16-0 in NSIC action as it downed Upper Iowa University in the Mavericks’ home opener, by scores of 11-3 in five innings and 6-0. Sunday, MSU continued conference play against Minot State, sweeping the Beavers by scores 13-3 in five innings and 8-5 to push its winning-streak to 22 games, just one shy of the program’s longest winning-streak.
Senior Lindsay Erickson continued her impressive senior season, continuing her historic playing career. The Big Lake, Minn., native started all four games and posted a .583 batting average with a 1.083 slugging percentage. Erickson scored seven runs on seven hits with one double, one triple and a home run, posting three RBI and 13 total bases. In the field, the three time All-American recorded 22 putouts and one assist with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Junior Brittany Lauterbach improved to 15-4 on the season with a pair of wins this past weekend. The Savage, Minn., native pitched 14 innings boasting a 2.00 ERA, allowing five runs (four earned), on 12 hits and 13 strikeouts. Lauterbach held opposing batters to a .222 average.

MSU Moorhead
Brittany York (C, 5-7, Jr. Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake Central HS) had her best offensive week of the season in helping the Dragons to a 2-4 mark on the road. She hit .444 (8-of-18) with four home runs, six RBI and five runs scored in six games. York, who hit safely in all six games, also had a double. She was 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in the Dragons’ 5-2 win in Game 2 over Mary on April 7. She also was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in the first game against Winona State. York also had a slugging percentage of 1.167 for the week.  York, who is now hitting .291 with team-highs of five homers and 14 RBI, has an 11-game hitting streak heading into Tuesday’s doubleheader with Minot State. On defense, she threw out five more baserunners trying to steal on the week and leads the NSIC with 18 runners thrown out this season.
Kristen Nordby (P, 5-9, So., Blaine, Minn. / Centennial HS) had a very solid week on the mound for MSUM. Even though she posted a 1-2 record, she had a 2.43 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched. She allowed just two earned runs in seven innings, striking out four and walking one, in the Dragons’ 5-2 win over Mary on April 9.  She also was solid against Winona State, the NSIC preseason favorite, giving up just two earned runs in six innings in the Dragons’ 2-0 loss. Nordby opened that game with five scoreless innings. Nordby struck out 12 and walked only two in 20.2 innings. In her last 44.1 innings overall, Nordby has an ERA of 2.53. She also hit .312 on the week with a double and two RBI.

Minot State
#4 Jen Dixon (P/LF, 5-9, L/R, Sr., Brandon, Manitoba / Vincent Massey) upped her average 20 points in six games as she batted .529 (9-for-17) during the week with five home runs and nine runs batted in. Dixon reached double-figures in home runs for the season, ending the week with 11 to lead the Northern Sun, and scored six runs. Dixon has her batting average up to .364 on the season.
Minot State University went 3-3 during the week, sweeping a home series with Northern State, before winning one of four games on a tough road trip to Northern Sun-leading Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul Sunday and Monday. The Beavers are currently in sixth place overall, two games ahead of rival University of Mary. Minot State still had two games remaining on a six-game road swing, playing today at Minnesota State University Moorhead, before returning to Minot for four games this weekend. Leading the way for the Beavers was #4 Jen Dixon (P/LF, 5-9, L/R, Sr., Brandon, Manitoba / Vincent Massey) who raised her batting average 20 points after going .529 in six games, slugging out five home runs and driving in nine runs. #1 Darlene Truong (C, 5-4, Jr., Escondido, Calif. / Orange Glen / San Diego Mesa) also had a big week, collecting eight hits to bat .400 on the week.

Northern State
Northern fell to Minot State in mid-week play in two games. The Wolves started the weekend off right breaking their loss streak with a 9-4 win over the Upper Iowa Peacocks. As a team, Northern compiled 12 hits in the victory led byKelsey Gale who was 4-5 from the plate. Macey Engel and Eryn Yancy each notched two hits in the win, while Lindsey Hubler drove out her third home run of the season. Hubler later added another long ball in the game two loss with the Peacocks. Courtney Moore and Katelynn Dilts each recorded their first career doubles in the first game of the day.Kami Smesmo tallied her seventh win of the season in game one as she gave up four runs and struck out two UIU batters. The Wolves then traveled to Winona State for Saturday softball play. NSU fell to the Warriors in a two game sweep. In game two of the day, the Wolves scored first led off by Kelsey Gale with a no out walk. Eryn Yancy and Rachel Albright hit back to back singles to load this bases with Engel stepping to the plate. Macey hit a RBI ground ball to short scoring Gale on the play for the first runs of the game. Lindsey Hubler then stepped to the plate for a single to centerfield which plated two more runs for NSU. The Wolves however were unable to hold on and dropped the game two lead. Northern is not 9-23 on the year and 2-14 in the NSIC as the look to University of Mary in a mid-week match-up from Mocassin Creek Softball Complex.

SMSU
Chelsey Rodenkirch (SS, 5-2, Jr., R/R, Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) went on a tear this weekend to lead Southwest Minnesota State to a 4-2 record in its three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheaders, including sweeps of Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. Rodenkirch had a career-day on Saturday as she knocked in a career-best four RBIs. Rodenkirch blasted a three-run homer and finished the game with a RBI double to lead SMSU to a 10-2 victory over UMC in game one. Rodenkirch ended the week hitting 7 for 19 with four runs, two doubles, a home run, four RBIs and a walk.
The Mustang pitching staff pitched well this week as Rachel Hoeppner (RHP, 5-10, Jr., R/R, Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount) led the way with her 3-1 record in her four appearances. Hoeppner tossed three complete games and ended her 25.2 innings of work with a 1.64 earned run average. Hoeppner limited opponents to a .186 batting average while striking out 18 and walking just four to lead SMSU to four straight wins – its longest winning streak of the season.
The Mustangs enter a critical stage of their schedule as they sit in eighth place of the 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with two weeks left to play. SMSU, which has missed the NSIC tournament each of the last two years, will hit the road for a mid-week showdown with No. 13 Augustana on Tuesday, April 15 at 3 p.m. The road game will be SMSU’s first since traveling to St. Peter, Minn., on April 2, to play Minnesota State. SMSU went 5-4-1 in its last five NSIC doubleheaders played at Mustang Field.

Sioux Falls
The Cougars continued their winning ways over the past week, claiming victories in five of their six games. The highlight of the week came when the Cougars bounced back from a 3-2 loss to No. 13 Augustana and rebounded to win the second game of the doubleheader 9-0 in just five innings. Over the six game stretch, the Cougars averaged 8.2 runs while holding their opponent to just 1.7 runs per game. USF also batted 0.368 while allowing their opponents just 0.239 in the box. The Cougars will return to action on Tuesday, April 15 when they travel to Wayne, Neb. to take on Wayne State who holds the second best conference record in the NSIC. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.
Shannon Daly (3B, 5-8, So., Omaha, Neb./Marian HS) caught fire at the plate over the last week, batting 0.545 in her 22 at bats. The third baseman’s best performance came in the doubleheader against Minnesota Crookston where she went a combined 6-of-8 at the plate with six RBI. Daly’s homerun in the second game against Minnesota Crookston brings her within one home run of the USF single season record for home runs in a season which is currently held by her teammate Betsy Thomas. She also has compiled a slugging percentage of 0.818 and an on base percentage of 0.565 over the six game stretch.
Bailey Bouman (P, 5-10, Sr., Pipestone, Minn./Pipestone Area HS) had an outstanding week on the mound, claiming victories in each of her three appearances. The Pipestone, Minn. native gave up only four earned runs while compiling an era of 1.65. Bouman’s best game came against one of the best offensive teams in the NSIC in No. 13 Augustana College where she came away with a shutout victory while allowing only five hits and walking no batters as the Cougars claimed a 9-0 victory. Over the past week, Bouman has recorded a WHIP of 1.35 while also recording 12 strikeouts.  

St. Cloud State
The St. Cloud State University softball team competed in six conference games this week. The Huskies went 1-5 in their NSIC match-ups, splitting against Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday, April 8 and falling in doubleheaders to #13 Augustana College on Saturday, April 12 and Wayne State College on Sunday, April 13. Senior second baseman Breana Canova (Riverside, Calif.) led the Huskies offensively this week, collecting six hits in 17 at bats. Canova posted six RBI’s, two doubles and a .471 slugging percentage. Kelly Franks (Stevens Point, Wis.) appeared in both games against Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday before suffering an injury. Franks pitched 5.1 innings, gave up no hits, no runs, no walks and struck out eight batters. St. Cloud State falls to 8-22-1 overall and 2-11-1 in the NSIC. The Huskies will return to action on Tuesday, April 15 as they host Bemidji State University at Selke Field at 3 and 5 p.m.

Upper Iowa
Adrienna Olson (IF, 5-2, Sr., St. Olaf, Iowa/Elkader Central HS) posted a .357 batting average, connected on her third home run of the season and earned a .571 slugging percentage this past week as the Peacocks split all two of their three NSIC doubleheaders. On Thursday, UIU dropped both matchups to conference-leading Minnesota State despite a 1-for-2 day from Olson with a run scored. Two days later, Olson helped propel the Peacocks to a split at home against MSU Moorhead as she homered in the third inning of game two – a solo shot to right for her third jack this year – before adding an RBI in the bottom of the seventh to help UIU tie the game at send it to extra innings. The Peacocks went on to win the game in the bottom of the eighth as UIU moved up to 13-21 overall and 6-8 in the NSIC this year.
The Upper Iowa softball team split two of its three conference doubleheaders this past week as the team bounced back from a sweep against MSU early in the week to split with NSU and MSUM. Junior infielder Katie Mnichowicz earned all three of Upper Iowa’s run against the Mavericks in Mankato on Thursday, but the Peacocks were swept, 3-11 and 0-6, as MSU stayed perfect in NSIC play this year. On Friday, UIU hosted the Wolves of Northern State and were upset in game one, 4-9, but bounced back to earn a dominant 7-1 victory in game two. Sophomore pitcher Jacqueline Flood gave up just one earned run and allowed just four hits in game two en route to her third victory of the season. She also recorded four RBIs from the batter’s box as UIU converted 11 hits into seven runs. A day later against MSU Moorhead, the Peacocks were again upset in game one, 2-7, but responded with an extra-innings, walk-off home run from sophomore Erica Kirgan. UIU trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, before the UIU bats came alive. Olson added another RBI to her stat line with a single to right before a fielding error brought home the tying run. The Peacock defense held MSUM scoreless in the eighth before Kirgan connected on the walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the inning for her first walk-off in her career at UIU and the ninth this season. The Peacocks will now look ahead to a Wednesday matchup at home with Concordia before heading to Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls this weekend.

Wayne State
Kaiti Williams, a 5-7 junior leftfielder from Papillion, Nebraska (Papillion-LaVista South HS), hit .588 last week going 10 for 17 in five games with two doubles, one home run and eight RBI’s with four runs scored.  Williams, who has hit safely in 15 of her last 17 games, was 7 for 8 with a homer and six RBI’s in Sunday’s 11-0 and 11-0 sweep at St. Cloud State, going 4 for 4 with a homer and four RBI’s in the first game followed by 3 for 4 with two RBI’s in the second 11-0 win over the Huskies.  Williams also had a key two-run double in Wednesday’s 3-2 win at Southwest Minnesota State as she posted an .882 slugging percentage for the week.
She currently ranks second in the NSIC in both batting average and total hits (55).  
Sara Scheffert, a 5-8 junior righthander from Lincoln, Nebraska (Southeast HS), was near perfect for the Wildcats during the week, going 3-0 with one save in four appearances with a 0.00 ERA.  In 24 innings pitched, she allowed just 19 hits with 23 strikeouts and one walk.  On Wednesday, she fired a five hit shutout in a 4-0 win at Southwest Minnesota State, then came back in the second game with three shutout innings of relief to save a 3-2 win over the Mustangs.  Saturday in frigid temperatures at Duluth, Scheffert struck out 10 batters with a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win at Minnesota Duluth and capped her week Sunday with another shutout and five strikeouts in a 11-0 win at St. Cloud State.  
 
Winona State
Ashley Walker, Jr., OF/P, Shakopee, Minn. (Shakopee) led the Warriors both at the plate and in the circle this week, posting a .526 batting average with a pair of home runs and seven RBI. Walker was 10-for-19 at the plate, adding ten runs scored as the Warriors won all six of their games. Walker had a hit in both games of the Warriors’ sweep of Concordia-St. Paul, including a home run in game one. She went 5-for-7 with three runs scored and three RBI Friday against MSU Moorhead before finishing the week by going 3-of-4 with a homer and three RBI vs. Northern State. She had at least one hit in all six of WSU’s games while also scoring at least one run in all six as well. Four of her ten hits went for extra bases while slugging .947 on the week. The junior was also strong in the circle, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.91 ERA in three appearances while striking out nine in 14.2 innings of work.
Hanna Lythberg, So., P, Mount Prospect, IL (Prospect)  was outstanding in the circle for WSU, posting a 3-0 record with 1.94 ERA as the team won all six of its games last week. Lythberg struck out seven while allowing three earned runs in a complete game win at Concordia-St. Paul. She followed with a three-hit shutout of MSU Moorhead, striking out seven. The sophomore finished her week by picking up the victory against Northern State, allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out a pair.

Past Players/ Pitchers of the Week
2/11/14 Player: Lindsay Spanton, Augustana
 Pitcher: Janelle Trautmann, Augustana
2/18/14 Player: Samantha Holien, Minnesota State
 Pitcher: Not Awarded
2/25/14 Player: Morgan Lintz, Winona State
 Pitcher: Brooke Redmond, Upper Iowa
3/3/14 Player: Allison Brown, U-Mary
 Pitcher: Amanda Walters, Sioux Falls
3/10/14 Player: Allison Brown, U-Mary (2)
 Pitcher: Coley Ries, Minnesota State
3/17/14 Player: Jenny Nelson, WSU
 Pitcher: Cayli Sadler, Minnesota Duluth
3/24/14: Player: Samantha Holien, Minnesota State (2)
Pitcher: Coley Ries, Minnesota State (2)
4/1/14 Player: Lindsay Erickson, Minnesota State
Pitcher: Coley Ries, Minnesota State (3)
4/8/14 Player: Melissa Bell, Minot State
Pitcher: Jenelle Trautmann, Augustana
4/15/14: Player: Jen Dixon, Minot State
Pitcher: Sara Scheffert, Wayne State