April 25, 2024

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (April 25, 2024)—The Dakota State University (S.D.) Trojan softball team (10-27 overall record, 7-13 North Star Athletic Association record) prepares for the final regular-season contests Saturday and Sunday.  The Trojans take on the NSAA's league leader Bellevue (Neb.) (29-17 overall record, 18-2 NSAA conference record) in a four-game series at Rob Smith Park (2098 O Street) in Omaha, Neb.

Saturday's doubleheader starting game times had been changed due to incoming rain and wet weather conditions late in the day.  The Trojans and the Bruins will now play at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, than the originally scheduled times at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.  Both teams will play another doubleheader on Sunday, starting at 12 p.m.

Dakota State wrapped up their home schedule with a 3-1 record in the North Star's four-game series versus Waldorf (Iowa) on April 20-21.  DSU and WU split their doubleheader on April 20, with the Trojans winning the first game 10-6 and the Warriors winning the second game 12-6.  Dakota State went on to sweep Waldorf 6-0 and 5-2 during their Senior Day on April 21.

Bellevue earned a four-game series sweep in the North Star Athletic Association home action with Viterbo (Wis.).  The Bruins swept the V-Hawks 5-0 and 9-2 on April 20, followed by 8-0 and 15-4 wins on April 20.  Bellevue fell at home in a single non-conference game against the College of Saint Mary (Neb.) by the score of 4-3 on April 23. 

Next Up:  The North Star Athletic Association Softball Postseason Tournament returns to Bravera Field in Dickinson, N.D., hosted by Dickinson State (N.D.).  The postseason tournament begins with the opening round on May 3 (Friday) and runs through May 6 (Monday) with the championship game.

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) completed their 2024 home schedule with a winning record at 5-3 after going 3-1 record with Waldorf (Iowa).  The Trojans notched their first home field winning record since 2022 with a 10-7 record. 
+ Bellevue (Neb.) won their last 10 meetings in the series with Dakota State, including the most recent meeting in the North Star Athletic Association Postseason Tournament's winner's bracket in Dickinson, N.D., on May 6.  The Bruins won on a walk-off victory by the score of 2-1.
+ The Trojans are seeking for their first win over the Bruins since April 22, 2021, with a 4-2 victory at Thue Field.
+ Dakota State is seeking for their first win on the road in the all-time meeting at Bellevue.  The Bruins swept the four-game series last season with BU winning at home 5-3 and 8-1 on April 12, 2023.  Bellevue rallied back for an 18-16 game one victory and 7-1 game two victory at Thue Field on April 27, 2023.
+ The last time DSU defeated Bellevue in the same season was during the 2018 season.  The Trojans defeated the Bruins 3-2 and 8-6 in the North Star conference postseason tournament in Aberdeen, S.D., on May 4-5, 2018.
+ Dakota State is fifth in the North Star conference standings with a 7-13 record, while Bellevue leads the conference with an 18-2 record.
+ The Trojans are seeking for their second straight North Star conference road victory.  DSU won the previous North Star road victory on April 14, defeating Viterbo (Wis.) 7-4 in their final ever NSAA conference meeting.

Noteworthy...
DSU HITTING STREAK:   Mackenzie Sims leads Dakota State (S.D.) with 10-game hitting streak since the start of the four-game series at Viterbo (Wis.) on April 13.  She also had three multi-hit games during the 10-game hitting streak.  Hannah McFarland held the season's best 12-game hitting streak earlier this season for the Trojans.  Michelle Evdos and Jordyn Jeffries each had six-game hitting streak this season.

DAKOTA STATE HOME SCHEDULE RECAP:  Dakota State completed their 2024 home schedule at Thue Field after a 3-1 record with Waldorf (Iowa) on April 20-21.  The Trojans finished their home schedule with a 5-3 record, their second home field winning record in the past three seasons.  DSU earned the North Star's four game-series with Mayville State (N.D.) last March in their other home contests this season.

TROJANS IN THE NORTH STAR RANKS:  According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Thursday, Hannah McFarland leads the overall North Star Athletic Association with 25 stolen bases.  She is also fourth in the conference with .402 batting average.  Michelle Evdos ties for second most doubles in the North Star conference with 10 doubles with three other players.  McFarland also ties for sixth most doubles with nine doubles.  Alexus Foster ties for second most triples in the league for the Trojans.
 
NORTH STAR SOFTBALL POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT:  The North Star Athletic Association Softball Postseason Tournament returns to Bravera Field at Sanford Sports Complex for the second straight year.  The opening round starts on Friday, May 3, with three games, followed by a full day of contests on the second day with five games scheduled.  The tournament continues on Sunday, May 4, with the championship game set for Monday at 12 p.m. (Mountain Time), with if necessary game to follow.

Trojans and Warriors open with NSAA doubleheader split
Madison, S.D. (April 20, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) scored in almost every inning in the North Star Athletic Association's four-game series opener with Waldorf (Iowa) at Thue Field.  The Trojans opened with a 2-0 lead and never trailed in the game.

DSU scored at least a run in the first four innings, holding a 5-3 lead after four innings.  After WU trimmed their lead to 5-4 in the top sixth, the Trojans plated five runs in the bottom half sparked by back-to-back solo home runs by Alexus Foster and Quincy Hartley.  DSU held on to 10-6 victory over WU.

Michelle Evdos drilled three doubles in the game with three RBIs for Dakota State.  Hannah McFarland, Mackenzie Sims, and Foster each had two hits and two RBIs.  Jordyn Jeffries had a double and two RBIs.  Maycee Bricker pitched a complete game victory for the Trojans.

Waldorf jumped to a 7-1 lead after three innings and held off Dakota State's comeback.  The Trojans scored four runs in the bottom sixth, cutting WU's lead to 7-6.  The Warriors scored five runs in the top seventh to secure a 12-6 win.

McFarland had two hits and two RBIs for DSU.  Philop added two hits and an RBI.  Foster hit a triple and two RBIs.  Delaney Barrett took the defeat in the pitching circle, while Jada Brown worked in relief.

Seniors power DSU to NSAA doubleheader sweep
Madison, S.D. (April 21, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) wrapped up their home schedule with the North Star Athletic Association doubleheader sweep over Waldorf (Iowa) on Senior Day at Thue Field.  DSU won the four-game series over WU for the first time since 2021.

The Trojans used a fast start in the first game, jumping to a 2-0 lead after the first inning and never trailed.  DSU poured four runs in the bottom fourth inning and shut down WU 6-0.

Rosie Philop led Dakota State with a double, single and drove in three runs.  Jordyn Jeffries added two singles and two RBIs.  Hannah McFarland, Mackenzie Sims and Delaney Barrett each had a hit.  Barrett tossed a complete game victory.

After falling 1-0 in the second game, DSU scored three runs in the bottom first inning to hold off WU by the score of 5-2.  The Trojans secured the final four-game series meeting with the Warriors with a 3-1 record.

Sims sparked Dakota State's offense with three singles and an RBI.  Michelle Evdos added two doubles and two RBIs.  Ally Morrissey had a triple and a single.  Olivia Peterson collected an RBI.  Maycee Bricker earned a complete game victory in the pitching circle for DSU.

Trojans fall short in final non-conference games
Mitchell, S.D. (April 24, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) had a 6-1 lead in the first game of the doubleheader at Caldwell Park over rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in the final non-conference games of the season.

The Tigers scored seven straight runs with two outs in the bottom sixth inning to overtake an 8-6 lead.  The Trojans mounted a comeback in the top seventh inning, but fell short by the score of 8-7.

Hannah McFarland and Mackenzie Sims each had a double for DSU.  Rosie Philop added two singles and two RBIs.  Michelle Evdos, Alexus Foster, and Quincy Hartley each had a hit and an RBI.  Delaney Barrett (L, 7-10) took the setback after working for 5 2/3 innings.

DWU shut down DSU 8-0 in six innings to complete the doubleheader sweep, with six runs scored in the bottom sixth to end the game.  Sims, Evdos, Philop, and Jada Brown each recorded a single for the Trojans.  Brown took the defeat after tossing five innings in the pitching circle.

2024 Dakota State Softball Team Leaders

· Hits:  Hannah McFarland—43 hits

· Batting Average:  Hannah McFarland—.402 batting average (43-of-102 at-bats)

· Slugging Percentage:  Michelle Evdos—.506 slugging percentage (24 singles, 10 doubles)

· Runs Batted In (RBIs):  Michelle Evdos—25 runs batted in (RBIs)

· Doubles:  Michelle Evdos—10 doubles

· Triples:  Alexus Foster—2 triples

· Home Runs:  Alexus Foster—2 home runs

· Total Bases:  Hannah McFarland—52 total bases

· Runs Scored:  Hannah McFarland—33 runs

· Walks:  Hannah McFarland—21 walks

· Hit-by-Pitch:  Hannah Feser, Michelle Evdos—3 hit-by-pitches

· Stolen Bases: Hannah McFarland—25 stolen bases

· On-base percentage:  Hannah McFarland—.511 on-base percentage

· Innings Pitched:  Delaney Barrett—91 2/3 innings

· Earned Runs Average (ERA):  Delaney Barrett—5.04 ERA (66 earned runs in 91 2/3 innings)

· Strikeouts (Pitching):  Maycee Bricker—32 strikeouts

· Complete Games (Pitching):  Delaney Barrett—6 complete games

· Wins:  Delaney Barrett—7 wins

· Saves:  Maycee Bricker, Jada Brown—1 save

Follow Trojan Softball

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