LEADING OFF
•The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (6-23 overall, 1-9 NSIC) plays in Marshall for the first time this season, hosting Wayne State (9-25, 4-7) on Tuesday afternoon at The Schwan Regional Event Center, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
•The Mustangs come in on an eight-game losing streak, while the Wildcats enter following a pair of losses to the Minot State Beavers on Saturday.  
 
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 82-107, including 43-53 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, 2018.
•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. WAYNE STATE
•SMSU and WSC have met 63 times since the 1986 season with SMSU holding an 34-29 all-time advantage.
•The Wildcats swept the Mustangs last season, snapping a nine game SMSU win streak. 
•The Mustangs are 18-9 at home in the series, and have won five straight, last losing in 2016. 
 
MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS          
•Jillian Noel leads the Mustangs offense, batting .307 (27 for 88) with seven doubles, a triple, a pair of home runs, 14 RBI and 20 runs scored with an .855 OPS. 
•In conference play, Paige Ahrendt has been one of the best hitters in the conference, ranking fifth in the NSIC with a .469 (15 for 32) batting average. She is now hitting .282 (24 for 85) on the season, smacking four doubles and driving in 13 runs while being one of five players to play in all 29 games. 
•Another player that has thrived in conference play is Makenna Waldow, who ranks second on the team, behind Ahrendt, with a .350 (7 for 20) average, and leads the conference with 5 sacrifice bunts in NSIC play. 
•On the season, Waldow is batting .279 (17 for 61) while recording 11 sacrifice bunts. Her .39 sac bunts per game is good for third in the nation. 
•Right behind Waldow is freshman Riley Kramolisch, who is tied for the team lead with 27 hits while batting .273. 
•She has been one of the stingiest hitters in the nation, ranking 53rd in the country in lowest strikeout rate, averaging 24.8 at bats per strikeout.
•Sophomore transfer Katie Palmer has made an impact in the early going, hitting .289 (13 for 45) and holding a team-high .400 on base percentage win 21 games. 
•Shelby Bloemendaal has done a little of everything for SMSU, batting .292 (26 for 89) and ranking 11th in the country with .31 sacrifice bunts per game offensively and spinning a 5.44 ERA while ranking sixth in the country with .60 BB/7 in the circle. 
•Allison Christians has a 4.55 ERA to lead the pitching staff, while Karlie Miller has struck out 40 in 67 innings, and Morgyn Otte has 35 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings.