PREVIEWING THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (1-0) continues non-conference play this weekend with five non-conference games at the St. Cloud State Kelly Laas Invite inside the SCSU Dome.
•SMSU will open play on Friday facing Sioux Falls at 7:30 p.m.
•SMSU continues action on Saturday with a 3 p.m., match-up with Northwestern (Iowa) before a 7 p.m. first pitch against St. Cloud State.
 •The Mustangs close their weekend on Sunday with Bemidji State at 11 a.m., before a 1 p.m., rematch against with St. Cloud State.
 
GAME COVERAGE
•Live stats for all games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
•Live video for each game against St. Cloud State will be available on the NSIC Network 
 
TICKET POLICY
• All fans in attendance must be masked, in accordance with St. Cloud State University policy.
• Adults: $10
Youth (Ages 3-18): $5
Youth (Under 2): FREE
 
BOUMAN BALL
•Bailey Bouman is in her fourth season as head coach with an overall record of 56-53, including 30-30 in NSIC play.
•The Mustangs finished 27-20 last season, their best season since 2011, while winning their first NSIC tournament game since Bouman's first season in 2019
•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.
 
BLOEMENDAAL BLOSSOMS
•Shelby Bloemendaal would lead the way on both sides of the ball for the Mustangs last Friday night
•She went a career-best 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored offensively.
•She also delivered in the circle, throwing her 14th career complete game and third career shutout, matching a career-high with six strikeouts while allowing just five hits and one walk.
•Bloemendaal was named a top performer in the Feb. 8 NSIC softball release. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
•SMSU returned to the diamond to open the 2022 season, defeating Northwest Missouri State 8-0 in their only game of the Portolite & Field Turf MSU Invitational inside the MSU Dome in Mankato on Friday afternoon.
•Bailey Johnson would break a scoreless tie in the third inning with a two-run single, knocking in Abby Russell and Paige Shwaluk to take a 2-0 lead. 
• Bloemendaal's fourth inning double would drive in Emily Tatur to add to the lead, and after two more fourth inning runs, Bloemendaal would again drive in Tatur with a fifth inning RBI single to take a 6-0 lead.
• The Mustangs would add a run in both the sixth and seventh innings off wild pitches to bring the game to its final score. 
• Four Mustangs would deliver multi-hit games as part of a 14-hit barrage. Bloemendaal would be joined by sophomore transfer Paige Shwaluk, who opened her SMSU career going 3 for 4 with a run scored in the victory. Johnson would prove there is no plans of a senior year slump with a 2 for 4 day while driving in two runs.
• The freshman Tatur would also provide a spark in her Mustang debut, going 2 for 3 with a pair of runs scored and a walk.  Abby Russell, Lileya Kebos, Jillian Noel, and Patia Wolfe would all add hits in the victory.
 
MUSTANGS IN THE KELLY LAAS INVITATIONAL
•SMSU will be playing in their fourth Kelly Laas Invitational since 2010 this weekend. The Mustangs are 9-4 in that time, going 3-1 in 2010, 2-3 in 2016, and 4-0 last season.
 
2022 SMSU TEAM PREVIEW
•The 2022 Mustangs softball team mixes a strong group of veterans and newcomers, attempting build off a 2021 season that saw the programs first winning record in conference play since 2011, finishing 27-20 overall and 17-13 in NSIC action. 
•The team is one of the youngest in the conference, with just one senior and two juniors mixed in with nine sophomores and seven freshmen.  
•The SMSU offense returns four starters, including an all-NSIC second teamer in Bailey Johnson. Johnson hit .344 with a team-high .441 on-base percentage and 19 walks while adding 16 doubles, five home runs, 28 RBI and a 1.004 OPS. 
•Sophomore infielder Jillian Noel returns after a breakout first full season, hitting .311 with 14 doubles and 27 RBI. 
•Junior Lileya Kebos also returns after hitting .303 and leading the team with five triples and eight stolen bases a season ago. 
•Sophomore Molly Bull will lead the team behind the plate after starting 30 games and hitting .253 a season ago.  
•Shelby Bloemendaal and sophomore Allison Christians will lead the way for the Mustangs in the circle, bringing experience and prior success. 
•Bloemendaal has led the staff in innings pitched in each of the last two seasons, finishing with 124 2/3 last year while going 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA, adding 11 complete games and 69 strikeouts in 23 appearances. 
•Christians is back after appearing in 21 games last season, striking out 58 hitters in 58 1/3 innings of work and finishing with a 3.48 ERA. 
 
SMSU PICKED EIGHTH IN NSIC POLL
•Southwest Minnesota State University was picked to finish eighth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU junior pitcher Shelby Bloemendaal and senior outfielder Bailey Johnson were both named "Players to Watch" in the conference this season. 
•Bloemendaal lead the way in the circle for the Mustang last season firing a team-high 124 2/3 innings and 11 complete games, finishing with a 9-8 record with a 3.87 ERA.
• Johnson was a 2021 All-NSIC Second Team member after batting .344 with a team-high .441 on-base percentage. She hit 16 doubles, five home runs, 28 RBI and a 1.004 
 
ABOUT SIOUX FALLS
•Sioux Falls went 23-24 a season ago and 15-14 in NSIC action. 
•The Cougars will open their season against Northwestern (Iowa) before playing SMSU Friday Night. Sioux Falls will conclude their weekend on Saturday, playing Bemidji State before closing the day against the host, St. Cloud State
•USF was picked to finish ninth in the NSIC.
•Damrais Cuevas was picked as an NSIC Player to Watch after hitting .420 with 22 RBI a season ago. 
•Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag was selected as an NSIC Pitcher to Watch after going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings. 
 
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (IOWA)
•Northwestern (Iowa) a member of NAIA and competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, is 2-0 on the season after sweeping Waldorf 15-0 and 9-2 at the Packer Dome in Austin, Minn.
•The Raiders will play four games, playing Bemidji State and Sioux Falls on Friday and BSU and SMSU on Saturday.
•Northwestern was picked to finish fifth in the 12-team GPAC.
•The Raiders return a pair of All-GPAC second team infielders in Jennifer Boeve and Emily Strasser, who with .419 and .388, respectively, a season ago. 
•Also returning is sophomore pitcher Kameryn Etherington, who was honorable mention All-GPAC a season ago after finishing with a 2.28 ERA. 
 
ABOUT BEMIDJI STATE
•Bemidji State went 11-31 a season ago and 7-21 in NSIC action. 
•The Beavers will open their season against St. Cloud State and Northwestern on Friday afternoon. BSU will continue their weekend on Saturday, playing Northwestern again before closing the day against Sioux Falls, and then match up with SMSU Sunday morning to close their weekend. 
•BSU was picked to finish 12th in the NSIC.
•Elaina Christiansen was picked as an NSIC Player to Watch. She has a .298 career average, and is top ten in program history in career home runs and stolen bases.  
•Kaidron McClafferty was selected as an NSIC Pitcher to Watch after totaling a 4.53 ERA with three complete games and 21 strikeouts in 51 innings last season. 
 
ABOUT ST. CLOUD STATE
•St. Cloud State went 28-16 a season ago and 15-11 in NSIC action. 
•The Huskies will open their season against St. Bens on Thursday before opening their tournament on Friday against Bemidji State. They'll play USF and SMSU on Saturday, and then SMSU again on Sunday. 
•SCSU was picked to finish fifth in the NSIC.
•Raven Vanden Langenberg was picked as an NSIC Player to Watch after hitting .434 with 22 RBI a season ago en route to D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention, D2CCA First Team All-Region, NFCA First Team All-Region, and First Team All-NSIC honors
•Trinity Junker was selected as an NSIC Pitcher to Watch after going 7-4 with a 2.26 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings. 
 
 SERIES HISTORY VS. SIOUX FALLS
•SMSU and Sioux Falls meet for the 19th time with Sioux Falls owning a 10-8 advantage in a series that began in 2013.
•The two teams split a pair of games a season ago, and will meet at a neutral site for the first time in the series. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWESTERN (IOWA)
•SMSU and Northwestern will meet for the 26th time, with Northwestern leading the series 14-11. 
•This will be their second time matching up in St. Cloud, as SMSU would defeat the Raiders 8-4 last season.  
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. ST. CLOUD STATE
•SMSU and St. Cloud State will meet for the 104th time, with SCSU holding a 46-56-1 lead in the series. 
•SMSU is 20-21 in St. Cloud in the series, and have not won there since 2017. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. BEMIDJI STATE
•SMSU and Bemidji State will meet for the 90th time, with SMSU leading the series 67-22. 
•SMSU has won the last three neutral site games between the teams, and won the only other meeting in St. Cloud in 2010.   
 
 SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 31-20 all-time in season openers and is 10-3 in openers since the 2010 season after a dominant 8-0 win over Northwest Missouri State on Friday.
 
MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 51st season of softball in 2022.
•SMSU has played 1,909 games compiling an all-time record of 988-920-1.
•SSMSU has won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.