WEEKEND PREVIEW
• The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (17-22, 8-8 NSIC) hits the road this weekend for a pair of NSIC doubleheaders.
• SMSU first plays Northern State (18-18, 4-12 NSIC) on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m., in Aberdeen, S.D.
• The Mustangs cap off their weekend on Sunday, playing a pair of games at MSU Moorhead (20-16, 7-7 NSIC), with game time set for 12 p.m.

GAME COVERAGE
• Live stats for all games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
• All games will be live streamed on the NSIC Network.

NOEL NOTABLES
• Senior Jillian Noel leads the Mustangs in batting going .360 (41 for 114) at the plate including a team-high eight doubles, a triple, and a pair of home runs. Noel leads the team in RBIs (30) and has scored 13 runs.
• Noel tied a career-high four hits and drove in a career-high five runs against Minnesota Crookston on March 25, including sealing the deal in the sixth inning with an RBI-single to right field.
• She also tallied her 200th career hit in the 2-1 win over St. Cloud State on April 6. Noel is just the sixth Mustang softball player to reach the mark.
• The senior third baseman is second all-time in program history in RBIs (137), third in doubles (45), and is sixth in total bases (300) and fifth in assists (351). 
• Noel also ranks in the top five in hits (205) and is tied for ninth in home runs (14).

QUICK HITS
• Jillian Noel knocked four hits and drove in three runs and the SMSU pitching staff was stellar to push the Mustangs past the Wayne State Wildcats, 6-1 and 3-2, on Wednesday at Mustang Field. With the win, SMSU ties its win total from the 2023 season.
• Junior Abby Russell has recorded 37 hits including seven doubles and a team-high three triples while drawing a team-high 15 walks. Russell has scored 22 runs and tallied 14 RBIs.
• Sophomore Riley Kramolisch is tied for second on the team with 37 hits and has drove in 14 runs, while Abby Boxrud has collected 25 hits.
• Freshman Brynn Webber has knocked 25 hits, leads the team in stolen bases (15), and is third on the squad with 17 runs scored.
• SMSU is averaging 3.3 runs per game and batting .258

PITCHING PIECES
• Karlie Miller (9-11) leads the team with a single-season high 99 strikeouts in 132 2/3 innings pitched. Miller has collected nine wins, including two shutouts, and has recorded three saves this season. The junior has a team-low 3.32 ERA and has held opponents to .280 hitting.
• Morgyn Otte (8-9) is second on the team with 52 strikeouts--a single-season high--and has thrown 101 1/3 innings. Otte earned her second career shutout on March 25 over Minnesota Crookston.
• SMSU has a team ERA of 3.90 in 249 2/3 innings with 162 strikeouts. Opponents are averaging 4.5 runs per game and batting .292

HEAD COACH BAILEY BOUMAN
• Bailey Bouman is in her sixth season as head coach at SMSU with an overall record of 110-138, including 62-70 in NSIC play.
• The 11th head coach in program history, Bouman was named to the position on Aug. 8, 2018.
• The Mustangs finished the 2023 season 17-32 and missed the NSIC Tournament for the first time in three seasons. 
• SMSU finished 21-31 in 2022, and won its second NSIC Tournament game in consecutive seasons.
• 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.

NORTHERN STATE SERIES HISTORY
• SMSU and NSU will meet for the 96th time with the Mustangs leading 69-26 in a series that began in 1986.
• Northern State sits at 18-18 overall and 4-12 in NSIC play after getting swept by Minot State on Wednesday.
• SMSU lost both games last season but has won five of the previous eight matchups.
• The Mustangs are 21-11 on the road in the series, including winning two of the last three in Aberdeen. 

MSU MOORHEAD SERIES HISTORY
• SMSU and MSUM will meet for the 119th time with the Mustangs leading 83-35 in a series that began in 1976.
• MSU Moorhead sits at 20-16 overall and 7-7 in NSIC play after earning a split against Sioux Falls on Saturday. The Dragons play two games against UMary today.
• SMSU lost both games last season but has won seven of the previous 10 matchups.
• The Mustangs are 18-10 on the road in the series, including winning nine of the last 10 in Moorhead. 

MUSTANG HISTORY
• Southwest Minnesota State is in its 53rd season of softball in 2024.
• SMSU has played in 2,048 games compiling an all-time record of 1,042-1,005-1.
• The Mustangs have won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.