PREVIEWING THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (4-2) continues non-conference play on Friday with a doubleheader versus Minot State University (7-1) at the Husky Dome on the campus of St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
•SMSU, which won four games to open the season nearly two weeks ago in St. Cloud, is coming off a pair of losses to nationally-ranked Winona State last Friday.
•MSU, which was selected to finish eighth in the preseason NSIC Coaches' Poll, was 10-6 in 2020 before the season was shutdown.
•Following Friday's games, SMSU will return to the diamond on March 7 with a doubleheader versus Northern State inside the Presentation Dome in Aberdeen, S.D.
 
            GAME COVERAGE
•Live video and stats for both games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
 
ABOUT MINOT STATE
•Minot State is 7-1 overall following four wins last weekend at home inside the MSU Dome. The Beavers defeated UMary twice along with Northern State and Bemidji State.
•MSU pitcher Trinity Valentine was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week on Monday finishing with a 3-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in 12 innings with 15 strikeouts.
 
            SERIES HISTORY VS. MINOT STATE
•SMSU and MSU meet for the 14^th and 15^th time Friday night with MSU leading 7-6.
•The teams first met in 2013 when MSU joined the NSIC.  
 
SMSU HEAD COACH
•Bailey Bouman is in her third season as head coach with an overall record of 32-35, including 13-17 in NSIC play.
•The 11th head coach in program history, Bouman was named to the position on Aug. 8, 2019.
•SMSU finished 19-26 during her first season in 2019 and qualified for the NSIC Tournament.
•Bouman was an assistant coach with the SMSU women's basketball program from 2015-17 and was also an assistant women's basketball coach at Dordt College (Iowa) before returning to SMSU.
•Bouman is a 2014 graduate of the University of Sioux Falls where she played both basketball and softball for the Cougars.
 
            ABOUT SMSU
•SMSU dropped a pair of non-conference games to No. 13 Winona State last Friday in Rochester, Minn., losing 5-1 and 6-2.
•In game two, SMSU held a 2-1 lead with one out in the seventh, but WSU rallied with five hits to score five runs in the inning and secure the sweep.
•Bailey Johnson hit a solo home run to tie the game in the fifth, while Madison Krog delivered a sac fly in the sixth to give the Mustangs a 2-1 advantage.
•SMSU pitcher Shelby Blomendaal limited the Warriors to five hits through the first six innings and finished the game tossing all seven innings and allowing six runs on 10 hits with one strikeout.
•In game one, SMSU scored its lone run in the fifth on an RBI double by Emma Grote to score Madysson Schliinz.
•Megan Cull, who came on relief of an injured Allison Christians, pitched the final four innings and allowed one run on four hits with four strikeouts.
•Lileya Kebos and Johnson three hits in the two games for SMSU. Schliinz, Krog, Jillian Noel and Grote each collected two hits over the two games.
•Kebos is batting a team-high .556 with three doubles and three triples through six games.
•Johnson is hitting .500 and leads the club with four doubles and with two home runs, while driving in a team-high nine runs.
•Cull has appeared in four games in the circle and is 2-0 with one save. She has a 2.71 ERA in 10 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
 
          MORE MUSTANG STATS
•For career statistics and game-highs for each Mustang player go to SMSUmustangs.com/softballcareer.
 
            MUSTANGS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOK
•Bailey Johnson begins play Friday ranked first in team history in slugging pct. (.667) and on-base pct. (.491), third in both batting average (.393) and doubles (38), tied for ninth in home runs (12) and tied for 10^th in walks (54). She is one double behind Leslie Oberaigner (1989-92) for second all-time and is four shy of Amanda Burkhart's (2006-09) record of 42.
•Kali Tomlinson ranks fifth in slugging pct. (.572), fifth in home runs (19), eighth in batting average (.351), eighth in doubles (31) and 10^th in RBIs (86) and total bases (233).
•Emma Grote is tied for 11^th in runs scored (96), 12^th in hits (155) and 12^th in stolen bases (27).
•Megan Cull ranks eighth in strikeouts (206).
 
            GROTE EARNS 2020 ACADEMIC HONOR
•Senior Emma Grote was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for the second straight season following the 2020 season.
 
            SMSU PICKED 10^TH IN NSIC POLL
•Southwest Minnesota State University was picked to finish 10th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Mustang senior Megan Cull was named a "Pitcher to Watch", while junior outfielder Bailey Johnson was named a "Player to Watch" in the NSIC this spring.
 
            MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 50^th season of softball in 2021.
•SMSU has played 1,867 games compiling an all-time record of 964-902-1.
•SMSU has won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.