PREVIEWING THE WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (9-16) hit the road for a pair of doubleheaders, starting at Winona State (14-8) before traveling to Fayette, Iowa for match-ups against Upper Iowa (9-11).
•Saturday's doubleheader at Winona State is slated to start at 1 p.m., while their Sunday match-up at Upper Iowa is schedule to start at noon.  
 
GAME COVERAGE
•Live stats and video for all games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
  
BOUMAN BALL
•Bailey Bouman is in her fourth season as head coach with an overall record of 64-69, including 31-31 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.
 
CHASING HISTORY
•After three hits to open conference play against Sioux Falls on Monday, Bailey Johnson moved into fifth place in program history with 200 career hits. 
•The fifth person in program history to reach the 200 hit plateau, Johnson is 23 hits away from tying the program record, held by Erin Dickhausen.
•Johnson is extremely familiar with the career record books, where she is first in doubles, second in batting average and on base percentage, third in slugging percentage and runs scord, fourth in total bases, times hit by pitch, walks and sacrifice flies, and fifth in hits and RBI's.  
•She also ranks second among active players in Division II in career doubles, and is 24th in career hits. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
•The University of Sioux Falls scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally for an 11-7 victory over Southwest Minnesota State, but Karlie Miller would throw a gem to help the Mustangs split the doubleheader with a 3-0 victory in the NSIC softball opener for both teams on Monday afternoon at the Schwan Regional Event Center.
•SMSU held a 7-4 lead after three innings of play, but USF rallied with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, before scoring five unearned runs in the seventh to earn the victory.
•USF would outhit SMSU 12-7 in game one, with Bailey Johnson and Emily Tatur each going 2 for 3 to lead the offense.
• Miller would shine in the circle in game two, throwing a complete game shutout, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out five.
• The Mustangs would record nine hits in game two, with Molly Bull and Patia Wolfe each going 2 for 3 in the bottom half of the order to balance the offense.
• Johnson became the fifth hitter in program history to collect 200 career hits after a first inning single past the first baseman.
 
SMSU SEASON NUMBERS
•Through 25 games, SMSU is averaging 4.1 runs per game, batting .297 with 39 doubles, and six home runs.
•The Mustangs' pitching staff has a 5.80 ERA in 155 2/3 innings with 99 strikeouts.
•Senior Bailey Johnson powers the offense, batting .410 with nine doubles, a home run, 16 RBIs, and a 1.042 OPS. 
•Sophomore Jillian Noel is batting a .338 with three doubles and a team-high three home runs. 
•Freshman Abby Russell is batting .325 with a pair of home runs, 14 runs scored and a team-high 10 doubles, five stolen bases and 19 RBIs.
•Sophomore Paige Shwaluk has scored a team-high 16 runs, added four steals, and is hitting .309. 
•Freshman Emily Tatur has recorded five hits in the last three games and is batting .282 with nine RBI and 11 runs scored
•Johnson leads the team with 11 multi-hit games, and Russell and Tatur have each had an eight-game hit streak at some point this season. 
•Russell and Shwaluk have each reached base in six straight games.
•Freshman Morgyn Otte is 0-3 in seven appearances with a 4.63 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts.
•Junior Shelby Bloemendaal has gone 5-5 in the circle with a 5.19 ERA, going 59 1/3 innings with 29 strikeouts and a pair of shutouts. 
•Freshman Karlie Miller has appeared in 10 games and has thrown 57 innings with a team-high 34 strikeouts.
 
MUSTANG STATISTICS
•The Mustangs find themselves in the top 75 in many statistical categories in the nation. 
•One of the biggest strengths of the team has been their defense, and it shows as SMSU ranks 45th in double plays per game and 46th in double plays.
•Speaking of doubles, the Mustang offense has also delivered the 67th most doubles per game.   
•SMSU has also executed, ranking 19th, and first in the NSIC, in sacrifice bunts. 
•The Mustangs also find multiple players in the individual leaderboards. 
•Abby Russell has had a tremendous start to her freshman campaign, and it reflects in the statistics, as she ranks 39th in the country and second in the NSIC in doubles per game and 50th in the country and first in the conference in doubles.  
•Makenna Waldow ranks second in the country and first in the NSIC in sacrifice bunts per game, with Lileya Kebos ranking 37th in the country and third in the conference.  
 
ABOUT WINONA STATE
•Winona State has opened the season 14-8 and are 3-4 against common opponents. 
•The Warriors were picked to finish third in the NSIC and will open their conference slate Friday after having their conference opener canceled vs. Upper Iowa due to weather.
•WSU have three players hitting over .360, with Kayla Kerkman (.375) Abbie Hlas (.362) and Sam Keller (.361) leading the way for the Warriors offensively.  
•Liz Pautz has been the leader in the circle for WSU, holding a 2.41 ERA in 84 1/3 innings, going 9-3 with 148 strikeouts and a microscopic 0.98 WHIP. 
 
ABOUT UPPER IOWA
•Upper Iowa has opened the season 9-11 and are 0-4 against common opponents. 
•The Peacocks were picked to finish 11th in the NSIC and will open their conference slate on Saturday with a doubleheader against Sioux Falls
•Katie Crogan has produced in the clean-up spot for UIU, leading the team with a .474 average, 1.493 OPS, seven home runs, 34 RBI, and 10 walks. She leads the country in RBIs per game, and is top 20 in slugging percentage (No. 7), on base percentage (No. 11), home runs per game (No. 19) and batting average (No. 19)
•Sydney Wilcox has been the main pitcher in the circle for the Peacocks, going 5-6 with a 2.79 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings. 
 
 SERIES HISTORY
•SMSU is 45-81 all-time against Winona State in a series that started in 1973. 
•The Mustangs are 10-33 on the road against the Warriors and have lost their previous 13 games in Winona, last winning in 2007. 
•WSU has won the last 29 meetings, with SMSU last defeating WSU 2-1 on Apr. 25, 2009. 
•SMSU is 18-17 all-time against Upper Iowa in a series that dates back to 2005. 
•The Mustangs are 7-9 in Fayette, last winning in 2017 when they took both games of a doubleheader. 
•SMSU has won the last three meetings, and seven of the last 10 overall.  
 
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 led 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 
 
 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 Feb. 4.
 
MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 51st season of softball in 2022.
•SMSU has played 1,933 games compiling an all-time record of 996-936-1.
•SMSU has won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.