For Immediate Release
Monday, March 21, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#20 Grace Beseman (IF/C, 5-8, So., R/R, Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Led CSP to a 4-0 weekend against MIAA competition, slashing .500/.533/1.500  
- Was 5-of-10 at the plate with three home runs, 10 RBI with 6 runs and 3 walks
- In two games against NW Missouri State, went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, 5 runs and 7 RBI
- Leads a 17-2-1 CSP team in average (.467), slugging (.750), HRs (5) and RBI (19)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#17 Mackenzie Ward (RHP, Sr., R/R, Clive, Iowa / Valley HS) – Minnesota State
- Went 2-0 in two appearances this past weekend in two complete game efforts versus No. 8 Central Oklahoma
- Threw 15 innings and boasted a 0.47 ERA to go along with 29 strikeouts
- Struck out a season-high 16 batters in her two-hit shutout against Central Oklahoma on March 20
- Struck out 13 batters in her eight inning win against Central Oklahoma on March 19 
- Held opposing batters to a .182 batting average
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the third week in a row

Other Top Performances - Players
Mary Pardo (AUGIE) tallied three home runs and 11 RBI as the Vikings went 3-1 at the UCM Pod of the Missouri Western Tournament. She owned a slugging percentage of 1.125 while racking up seven hits for a .438 batting average. Of her seven hits, four went for extra bases as she also recorded a triple.

Madi Newman (MSU) batted .438 in four games this past weekend and led the Mavericks with seven hits and six RBI. She scored three runs and boasted a .875 slugging percentage. She hit two home runs and one double.

#10 Jamie Odlum (MINOT) led the Beavers to a 7-2 record at The Spring Games, hitting safely in 7-of-9 games while adding her first home run of the year and 8 RBI.

#4 Liv Richardson (NSU) led Northern State hitting .500 in six road contests. She recorded nine hits, including four doubles and one homerun, for a .889 slugging percentage. She added three RBI and four runs scored and tallied two hit in three of the contests. 

#4 Katie Crogan (UIU) hit 7-for-12 (.583) and slugged 1.167 with five RBI, four runs, two home runs, two walks, and a double over four games at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic. She tallied two runs and two RBI in both games on Mar. 19 thanks to a two-run homer in each game. She added 21 putouts at first base and was part of four double plays. She leads the NSIC in RBI (34), slugging (.930), and OPS (1.493); ranks second in home runs (7) and on-base percentage (.563); ranks third in batting average (.474) and sixth in runs (20).

#22 Teaghen Amwoza (WSU) helped the Warriors to a 2-2 record on the road in games against Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Southern. She was 4-for-14 overall at the plate. He notched 7 RBI on the weekend and scored four runs with a home run.

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Ashley Mickschl (AUGIE) started two games and won two games without giving up a single run. She tossed eight innings in a pair of Augustana victories, striking out seven. Her opponents tallied just five hits off of her while she only allowed a single walk.

#9 Bryanna Olson (CSP) went 2-0 with 2 saves as CSP went 4-0 against the MIAA on the weekend. She pitched a complete game, allowing 1 run in a win over Missouri Southern. She posted a 3.82 ERA in 18.1 innings in a week that included 4 appearances and 3 starts. She registered 13 strikeouts and is now 11-1 with 4 saves and a 1.66 ERA in 12 appearances and 80 innings for a 17-2-1 Golden Bear squad.

#20 Trinity Valentine (MINOT) pitched in four games, going 3-1, including wins over previously ranked teams West Chester and Saint Anslem. She allowed just four earned runs and twice pitched a season-high eight innings, and struck out 21 opposing batters.

#15 Trinity Junker (SCSU) led the Huskies to a perfect 4-0 weekend at the Central Missouri podded portion of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic. She went 2-0 in  the circle and surrendered just two earned runs in 13.0 innings pitched. She shut down Northeastern State’s potent offensive in a 10-0 win. She pitched the complete game two-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and zero walks in 5.0 innings. She went the distance to earn a 4-2 extra innings win over Central Missouri on Sunday. She tallied seven strikeouts in eight innings pitched.

#24 Liz Pautz (WSU) went 2-2 on the weekend against Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Southern, with Pautz in the circle for both victories. She earned a complete-game 7-inning win over Missouri Southern, scattering six hits. She had an impressive 22 strikeouts in three appearances with just one walk. She went the first four innings in a win over NW Missouri State. She threw 13.2 innings overall, conceding just four earned runs over that time.
 

NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/8/22
Player: #12 Jordyn Thomas - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #20 Sam Pederson - Minnesota Duluth
2/15/22
Player: #10 Jamie Odlum - Minot State
Pitcher: #9 Meghan Anderson - Northern State
2/22/22
Player: #8 Kiana Bender - Minnesota Duluth 
Pitcher: #24 Liz Pautz - Winona State
3/1/22
Player: #13 Sydney Trees  – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #15 Trinity Junker – St. Cloud State
3/7/22
Player: #10 Kylie Madrid – Sioux Falls
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State
3/14/22
Player:  #12 Delaney Young – Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State (2)
3/21/22
Player:  #20 Grace Beseman - Concordia-St. Paul 
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State (3) 

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 90 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.