For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2016
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#9 Kelsey Gale (2B, Sr., R/R, St. Francis, Minn. / St. Francis HS) - Northern State
- Hit .500 on the weekend with two homeruns, six runs scored, two doubles and three RBI
- Started two of the four games in the lead-off position with homeruns
- Went 7-for-14 to help NSU defeat NW Missouri State, Washburn and Pittsburg State
- Homered to start game and doubled to right center in the top of eighth inning in 2-1 win over NMSU
- Defensively, recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage with eight putouts and six assists

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#20 Hanna Lythberg (P, Sr., R/R, Mount Prospect, Ill. / Prospect HS) - Winona State
- Went 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA with three complete games and a save last week
- Compiled 16 strikeouts to just three walks with four earned runs in 23 innings pitched.
- Concluded the NSIC/MIAA Crossover tournament in Rochester with a complete game six-hit shutout with five strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Northwest Missouri
- Pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief to save an 8-6 win over Washburn
- Allowed just four hits with five strikeouts in WSU’s 6-2 win over Pittsburg State
(Player of the Week stats reflect games played 2/15/16 through 2/21/16)

NSIC Team Notes
Augustana
- Shannon Petersen batted .467 with seven hits, including three doubles and two home runs in five games at the Kelly Laas Memorial Invite last weekend
- Petersen scored three runs and led the team with six RBI while compiling a 1.067 slugging percentage and a .556 on-base percentage
- In the first game of the weekend, Petersen was 1 for 2 with a home run in a 9-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney
- Petersen fueled an eight-run bottom of the fourth inning with a grand slam to lift the Vikings past the Lopers by the eight-run rule
- Against Emporia State on Sunday, Petersen was 3 for 4 with two doubles and a run scored before ending the trip going 3 for 3 with a double, a home run and two RBI
- Carley Pickett posted a 1-1 record and a 1.47 ERA in three appearances
- Pickett struck out 15 batters in 14.1 innings of work and allowed just three earned runs
- Augustana will now have three weeks off before heading to St. Joseph, Mo. to participate in the Missouri Western Tournament March 18-20
- The Vikings will play six games in three days at the Missouri Western Tournament
 
Bemidji State
- Opens season Feb. 22-23 in St. Paul, Minnesota

Concordia-St. Paul
- CSP went 3-2 against MIAA opponents in the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud
- The Golden Bears picked up an 11-8 win over Fort Hays State and a 6-2 win over Central Missouri on Thursday night
- CSP followed it up with a 10-4 loss to Nebraska Kearney Friday morning
- CSP split on Saturday night with an 11-4 win over Emporia State and a 4-1 loss to Missouri Western State
- Liz Jarosz led the Golden Bear offense by going 10-18 (.556) with three doubles and five RBI
- CSP returns to St. Cloud this weekend as they face Bemidji State twice along with Minnesota Crookston and Minot State once each

University of Mary
- U-Mary is off until February 29 when they visit Clermont, Fla., for the annual Dot Richardson Spring Games

Minnesota Crookston
- UMC went 0-4 to start the season in Aberdeen
- UMC fell 5-2 to Valley City State University and 7-6 to Presentation
- UMC fell 5-2 to Jamestown College and 3-2 to Waldorf College on Sunday
- UMC will head to the Husky Dome Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn. Feb. 27 and 28

Minnesota Duluth
- UMD was idle last week.
- The Bulldogs take on BSU and MSUM in non-conference action this week

Minnesota State
- Minnesota State went 3-2 at the NSIC/MIAA Crossover this weekend
- MSU defeated Nebraska-Kearney and Central Missouri on Day one
- MSU suffered two losses on Day two to #16 Missouri Western State and Emporia State
- The Mavericks wrapped up the competition with Fort Hays on Day 3 and defeated them 7-1
- Coley Ries went 2-1 in three starts this weekend at the NSIC/MIAA Crossover
- Reis totaled 19 innings with an impressive 1.47 ERA, while striking out 32 batters
- The Mavericks now stand with a 4-4 overall record on the season
- MSU will be idle this week before it takes its annual spring break trip to Florida next week to play 10 games in a span of six day from March 5-10

MSU Moorhead
- Opens season Feb. 22-23 in West St. Paul, Minnesota

Minot State
- Minot State University was idle last week and will play four nonconference games against NSIC teams Minnesota Crookston, Bemidji State and Concordia-St. Paul Saturday and Sunday in St. Cloud, Minnesota

Northern State
- The Northern State softball team compiled a 3-1 overall record from the WSU Dome Tournament this weekend, defeating Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State and Washburn University.
- Northern State, playing in two eight inning games, held their opponents to a 2.48 ERA.
- Missy Elkins started two games for the Wolves recording an ERA of 1.93 and picking up nine strikeouts.
- Kelsey Gale led off two of the four games with homeruns for NSU. The senior batted .500 on the weekend, hitting two homeruns, two doubles and knocking in three RBI’s.
- Katie Dawson went 3-3 with a double in her one start for Northern State and freshman Jamie Fisher collected three big hits in 11 plate appearances with a double and five RBI’s.
- NSU will play in Aberdeen next Sunday at the Presentation College dome against Valley City State at 11 a.m. and Mayville State at 1 p.m..

Sioux Falls
 - Sioux Falls was idle last week
 - Sioux Falls returns to the diamond at the Teri Mathis Zenner Invitational on Feb. 27 and 28

Southwest Minnesota State
- SMSU finished the weekend 2-3 in St. Cloud, Minn.
- SMSU recorded wins against Fort Hays State (2-1) and Central Missouri (9-7)
- Karmann Carroll finished hitting .556 in18 at bats
- Alex O’Connor started the season with a 1-1 record in the circle, recording 14K’s in 14.2 innings last weekend
- SMSU will head to Clermont, Fla., to compete at the Spring Games March 4-11

St. Cloud State
-The Huskies hosted the Kelly Laas Invitational from Feb. 18-21 at the Husky Dome
-The Invitational also was the MIAA/NSIC Crossover
-SCSU went 1-4 in the tournament with a 7-4 win over Nebraska-Kearney before four straight losses to Central Missouri (3-0), Fort Hays State (3-2), Emporia State (1-0) and #16 Missouri Western (3-0)
-Junior Abby Bunnell led the offensive charge with her .438 batting average and seven hits.
- Bunnell was able to safely reach base in all five games of the tournament.
- Junior Rebecca Harps hit .385 on the week with five hits. She had both a two hit and a three-hit game on the week.
- Senior Senna Francesconi registered 10 strikeouts in her 16.1 innings worked.
- The team will be off next weekend before traveling to Florida for the Spring Games in Clermont, Fla from March 3-9
- The team will play a pair of games on the first day with a 9 am start against Lake Erie and an 11 am contest against Saint Anslem on March 3

Upper Iowa
-UIU dropped all four games at the WSU Dome Tournament in Rochester, Minn. over the weekend
-The Peacocks had a lead in three of the four games
-Senior Lauren Marlinghaus led Upper Iowa in hitting as she hit .625 (5-8) with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored
-Senior Brooke Redmond was the Peacocks top pitcher, going 0-1 over 13.2 innings with a 4.10 ERA and a 16/3 K/BB ratio
-Upper Iowa will go to the Lewis Flyer Dome Invitational next week, Feb. 26-27, for four games in Rosemont, Ill.

Wayne State
 - WSC is off until March 1 when the Wildcats visit Fort Hays State

Winona State
- No. 10 WSU opened its season with a 5-1 mark, sweeping a DH with Grand View Tuesday before going 3-1 in the WSU Dome Tournament in Rochester
- Senior Hanna Lythberg went 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA with three complete games and a save last week
- Lythberg compiled 16 strikeouts to just three walks with four earned runs in 23 innings pitched.
- Jamee Schleis led WSU with a .412, while McKenna Larsen batted .353 with a home run and 8 RBI
- Winona State continues play in Rochester Wednesday with a doubleheader against UW-Parkside at 3 p.m.


NSIC Players of the Week
2/10/16
Player:  Shannon Petersen - Augie
Pitcher: Alyssa Cornejo - MISU
2/16/16
Player:  Tara Duran - UIU
Pitcher: Brooke Redmond - UIU
2/23/16
Player: Kelsey Gale - NSU
Pitcher: Hanna Lythberg - WSU