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ON DECK
The Southwest Minnesota State softball team (6-16, 3-3 NSIC) continues conference play this week with doubleheaders versus Minnesota State, St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth. SMSU went 3-3 in the opening week of NSIC action, including 3-1 at home. SMSU's scheduled road game versus Minnesota State on Tuesday, April 1, has been moved to Wednesday, April 2, at 2 and 4 p.m. The doubleheader will be played on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. The Mustangs will return home to host St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth on Saturday and Sunday April 5-6. 

SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
The Mavericks are 22-6 overall and have began the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule with three straight sweeps to start a perfect 6-0. MSU put together an eight-game winning streak at the Rebel Spring Games which the Mavericks have bested with their most recent winning streak which was extended to 12 games with MSU's 5-0 win over Minnesota Crookston on March 31. MSU has swept Bemidji State, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Crookston to start the conference season. MSU started its most recent winning streak by going 6-0 at the Missouri Western Tournament in St. Joseph, Mo., on March 21-23. MSU is hitting .343 as a team with 22 home runs and 187 runs scored. MSU flashes speed on the basepaths as the Mavericks have combined for 45 thefts in 28 games. Samantha Holien leads the offense with her .515 batting average. In 97 at-bats, Holien has 50 hits, 35 runs, nine doubles, six homers, 29 RBIs, and 77 total bases. The pitching staff is featured by a pair of 10-game winners already in Coley Ries and Brittany Lauterbach. Ries owns a 1.56 ERA in 76.1 innings pitched with 102 strikeouts, while Lauterbach sports a 2.99 ERA in 93.2 innings pitched.  

SCOUTING ST. CLOUD STATE
The Huskies begin the week with a 6-13 overall record and a 0-2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference record after being swept by No. 20 Winona State in the conference opener. SCSU went 2-5 at the Rebel Spring Games with three games getting canceled. SCSU lost nine in a row before defeating Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern State at the Missouri Western Invite on March 23. SCSU is coming off 7-2 and 6-0 losses to Winona State on Friday and had its doubleheader versus Upper Iowa on March 30, canceled. SCSU is slated to play Minnesota State Moorhead on Tuesday before traveling to play SMSU. Breana Canova leads the offense with her .350 batting average in 19 games started for the Huskies. Canova leads with 12 RBIs to go with 21 hits, five doubles and a home run in 60 at-bats. Kelly Franks leads the pitching staff with a 2-6 record and 3.55 ERA in 67 innings pitched and 10 starts. 

SCOUTING MINNESOTA DULUTH
Minnesota Duluth is 15-12 overall and 1-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. UMD split its NSIC opening doubleheader with Upper Iowa on March 30. UMD took game one 3-2 but fell 8-2 in game two. Jordan Rice is hitting .383 in 81 at-bats with 31 hits, eight doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBIs to lead the offense. Rice's eight home runs, 31 hits, 20 runs, eight doubles, 26 RBIs, 65 total bases, .383 batting average, .802 slugging percentage and .469 on-base percentage leads the team. Cayli Sadler leads the pitching staff with an 11-7 record and 2.52 ERA in 108.1 innings pitched. 

ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Southwest Minnesota State opened the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule on a sour note by getting swept by Sioux Falls in the opening doubleheader. Since then the Mustangs have sweetened the pot by going 3-1 in its home opening pair of doubleheaders versus Minot State and U-Mary. SMSU split with MISU and swept U-Mary to settle at 3-3 in the first three conference doubleheaders. SMSU fell eight times before picking up its first win of the season -- a 5-0 win over Ferris State (Mich.) at the Rebel Spring Games on March 10. SMSU went 3-7 in its 10 games played at the Rebel Spring Games in central Fla. Jazmyne Neely has been stroking the ball this season as the sophomore owns a .357 batting average through 22 games. Neely leads the team in RBIs (16), home runs (2), total bases (35), slugging percentage (.625), and batting average, is tied for the team lead in hits (20), doubles (5), and triples (2), and is second in runs (10). Rachel Hoeppner leads the pitching staff with a 4-7 record and a 4.44 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched this season.