For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#11 Raven Vanden Langenberg (IF, Sr., R/R, Seymour, Wis. / Seymour HS) - St. Cloud State
- Went 13-for-21 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and two home runs as SCSU went 6-0 last week
- Slugged 1.095 with an on base percentage of .619 and was 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts
- Went 5-for-8 at the plate in the doubleheader against Minnesota Duluth and scored two runs as the Huskies leadoff hitter
- Sparked a comeback in game one against UMary, as her two-run homer in the fourth cut the lead to 4-3
- Scored the go-ahead and game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth versus UMary
- Went 5-7 at the plate against the Marauders and scored two runs with two RBI
- Was 3-for-6 in the sweep of Minot State with a home run and two RBI
- St. Cloud State’s 6-0 start in NSIC play is the best in program history, according to available records

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#24 Liz Pautz (RHP, Sr., R/R, Pulaski, Wis. / Pulaski HS) - Winona State
- Threw just the third perfect game and the 30th no-hitter in Winona State softball history
- Retired all 15 batters in order in a five-inning 8-0 shutout win over the University of Sioux Falls
- Struck out 12 of the 15 batters she faced in the perfect game
- With her team down 6-5 in game two, returned to circle to lead a come-from-behind win, throwing the final frame and picking up the win
- Earned her third win of the weekend with a two-hit gem vs. Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday
- On the weekend, struck out 20 batters while walking just two with a 0.00 ERA 
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season (2/22/22)

Other Top Performances - Players
Gracey Brink (AUGIE) slugged Augustana to a 4-2 record over the week with a .500 batting average, .750 slugging percentage and .529 on-base percentage. She led AUGIE with nine RBI over the week, totaled eight hits, stole a base and hit a pair of triples. 
#6 Mariah Stevenson (BSU) batted .500 over the weekend to help the Beavers go 4-0 to open NSIC play. She totaled seven hits with two doubles, one triple and led the Beavers with five RBI. She paced the Beavers with a .786 slugging percentage and .533 on-base percentage.
Clara Heislen (CSP) produced a 1.106 OPS for the week from the leadoff spot. She led CSP with 5 runs, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs and 3 stolen bases against MSU, WSC & AUGIE. She went 2-3 with 3 runs, 2 HR, 3 RBIs and 2 SBs in a 5-1 win over Augustana. On the year, leads CSP with 25 R, 8 2B, 6 HR, 9 SB and a .659 slg pct.
#18 Kat Burkhardt (UMD) in four NSIC games over the weekend, had six hits and four RBI in 13 plate appearances. In game one against Minot State on Saturday, Burkhardt tallied a three-run homer. She added another RBI against the Beavers to complete a 4-RBI game. The home run moves Burkhardt into third on the team in HRs on the year with three.
Courtney  Baxter (MSU) batted .417 as she recorded five hits, including two doubles. She drove in three runs and scored three runs. She went 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts and posted a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Jamie Odlum (MINOT) had 8 hits in 17 at bats over four games last week for a .471 average.  She had two runs driven in and scored three times. Added 28 putouts from her first base position. 
#3 Lexie Swift (USF) had 10 plate appearances with a .333 average, .400 OBP, and a 1.067 OPS. She total three hits, including a homer with two runs scored and two RBI.
#17 Amelia Fitzgerald (UIU) hit 6-11 (.545) with seven RBI, three runs, two doubles, and one home run across three games. She went 4-7 (.571) with six RBI, two runs, a double, and a three-run home run over a doubleheader against SMSU. She tallied a season-high four RBI thanks to a three-run homer and an RBI double in game one against SMSU. She is tied for third in the NSIC with a .435 average and ranks third with 37 hits.
#18 Marissa Mullen (WSU) was a key part of the Winona State 4-0 NSIC weekend, including a walk-off 3-run homer in the 7th to complete an 8-6 come from behind victory over Sioux Falls. She hit three home runs in one game vs. USF, including gamewinner in the seventh. She was 5-for-11 overall across four games and collected 5 RBI on the weekend while drawing three walks. 

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Amber Elliott (AUGIE) went 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA as she pitched 13 innings and struck out eight. She held opponents to a .149 batting average.
#9 Kaidron Mcclafferty (BSU) helped the Beavers go 4-0 to open NSIC play by going 2-0 in the circle and posting a 0.64 ERA over 11.0 innings. She began the weekend by pitching four innings of a perfect game en route to a 13-0 victory (5 inn) over MSU Moorhead. She then retired the first 14 batters of a complete game, seven inning victory over Northern State. She allowed just five hits over the two starts and held opponents to just a .135 batting average. She allowed only one run over 11.0 innings and totaled three strikeouts.
#9 Bryanna Olson (CSP) went 2-1 with a 0.69 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in three complete games against MSU, WSC & AUGIE. She held opponents, including 2 of the top lineups in DII, to a .176 average and 2 extra base hits. She allowed 1 run in each start, striking out 19 in 20.1 innings. She had nine strikeouts against WSC and seven against MSU. She did not allow more than five hits in any of her starts as she improved to 13-2 with a 1.47 ERA in 100.1 IP on the year.
McKayla Armbruster (MSU) went 1-1 this past weekend as she boasted a 0.00 ERA in 13.0 innings. She allowed three unearned runs, while striking out seven batters. She held opposing hitters to a .184 batting average. She threw five innings while allowing just one run against #15 Augustana.
Jasmine Blizzard (MINOT) led the way with a 1-0 record and 11 strikeouts, pitching in four games for the Beavers and compiling a 1.91 ERA.
#15 Trinity Junker (SCSU) led the Huskies to a 6-0 start in NSIC play by going 3-0 in the circle. She posted an ERA of 0.36 in three games, surrendering just one earned run in 19.2 innings of work with 13 strikeouts. She bested UMD 5-2 in the conference opener, throwing seven complete innings with five strikeouts. She gave up just two runs, both unearned, in the victory. She pitched 5.2 innings of relief in an 8-5 win over UMary. She tallied six strikeouts and surrendered her only earned run of the week in the victory. She pitched a complete game 3-1 win over Minot State.
#8 Sami Felt (WSC) fired a complete game three-hitter Sunday in 2-1 win over No. 15 Minnesota State. For the week in four appearances, was 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA as she pitched 15.1 innings.
 

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) 
3/28/22
Player: #22 Sydney Nielsen - Minnesota State
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State (4) 
4/5/22
Player: #11 Raven Vanden Langenberg - St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #24 Liz Pautz - Winona State (2) 

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.