PREVIEWING MONDAY
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (9-5) opens conference play this Monday with a doubleheader versus the University of Sioux Falls (6-8) at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls, S.D., with first pitch at 1 p.m.
•The games were originally scheduled to be played Tuesday, but were moved up a day due to expected poor weather. 
•Following Monday's games, SMSU will play at Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston on Friday, April 2, and Saturday, April 3.
 
            GAME COVERAGE
•Live video and stats for both games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
 
ABOUT SIOUX FALLS
•Sioux Falls, picked ninth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' poll, is 6-8 this season going into Monday's doubleheader. 
•Sioux Falls won 3-1 against Emporia State on March 21 in its final non-conference matchup before going against SMSU. 
•USF is led by Damaris Cuevas, who is batting .576 with a team-high 19 hits.
•Shayla Running is hitting .344 with 11 hits and one RBI.
•USF is batting .245 and averaging 2.9 runs per game, while the pitching staff has a 3.73 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 90 innings. 
 
            SERIES HISTORY VS. SIOUX FALLS
•SMSU and USF have meet 16 times since the 2013 season with SMSU trailing in a 7-9 all-time series.
•The series is tied 5-5 since the 2016 season. 
•SMSU swept a doubleheader in the last meeting during the 2019 season. 
 
SMSU HEAD COACH
•Bailey Bouman is in her third season as head coach with an overall record of 37-38, 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. 
 
            SMSU DIAMOND NOTES
•SMSU looks to continue the success they in Aberdeen, S.D., last Friday earning two shutouts against UMary, 4-0 and 8-0.
•Megan Cull recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts with four-hit shutout in the opener, while Allison Christians had eight strikeouts and limiting UMary to three hits in game two. 
•SMSU was also able to earn 24 hits with 11 in the first game and 13 in the second, the second highest this season. 
•In the opener, Lileya Kebos hit her first career homerun in the top of second and finished the game with two hits. 
•Bailey Johnson had two hits and an RBI, while Emma Grote had three hits. 
•In game two, Kali Tomlinson finished 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs.   
•Jillian Noel and Kebos both added two hits apiece. 
 
            SMSU SEASON NUMERS
•Overall, through 14 games, SMSU is averaging 5.6 runs per game, batting .322 with 24 doubles, six triples and nine home runs.
•The SMSU pitching staff has a 3.36 ERA in 89 2/3 innings with 68 strikeouts. 
•Lileya Kebos is batting a team-high .488 with a team-high seven doubles and a team-high three triples.
•Emma Grote is hitting .438 and is tied for the team lead with Kebos with 21 base hits. 
•Kali Tomlinson is batting .367 with five home runs and team-high 19 RBIs. 
•Bailey Johnson is hitting .362 with two home runs and 12 RBIs.
•Megan Cull has appeared in eight games in the circle and is 5-1 with one save. She has a 1.53 ERA in 32 innings with 31 strikeouts. 
•Shelby Bloemendaal is 2-2 in six starts tossing a team-high 32 1/3 innings with a 4.98 ERA. 
 
            MUSTANGS IN THE NCAA STATS
•In the latest NCAA statistics (March 25), SMSU ranks 33rd in triples (6), 42^nd in batting average (.322) and 69^th in scoring (5.57).
•Lileya Kebos is 19^th in triples with three.  
 
          MORE MUSTANG STATS
•For career statistics and game-highs for each Mustang player go to SMSUmustangs.com/softballcareer.
 
            MUSTANGS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOK
•Entering play on Monday, Bailey Johnson ranks first in team history in slugging pct. (.644) and on-base pct. (.476), third in both batting average (.382) and tied for second in doubles (39), tied for ninth in home runs (12) and tied for 10^thin walks (54). 
•Johnson tied Leslie Oberaigner (1989-92) for second all-time and is three shy of Amanda Burkhart's (2006-09) record of 42. 
•Kali Tomlinson ranks fourth in slugging pct. (.595), fourth in home runs (23), fifth in doubles (34), tied for sixth in RBIs (99), eighth in batting average (.354), and tied for sixth in total bases (259). 
•Emma Grote is tied for eighth in runs scored (102), ninth in hits (167) and 12^th in stolen bases (27). 
•Megan Cull ranks ninth in strikeouts (228) and ninth in appearances (79).
 
            GROTE EARNS 2020 ACADEMIC HONOR
•Senior Emma Grote was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for the second straight season following the 2020 season.
 
            NSIC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO ROCHESTER
•The 2021 NSIC Tournament will be held in May 13-15 in Rochester, Minn., at the RYFSA Complex. 
•The top 10 teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the tournament with the champion earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
 
            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 1,875 games compiling an all-time record of 969-905-1.
•SMSU has won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.