PREVIEWING THE WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (15-22 overall, 7-7 NSIC) returns to action after having four games cancelled last weekend. 
•The Mustangs are set to welcome Concordia-St. Paul (25-10-1, 8-8) into town on Thursday, April 21, for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at Mustang Field. 
•SMSU will then travel North for a doubleheader at Minnesota Duluth (27-12, 12-6) beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday before playing a pair of games at St. Cloud State (25-14, 13-5) on Sunday beginning 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 70-75, including 37-37 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 a hit against Wayne State, Bailey Johnson moved her career hit total to 211. 
•The fifth person in program history to reach the 200 hit plateau on Mar. 28 against Sioux Falls, Johnson is 13 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, runs scored, and on base percentage, third in slugging percentage, hits and total bases, fourth in times hit by pitch, walks and sacrifice flies, and fifth in RBI's.  
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Wayne State would score three fifth inning runs and a run in both the sixth and seventh innings to walk-off SMSU 5-4 in game one before winning 10-1 in five innings in game two of a doubleheader last Tuesday. 
• The Mustangs and Wildcats would each pick up eight hits, but three Mustang errors would prove costly in the game one defeat. Molly Bull would go 3 for 3 in the first game with a pair of doubles, while Paige Shwaluk would go 2 for 3 with a double and triple. 
• The Mustangs would open the scoring in the third when Shwaluk sent an RBI triple to the left field corner, scoring Abby Russell and giving SMSU a 1-0 lead. 
• Bailey Johnson would follow it up with an RBI double past a diving centerfielder to score Shwaluk and double the lead before Bull would send a single through the right side with two-outs, scoring Johnson and putting the Mustangs ahead 3-0.
• WSC would strike back in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs, including a two-run home run to tie the score at 3-3.
• The Mustangs would reclaim the lead in the top of the sixth, as Patia Wolfe would smack a single to centerfield with two outs, scoring Bull to go up 4-3, but WSC would score on a dropped pop fly with two outs to even the score back up at 4-4 into the seventh, where a two-out single on an 0-2 pitch would drive in the winning run. 
•The Mustangs would provide an early threat in game two, loading the bases with nobody out, but would score just one run on three consecutive fielders choices to the shortstop that would result in outs at third base.
•WSC would respond with five runs in the first two innings to take a 5-1 lead, and then five more in the fourth inning to grow the lead to 10-1.
 
SMSU SEASON NUMBERS
•Through 37 games, SMSU is averaging 4.2 runs per game, batting .296 with 54 doubles and 10 home runs.
•The Mustangs' pitching staff has a 5.29 ERA in 229 innings with 161 strikeouts.
•SMSU has been stellar since the start of conference play, hitting .298, good for senenth in the conference, and hold a 3.93 ERA, good for sixth. 
•Senior Bailey Johnson powers the offense, batting .391 with 12 doubles, two home runs, 21 runs scored, 22 RBIs, and a 1.020 OPS. 
•Sophomore Jillian Noel is batting .369 with a 1.003 OPS, four doubles, 19 runs scored, and a team-high six home runs and 25 RBIs. 
•Freshman Abby Russell is hitting .328 with a pair of home runs, 22 runs scored, 22 RBIs and a team-high 13 doubles and eight stolen bases.
•Sophomore Molly Bull and Junior Lileya Kebos have been a problem for opposing pitchers since the start of conference play, hitting .353 (12 for 34) and .323 (10 for 31) respectively, combining for six doubles, 12 runs scored, and 15 RBIs. 
•Johnson leads the team with 14 multi-hit games, while Noel has recorded a 10-game hit streak this season.  
•Russell has reached safely in 10 straight games and holds a five-game hit streak. 
•Junior Shelby Bloemendaal has gone 8-6 in the circle with a 4.44 ERA, going 88 1/3 innings with 51 strikeouts and a pair of shutouts. 
•Freshman Karlie Miller has appeared in 15 games and has thrown 85 1/3 innings with a team-high 58 strikeouts.
•Each pitcher has been solid in conference action, with Bloemendaal maintaining a 3.50 ERA and Miller holding a 3.57 ERA, while Allison Christians has a 4.74 ERA and a pair of saves in 10 1/3 innings. 
 
ABOUT CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
•Concordia-St. Paul is 25-10-1 on the year and 8-8 in conference action after splitting with Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston this past weekend. 
•The Golden Bears were picked to finish sixth in the NSIC.
•CSP is led by Amanda Parsons offensively, whose .434 average, 1.119 OPS, 12 doubles, and .496 on base percentage leads the team. 
•CSP trots out a pair of stellar arms in the circle, with Kristi Pilz (1.66 ERA) and Bryanna Olson (2.22 ERA, 132 strikeouts) leading the staff. 
 
ABOUT MINNESOTA DULUTH
•Minnesota Duluth is 27-12 and 12-6 in conference play after splitting with Winona State and Upper Iowa last weekend. 
•The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the NSIC.
•UMD has four hitters batting between .330 and .363, with reigning NSIC Player of the Week Jordyn Thomas (.363 average, nine home runs, 34 RBIs), Kat Burkhardt (.346 average, 1.030 OPS, 11 stolen bases), Kelly Swank (.341 average). And Sidney Zavoral (.330 average) leading the way.  
•Lauren Dixon is 11-6 with a 1.85 ERA in 21 appearances, striking out 146 and walking 27 in 117 innings pitched. 
 
ABOUT ST. CLOUD STATE
•SCSU has opened the season 25-14 and 13-5 in NSIC action after sweeping Upper Iowa and being swept by Winona State last weekend. 
•The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the NSIC.
•Raven Vanden Langenberg is hitting .369 with eight home runs and 17 stolen bases at the top of the order for SCSU, while Sydney Trees has maintained a .301 average with a team-high 12 home runs and 34 RBIs in the middle of the order. 
•Trinity Junker is 13-6 with just a 1.75 ERA in 22 appearances and 16 starts, leading the staff with 134 strikeouts and 12 complete games in 124 innings.  
 
 SERIES HISTORY
•SMSU is 38-30 all-time against Concordia-St. Paul in a series that started in 1977. 
•The Mustangs are 10-13 at home in the series, and have lost three straight home games against the Golden Bears. 
•CSP has won three of the last four meetings, but SMSU won 10-5 in their most recent meeting on May 9, 2021. 
•SMSU is 40-73 all-time against Minnesota Duluth in a series that dates back to 1977.  
•The Mustangs are 7-22 all-time in Dultuh, splitting their most recent doubleheader in Duluth in 2019. 
•SMSU swept the Bulldogs last May in their most recent meeting, winning an 8-0 contest in five innings and a 4-3 walk-off in eight innings in Marshall.    
•SMSU is 47-57-1 all-time against St. Cloud State in a series that dates to 1973. 
•The Mustangs are 21-22 on the road in the series, including splitting a pair of non-conference games earlier this season. 
•SCSU has won seven of the previous eight meetings, including a six-game win streak prior to this season.   
 
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 1,945 games compiling an all-time record of 1,002-942-1.
•SMSU has won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.