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MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State softball team will travel to St. Cloud State on Wednesday to meet up with the Huskies for a 2 p.m. conference doubleheader.  The contests were originally on the schedule for Tuesday, but soggy field conditions in St. Cloud, Minn., forced the pushback.

First Thing's First:  SMSU sits in a tie for first place in the NSIC with Augustana.  Both squads have a perfect conference record as the Mustangs are 4-0 in conference play and Augie is 5-0 in NSIC games.

Home Sweet Home:  The Mustangs made it their fifth straight home-opening win when they charted an 11-0 shutout of Northern State last Wednesday.  SMSU has not lost a home opener since the 2005 season when South Dakota arrived in Marshall and squeaked out a 2-1 victory.

REC-ball:  The Mustangs brought a new game to the turf surface of the Regional Event Center last week, playing their home opener on Thursday at the facility normally reserved for football and soccer.  SMSU assembled portable fences, laid down bright-orange bases and constructed a removable batter's box and pitcher's mound to accommodate for the contest.  Poor field conditions prompted the venue change.

Going, going, gone!:  A three-home run performance from Amanda Burkhart (Omaha, Neb.) last week earned the senior NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors.  She was stellar at the plate in four games, batting .750 as the Mustangs opened the NSIC season 4-0.  Week totals for the right fielder included a 6 for 8 performance at the plate, eight runs, seven RBIs and a 1.875 slugging percentage. With her three-homerun performance, Burkhart now has a team-best six bombs on the season.

Near perfect:  Amanda Johnson (Fremont, Neb.) nearly tossed a perfect game against Northern State last Thursday, not allowing a hit until the final inning.  The most decorated pitcher in SMSU history, the no-hitter would have been a first for Johnson.  Johnson went 2-0 last week, picking up wins against Northern State and Mary.

Senior momentum:  Four seniors will guide the Mustangs through their 2009 campaign, and all are seasoned veterans.  Burkhart, Johnson, Jessica Paczosa (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Amanda Tucci (Oakdale, Minn.) have earned 10 all-conference nods between the four of them.

Batter up:  Christine Borowiak (Omaha, Neb.) is SMSU's top player at the plate.  Borowiak is currently hitting .311 with two homeruns and 15 RBIs.  The freshman has also posted five doubles and a triple.

Preseason Honors:  Amanda Johnson was selected as the NSIC 2009 Preseason Pitcher of the Year for the third consecutive season. She enters her senior season ranked third in career saves in NCAA Division II history with 13. Johnson ranks first in SMSU history in lowest opponents' batting average, fewest walks per seven innings, strikeouts per seven innings, wins, saves, appearances, games started, complete games, games finished, shutouts, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Rank 'em:  SMSU was picked to finish third in the NSIC Preseason Poll as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.  The Mustangs received 164 points in the poll, just one point behind the No. 2 team, Minnesota State, Mankato.  SMSU also received three first-place votes.

He's back:  Shawn Semler returns for his sixth season as the head coach of the Mustangs.  He's led SMSU to four conference championships and three NCAA Regional Tournament appearances.  Semler has also coached 24 all-conference performers  and been named the NSIC's top coach three times.?

The SMSU/SCSU SERIES Lowdown...
Series Record:   30-43   
Shawn Semler vs. SCSU:   5-5
First meeting:    1973
Last meeting (result):    March 1, 2009 (L 6-5)

HUSKY NOTES...
St. Cloud State owns a 18-21 record and 5-3 mark in the NSIC ... Paula U'Ren is in her 12th season as head coach ... sophomore outfielder Kelly Laas leads the Huskies at the plate, checking in with a .416 batting average ... sophomore shortstop Sarah Stalker has posted a team-best 28 RBIs this season ... SCSU has two aces on the mound; freshman Brit Krieg is 9-10, has a 3.49 ERA and has struck out 67, while junior Kaity Strever is 9-9, has a 3.94 ERA and has struck out 62.

LAST WEEK...
SMSU opened the 2009 NSIC shedule by picking up four wins--two against Northern State and another two against Mary .... Amanda Burkhart nailed three homeruns .... Amanda Johnson and Ali Honken each picked up two wins in the four-game series ... SMSU's flawless conference start has them in a tie for first place in the NSIC with Augustana.

RECORD WATCH '09...
A few Mustangs are close to moving into the No. 1 spot in several catergores in the SMSU career record book:
    •  Amanda Burkhart needs just one more double to tie the career record in the category.  Leslie Oberainger leads with 39.
    •  Burkart will likey move into the No. 1 spot for career RBIs this week.  Her 124 in the category is just three shy of Erin Dickhausen's 127.
    •  Amanda Tucci is two homeruns away from tying Dickhausen's record 26 career homeruns.