ON DECK
The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team will enter the NSIC Tournament on Thursday facing Sioux Falls starting at 10 a.m., Thursday morning at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. SMSU will enter the tournament as the No. 10 seed for the second-consecutive season and will play No. 7 Sioux Falls for the first time in the tournament. 

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

STAY CONNECTED 
@SMSUmustangs is the official home for updates on the Mustangs throughout the season on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. In-game updates, stats and much more can be found at @smsusoftball, the official social media account of SMSU Softball. SMSUMustangs.com is the official online home of Southwest Minnesota State softball, as well as the home for all SMSU collegiate sports.

SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS
The Cougars will enter the NSIC Tournament as the No. 7 seed after finishing the regular season 33-18 overall and 17-11 in the NSIC. USF finished the final weekend recording two splits against Winona State and Upper Iowa. The Cougars are led by senior outfielder Brooke Stetzler who has a .438 batting average with a team-high 78 hits, five extra bases, 15 RBIs and is 32-33 in stolen bases. Freshman pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw follows with a .393 batting average and has 33 hits, five extra bases, four homers and 16 RBIs. Senior catcher Shannon Daly leads the Cougars with 59 RBIs and 14 homers, while Senior pitcher Alyson Netty has hit 13 homers and tallied 36 RBI. Hoshaw also leads the defense in the circle with a 3.19 ERA and 15-10 record in 26 starts. Sophomore pitcher Breanna Black also contributes with a 3.22 ERA and a 17-8 record in 25 starts. Sioux Falls head coach Kelsey Thompson is in her second season with a 62-40 overall record.

SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls will meet for the ninth time on Thursday with USF holding a 6-2 advantage in a series that started in 2013. SMSU has suffered a loss in the last two games with its last win in the series a 5-2 victory on April 16, 2015 in Marshall. USF holds a 3-1 record in games at Sherman Field and a 2-0 record in games at neutral sites. SMSU and USF will meet in the NSIC Tournament for the first time on Thursday. See full series on page 9 of game notes.

THE COACH
Jamie Dunn is in her third season as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State University and has compiled a 58-90-1 overall record and a 35-46-1 in the NSIC. 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. Dunn's complete bio is found on page 3 of game notes.

SCOUTING SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
The Mustangs concluded NSIC action this past weekend, suffering a three losses in the final four games. SMSU struggled to find its stride in the last weeks of the season posting a 3-11 record in the last 14 games. SMSU finished the NSIC season 16-31 overall and 12-18 in the league to earn the No. 10 seed in the NSIC Tournament for the second-consecutive year. Sophomore second baseman Sam Flack leads the Mustangs with a .323 batting average, while tallying 43 hits, eight extra-base hits and 21 RBIs. Junior shortstop Karmann Carroll adds to the offense with a .269 batting average and has nine extra-base hits. Junior outfielder Taylor Koloc powers the Mustangs offense with the long ball as she has hit seven homers this season and tallied 20 RBIs. Junior pitcher Alex O'Connor leads the Mustangs defense in the circle with a 9-25 record in 23 starts, while carrying a 2.89 ERA and striking out 151 batters.

NSIC TOURNAMENT
Southwest Minnesota State is 38-30 since 1996 in its last 17 NSIC Tournament appearances. SMSU competed in the NSIC Tournament a season ago and finished with a 2-2 record after being eliminated by Minnesota State in the second round of the losers bracket. The Mustangs have won two NSIC championships with its first coming back in 1998 and the last championship back in the 2007 season. See page 10 for tournament bracket.