LEADING OFF
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (5-14 overall) opens Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Sunday and Monday with doubleheaders versus the Upper Iowa and Winona State.
•The four games, originally scheduled to be played at Mustang Field in Marshall, will be played in Fayette, Iowa, and Winona, Minn., respectively, with the Mustangs serving as the home team.
•SMSU will take on Upper Iowa for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., on Sunday, before facing off against Winona State starting at 1 p.m. on Monday. 
•The Mustangs will take the field for the first time since March 11, while WSU swept UIU to open conference play 
 
GAME COVERAGE
•Live stats and video for both games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
 
 BOUMAN BALL
•Bailey Bouman is in her fifth season as head coach with an overall record of 81-98, 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.
 
 SERIES HISTORY VS. UPPER IOWA
•SMSU and UIU have met 37 times since the 2005 season with SMSU holding a 20-17 all-time advantage.
•SMSU has won five straight, with their last loss in the series coming in extra innings in 2019.  
•The Mustangs are 9-9 all-time in Fayette.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. WINONA STATE
•SMSU and WSU have meet 128 times since the 1973 season with WSU holding an 83-45 all-time advantage.
•WSU has won 31 consecutive matchups, with the Mustangs' last win coming in a sweep during the 2008 season.     
•The last SMSU victory in Winona came in 2007 and are 10-35 all-time in Winona. 
 
MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS          
•Jillian Noel leads the Mustangs' offense, batting .328 (20 for 61) with five doubles, a home run, nine RBI, and 12 runs scored. 
•Following Noel's lead is freshman Riley Kramolisch, who leads the team with 21 hits while batting .323. She recorded a hit in 11 straight games before facing GVSU on March 11. 
•She has been one of the stingiest hitters in the nation, ranking ninth in the country in toughest to strike out with just one strikeout in 65 at bats. 
•Sophomore transfer Katie Palmer has made an impact in the early going, hitting .294 (10 for 34) and holding a team-high .390 on base percentage while primarily serving as the designated player.  
•Shelby Bloemendaal has done a little of everything for SMSU, batting .288 (17 for 59) and ranking fifth in the country with .37 sacrifice bunts per game offensively and spinning a 5.01 ERA while ranking 13^th in the country with .65 BB/7 in the circle. 
•Morgyn Otte looks to build off a strong THE Spring Games campaign that saw her allow just two earned runs and strike out 20 in 18 1/3 innings of work.