GAME NOTES (PDF)

MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State softball team (11-12, 4-4 NSIC) will close a six-game homestand and open a six-contest roadstand this week, hosting St. Cloud State (18-14, 5-5 NSIC) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and traveling to Bemidji State (3-20, 1-9 NSIC) on Saturday at 12 p.m. and Minnesota Duluth on Sunday at 12 p.m.  All three meetings are NSIC doubleheaders.

Series records:  SMSU is 32-44 against SCSU in a series that dates back to 1973.  Head coach Shawn Semler is 7-7 against the Huskies, including suffering a loss to SCSU earlier this season.  The Mustangs are 50-15 against BSU; the two teams first met in 1981.  Semler is 14-1 against the Beavers, including notching a victory back in February.  SMSU is 30-51 against UMD in a series that first saw action in 1977.  Semler is 9-3 against the Bulldogs.

Live statistics:  Live statistics for ALL of SMSU's home games are available for the 2010 season at www.smsumustangs.com/softballstats.  Live coverage will also be provided at many of the Mustangs' road contests.

Last week: SMSU went 3-3 in a string of conference home games last week.  Last Wednesday, SMSU split with Concordia University, St. Paul, winning the first contest 12-11 and falling in game two 8-6.  Saturday's meeting with Northern State resulted in a doubleheader sweep for SMSU as the Mustangs topped the Wolves 9-1 and 7-0.  Mary, however, returned the favor on Sunday, defeating SMSU 5-3 and 6-0.

Smith starts, shines:  Right-hander Lauren Smith (New Ulm, Minn.) picked up a win in her first start of the season on Saturday against Northern State in game two of the doubleheader, and the junior put together a solid performance.  She orchestrated a complete-game, four-hit shutout and did not need to record a single strikeout in the process.  Her outing was particularly eye-catching because of her defensive presence; Smith knocked down numerous ground balls and snagged a pair of hard-hit line drives.  She forced a total of 11 groundouts.  Smith made three appearances last week and had an ERA of 0.78 in 17.2 innings pitched.  She allowed three runs—two earned—on 13 hits, struckout five and held opponents to a .197 batting average.

First timer:  Freshman Amanda Neumann (LaVista, Neb.) made a short trek within the infield on Sunday against Mary.  The starting shortstop was pulled from her normal position to pitch--marking her first career appearance in the circle.  And she hung in there, working 4.0 innings and not giving up a run.  Neumann would go on to start the second game of the twinbill against the Marauders, another first in career.  She pitched 1.2 innings in game two and struckout two batters.

According to the coaches:  The NSIC's head coaches tabbed SMSU fifth in the 2010  Preseason Coaches' Poll.  SMSU received 143 points in the poll.  Winona State received 179 points and 11 first place votes to take the top spot.
        Team    Points
    1.     Winona State (11)    179
    2.     Wayne State (2)    159
    3.     Minnesota State (1)    151
    4.     Augustana    149
    5.     Southwest Minnesota State    143
    6.     Minnesota Duluth    121
    7.    Concordia-St. Paul    118
    8.     St. Cloud State    94
    9.     Mary    84
    10.     Upper Iowa    77
    11.     MSU Moorhead    58
    12.     Bemidji State    49
    13.     Northern State    48
    14.     Minnesota, Crookston    26

The coach:  Shawn Semler enters his seventh year as the head coach of the SMSU softball program.  A three-time NSIC Coach of the Year, Semler has compiled a 205-128 record at SMSU.  He has led the SMSU softball team to five regular season conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances in his tenure.  Semler is assisted by Kari Sagehorn and Dane Jensen.

The strive for five:  SMSU is looking to make it five straight conference titles in 2010.  The Mustangs have won four consecutive regular season NSIC titles--all under head coach Shawn Semler.  In fact, there are several players on this year's squad who have yet to experience a season where they have not been on a conference-title team.  In addition to the strive for five NSIC championships, SMSU is looking to make its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Stay connected: Stay connected with SMSU softball all season long at www.smsumustangs.com.  The Mustangs are also on Facebook and Twitter; just log onto www.facebook.com/smsumustangs and www.twitter.com/smsumustangs.  For the latest video highlights and new episodes of the Mustang Minute check out SMSU's official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/smsuathletics.