GAME NOTES (PDF)

MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State softball team (17-18, 10-10 NSIC) will close the 2010 regular season on the road this week with a trio of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheaders.  The Mustangs will play Wayne State (28-12, 13-5 NSIC) at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.  On Saturday, SMSU will face Winona State (30-8, 16-4 NSIC) at 1 p.m.; the Mustangs will finish with a 12 p.m. meeting with Upper Iowa (13-17, 8-12 NSIC) on Sunday.

Series records:  SMSU is 22-14 against WSC all-time in a series that began during the 1986 season.  Head coach Shawn Semler is 11-6 against the Wildcats.  The Mustangs are 44-55 against WSU; the two teams first met in 1973.  Semler is 11-9 against the Warriors.  SMSU is 7-5 versus UIU.  Semler has been at the helm of the Mustangs since the two teams first played in 2005.

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.  To access live stats for Wednesday's doubleheader, click here.

Last week: SMSU went 3-3 last week in a trio of conference doubleheaders.  On Thursday, SMSU was swept by No. 12 Augustana 13-4 (5 innings) and 6-3.  Minnesota, Crookston picked up its first win against SMSU in school history on Sunday in Game 1 of the doubleheader, defeating the Mustangs 6-4.  SMSU topped the Golden Eagles 10-1 in five innings in Game 2.  The Mustangs completed a sweep of Minnesota State Moorhead on Monday, downing the Dragons 7-2 and 6-4.

A look ahead:  With SMSU in eighth place in the NSIC standings heading into Wednesday's games, this week will have some major implications for the conference tournament for the Mustangs.  Sunday's opponent, UIU, is currently in ninth, while WSC and WSU are both ahead of SMSU in the standings.  The top eight teams qualify for the NSIC Tournament.

Clutch performance:  Freshman Amanda Neumann (LaVista, Neb.) came up with the biggest hit of her career as a Mustang on Monday against Minnesota State Moorhead.  Neumann's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2 erased a 4-3 MSUM lead and served as the go-ahead surge the Mustangs needed to complete the sweep.  It was Neumann's third home run this season and second in as many days as she sent one deep the day prior against Minnesota, Crookston.

A money Monday:  Sophomore Chelsey Evans (Pipestone, Minn.) made her first start of the season on Monday against MSUM and made the most of her debut.  Evans threw 5.1 innings in Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Dragons and tossed another 4.0 innings in Game 2 to register two victories.  In those two games, Evans gave up one run on 11 hits and struckout eight.  For Monday, the sophomore had a 0.75 ERA and held her batters to a .282 batting average.

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 is in his seventh year as the head coach of the SMSU softball program.  A three-time NSIC Coach of the Year, Semler has compiled a 211-134 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.