PREVIEWING THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team opens the 2023 season this weekend with six games at the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kan.
•SMSU will open play on Friday afternoon, taking on Fort Hays State at 1:30 p.m.at Gahnstrom Field, and Pittsburg State at 3:30 p.m., at Lake Shawnee South.
•The Mustangs continues action on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m., first pitch against Emporia State before a 5:30 p.m., match-up with Northwest Missouri State at Lake Shawnee South.
•SMSU close their weekend on Sunday with Missouri-St. Louis at 11:30 a.m., before a 3:30 p.m., game against Washburn at Gahnstrom Field.
•SMSU is scheduled to play 50 regular season games, including a 30-game Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule starting on March 28.
 
GAME COVERAGE
•Live stats for Friday and Sunday games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
•All games at Gahnstrom Field will have live video behind a paywall on the MIAA Network.
 
TICKET POLICY
•There will be charged admission of $10 per day at both locations. (CASH ONLY)
 
BOUMAN BALL
•Bailey Bouman enters her fifth season as head coach with an overall record of 76-84, including 42-44 in NSIC play.
•The Mustangs finished 21-31 last season while winning their second NSIC tournament game in as many seasons.
•The 11th head coach in program history, Bouman was named to the position on Aug. 8, 2019.
•The Mustangs finished 27-20 in 2021, their best season since 2011, while winning their first NSIC tournament game since Bouman's first season in 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.
 
2023 SMSU TEAM PREVIEW
•The 2023 Mustangs softball program returns nine letter winners and adds five fresh faces to a squad attempting to build off a 2022 team that finished 21-31 overall and 12-14 in NSIC action, winning an NSIC Tournament game for the fourth consecutive season.
•The team sees more balance in upperclassmen and underclassmen, with three seniors and four juniors mixed in with four sophomores, a redshirt freshman, and three freshmen. 
•The SMSU offense returns four everyday starters, including sophomore Abby Russell and junior Jillian Noel.
•Russell was in the top three on the team of nearly every statistical category, batting .324, scoring 30 runs, collecting 55 hits, 14 doubles, three triples, and a pair of home runs with an OPS of .854, all while striking out just 13 times in 188 plate appearances. 
•Noel hit .342 with a team-high six home runs and 35 RBI while adding 23 runs, eight doubles, and a .903 OPS, only striking out 12 times in 166 plate appearances.
•Junior catcher Molly Bull returns after a breakout season, hitting .338 in conference play and led the NSIC with seven runners caught stealing in NSIC action, allowing an NSIC-low 65.0 steal success rate.
•Junior Makenna Waldow also returns after hitting .212, ranking top 25 in the nation in sacrifice bunts and helping turn seven double plays while playing second base.
•Shelby Bloemendaal led the way in the circle for the Mustangs last season firing a team-best 127 2/3 innings and 1.50 WHIP, finishing with a 10-10 record with a 4.44 ERA.
•Sophomore Karlie Miller is also back after appearing in 23 games last season, including 22 starts, striking out 80 hitters in 124 1/3 innings of work and throwing a pair of two-hit shutouts in conference play.  
 
SMSU TABBED SEVENTH IN NSIC POLL
•Southwest Minnesota State University was picked to finish seventh in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU junior pitcher Shelby Bloemendaal and sophomore shortstop Abby Russell were both named "Players to Watch" in the conference this season.

ABOUT FORT HAYS STATE
•Fort Hays State is a member of the MIAA conference.  
•The Tigers are 3-5 on the season, and went 0-4 last weekend in the Raising Cane's Softball Festival 
•FHSU was picked to finish 11th in the MIAA. 
 
ABOUT PITTSBURG STATE
•Pittsburg State is a member of the MIAA conference.  
•The Gorillas are 7-6 on the season, and went 4-0 last weekend in the Pitt Triangular 
•PSU was picked to finish ninth in the MIAA. 
 
ABOUT EMPORIA STATE
•Emporia State is a member of the MIAA conference. 
•The Hornets are 7-5 on the season and went 2-4 last weekend in the ESU Classic.
•ESU was picked to finish 10th in the MIAA. 
 
ABOUT NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
•Northwest Missouri State is a member of the MIAA conference.
•NWMSU is 6-4 overall after a 5-1 weekend at the ESU classic that included four wins against NSIC foes
•NWMSU was picked to finish 12th in the 14-team MIAA.
 
ABOUT MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
•Missouri-St. Louis is a member of the GLVC.
•The Tritons are 3-3 on the season after splitting six games at the ESU Classic. 
•UMSL was picked to finish third in the GLVC. 
 
ABOUT WASHBURN
•Washburn is a member of the MIAA conference.  
•The Ichabods are 11-3 on the season, and went 4-1 in the ESU Classic  
•WU was picked to finish second in the MIAA. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. FORT HAYS STATE
•SMSU and FHSU will meet for the fourth time, with the Mustangs leading the series 2-1.  
•SMSU won the first meeting in 2016, and defeated the Tigers 4-1 in Topeka last season.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. PITTSBURG STATE
•SMSU and PSU will meet for the ninth time, with the Gorillas leading the series 5-3 in a series that started in 1980. 
•This will be their third time matching up in Topeka, with their last matchup coming on last February, when the Mustangs fell 12-0 in five innings. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. EMPORIA STATE
•SMSU and Emporia State will meet for the seventh time, with ESU leading the series 4-2. 
•The teams last met in 2022 when the Hornets defeated the Mustangs 8-0 in Topeka.    
 
 SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
•SMSU and Northwest Missouri State meet for the fifth time with SMSU winning all four previous meetings.
•The two teams last played to open the 2022 season, when Bloemendaal threw a shutout in an 8-0 victory.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
•SMSU and UMSL will meet for the second time, with the Mustangs winning a 2-1 game in 1994. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. WASHBURN
•SMSU and Washburn will meet for the seventh time, with WU leading the series 5-1. 
•Washburn defeated SMSU 11-2 in Topeka in 2022.   
 
 SEASON OPENERS
•SMSU is 31-20 all-time in season openers and is 10-3 in openers since the 2010 season.
 
MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 51st season of softball in 2022.
•SMSU has played 1,960 games compiling an all-time record of 1,008-951-1.
•SMSU has won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.