ON DECK
The Southwest Minnesota State softball team (13-11, 2-2 NSIC) will continue Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this week hosting Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday before playing a non-conference doubleheader against South Dakota State on Wednesday. Both games are set to start at 2 p.m. from Mustang Field. The Mustangs will hit the road on Friday for their first conference-road trip of the season when they head North to U-Mary on Friday for a 1 p.m. start and then Minot State on Saturday for a 12 p.m. matinee.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Live statistics will be available for all home games at livestats.smsu.edu/softball, while updates can also be found by following @smsusoftball on Twitter. For all other games, visit smsumustangs.com for more information.

SCOUTING CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
The Golden Bears, picked to finish ninth in the NSIC, finished 20-34 overall and 13-17 in the NSIC a season ago. CU is 6-19 overall and 0-2 in the NSIC so far this season. CU will play Minnesota Duluth on Monday before facing SMSU. Nicole Thompson leads the Golden Bears batting .430 with 37 hits while Jamie Fleischhacker is leading the squad with 21 RBIs with five doubles. Stephanie Kappes powers the Golden Bears defense with a 3-11 record from the circle and carries a 4.13 ERA. She has struck out 49 batters in 78.0 innings pitched. Bob Bartel is in his 11th season as head coach at Concordia-St. Paul.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL SERIES HISTORY
Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul will meet for the 55th and 56th time on Tuesday with SMSU holding a 31-23 advantage in a series that started back in 1977. The Golden Bears hold a 9-8 record in games played at Mustang Field. SMSU split the doubleheader a season ago in St. Paul, Minn. SMSU head coach Jamie Dunn is 1-1 all-time versus Concordia-St. Paul.

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
The Jackrabbits, part of the DI Summit League, will enter this week with an 8-12 record so far this season and will play Kansas City before Wednesdays doubleheader. Elyse Eitel leads the Jackrabbits with a .433 batting average, 26 hits with eight doubles, 13 RBIs and a home run while Larsen Devan has seven home runs, four doubles on 20 hits and 19 runs scored. Ashlyn Bender is powering the Jackrabbits defense with a 5-5 record from the circle as she has recorded 47 strikeouts in 58.0 innings pitched and holds a 4.59 ERA. Krista Wood is in her first season as head coach at South Dakota State University.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY
Southwest Minnesota State and South Dakota State will meet for the 65th and 66th time on Wednesday with SDSU holding a 35-29 advantage in a series that started back in 1982. SMSU holds a 13-9 record in games played in Marshall. The doubleheader will be the first times the teams will face each other since 2006 and will be the first for SMSU head coach Jamie Dunn.

SCOUTING U-MARY
The Marauders, picked to finish eighth in the NSIC, finished 33-22 overall and 15-11 in the NSIC a season ago. U-Mary is 12-19 overall and 1-4 in league play so far this season. MARY will play Bemidji State on Tuesday before facing SMSU. Alana Norman leads the Marauders batting .467—ranked fifth in the NSIC­—50 hits­—ranked third in the NSIC—and 23 runs scored  while ranking first in the NSIC in stolen bases with 31 so far this season. Julissa Perales is batting .337 with 32 hits while Taylor Mendez leads the squad with seven home runs. MeLanie Rodriguez powers the Marauders defense with a 10-9 record from the circle and carries a 4.72 ERA. She has struck out 121 batters in 122.0 innings pitched. KJ Kelley is in her second season as head coach at the University of Mary.

U-MARY SERIES HISTORY
Southwest Minnesota State and U-Mary will meet for just the 21st and 22nd time on Friday with SMSU holding a 12-8 advantage in a new series that started back in 1990. The series is split at 2-2 games played at in Bismarck, N.D. SMSU swept the doubleheader a season ago in Marshall. SMSU head coach Jamie Dunn is 2-0 all-time versus U-Mary.

SCOUTING MINOT STATE
The Beavers, picked to finish seventh in the NSIC, finished 15-13 overall and 29-20 in the NSIC a season ago. Minot State is 20-8 overall and 1-4 in NSIC play so far this season. MISU will play Minnesota Crookston and Sioux Falls before hosting SMSU on Saturday. Jordan Grant leads the Beavers batting .497—ranked second in the NSIC­—52 hits­—tied for first in the NSIC—and 35 runs scored—ranked second in the NSIC—while ranking second in the NSIC in stolen bases with 22 so far this season. Melissa Bell is batting .415—ninth in the NSIC—with 39 hits while recording three triples. Minot State leads the NSIC in batting average (.332), hits (272) and third in home runs (26). Mindy Lorimor powers the Beavers defense with a 14-6 record from the rubber and carries a 2.55 ERA entering this week. She has struck out 100 batters in 123.1 innings pitched. Bill Triplett is in his eighth season as head coach at Minot State.

U-MARY SERIES HISTORY
Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State will meet for just the fifth and sixth time on Saturday with MISU holding a 3-1 advantage in a new series that started back in 2013. The doubleheader will be played at Minot State for the first time in the series. SMSU split the doubleheader a season ago in Marshall. SMSU head coach Jamie Dunn is 1-1 all-time versus Minot State.

THE COACH
Jamie Dunn is in her second season as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State University and has compiled a record of 28-41-1, including 14-19-1 in NSIC play. Prior to SMSU, Dunn spent the 2013 season as assistant coach at NCAA Division II Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colo., and three seasons as head coach at Fruita Monument High School.