WEEKEND PREVIEW
• The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team (18-27, 9-13 NSIC) travels East for its final pair of road doubleheaders this weekend.
• SMSU is first scheduled to play Concordia-St. Paul (34-8, 16-2 NSIC), which is ranked third in the NCAA Central Region and stands in second place in the NSIC, on Saturday, April 20, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m., in St. Paul, Minn.
• The Mustangs then face off against Winona State (27-15, 11-5 NSIC) on Sunday, April 21, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 1 p.m., in Winona, Minn.

GAME COVERAGE
• Live stats for both series will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
• Both series will be live streamed on the NSIC Network.

NOEL NOTABLES
• Senior Jillian Noel leads the Mustangs in batting going .341 (46 for 135) at the plate including a team-high 10 doubles, a triple, and a pair of home runs. Noel leads the team in RBIs (35) and has scored 14 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 (142) and doubles (47), and is sixth in total bases (307) and fifth in assists (365). 
• Noel also ranks in the top five in hits (210) and is tied for ninth in home runs (14).

QUICK HITS
• SMSU strung together a handful of clutch hits to secure the 6-4 win in game one, but Sioux Falls edged out SMSU in game two 1-0 to salvage the split on Wednesday at Mustang Field.
• Junior Abby Russell has recorded 45 hits including eight doubles and a team-high four triples while drawing a team-high 19 walks. Russell has scored 25 runs and tallied 14 RBIs.
• Sophomore Riley Kramolisch is third on the team with 41 hits and has drove in 21 runs, while Abby Boxrud and Molly Bull have collected 28 hits apiece.
• Freshman Brynn Webber has knocked 29 hits, leads the team in stolen bases (16), and is third on the squad with 17 runs scored.
• SMSU is averaging 3.2 runs per game and batting .255

PITCHING PIECES
• Karlie Miller (10-15) leads the team with a single-season high 111 strikeouts in 155 innings pitched. Miller has collected 10 wins, including two shutouts, and has recorded three saves this season. The junior has a team-low 3.25 ERA and has held opponents to .278 hitting.
• Morgyn Otte (8-10) is second on the team with 61 strikeouts--a single-season high--and has thrown 121 innings. Otte earned her second career shutout on March 25 over Minnesota Crookston.
• SMSU has a team ERA of 3.79 in 291 2/3 innings with 183 strikeouts. Opponents are averaging 4.3 runs per game and batting .287

HEAD COACH BAILEY BOUMAN
• Bailey Bouman is in her sixth season as head coach at SMSU with an overall record of 111-143, including 63-75 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.

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL SERIES HISTORY
• SMSU and CSP will meet for the 73rd time with the Mustangs leading 40-32 in a series that began in 1977.
• The Golden Bears sit at 34-8 overall and 16-2 in NSIC play after sweeping UMary on Sunday.
• The teams split the series last season but has SMSU won six of the previous 11 matchups.
• The Mustangs are 18-12 all-time on the road in the series.

WINONA STATE SERIES HISTORY
• SMSU and WSU will meet for the 131st time with the Warriors leading 85-45 in a series that began in 1973.
• Winona State sits at 27-15 overall and 11-5 in NSIC play after splitting a series with Minot State on Sunday.
• The Warriors have won 33 consecutive games, with SMSU having not won a game since the 2009 season.
• WSU holds a 37-10 record at home in the series. 

MUSTANG HISTORY
• Southwest Minnesota State is in its 53rd season of softball in 2024.
• SMSU has played in 2,054 games compiling an all-time record of 1,043-1,010-1.
• The Mustangs have won 10 NSIC regular season championships, two NSIC Tournament titles and has played in four NCAA Tournaments.