Softball 4/1/2026 6:47:00 PM Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director

Trojans to face Argos in Frontier Conference softball four-game series inside the dome

Dakota State (S.D.) plays Providence (Mont.) at American State Bank Sports Complex in Sioux Center, Iowa, Thursady and Friday

April 1, 2026

THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW
The Dakota State University Trojan softball team (8-20 overall record, 2-8 Frontier Conference record) continues their Frontier Conference action as they head inside the dome Thursday and Friday. The Trojans take on the league's co-leader Providence (Mont.) (14-15 overall record, 6-2 Frontier) in a four-game series, playing a doubleheader on Thursday at 11 a.m. and Friday at 8 a.m.

Due to poor weather forecast for this week, the four-game series will be played at American State Bank Sports Complex (1080 7th Street NE) in Sioux Center, Iowa, on the campus of Dordt (Iowa).

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State was originally scheduled to play at home Thursday and Friday, but poor weather forecast had prompted to relocate their four-game series inside the dome.

*The Trojans return to the American State Bank Sports Complex for the third time this season, the first time since February where they played in the Dordt (Iowa) Dome Tournament in Sioux Center, Iowa.

*Providence (Mont.) and Dakota State will play their first-ever Frontier Conference four-game series. Both teams had met twice in the NAIA's Unaffiliated Frontier/North Star conference tournament in 2013 (in Dickinson, N.D.) and 2014 (in Jamestown, N.D.).

*The Argos are currently in a two-way tie for first place in the Frontier Conference with a 6-2 record each with Valley City State (N.D.).

*Dakota State is 7-12 record on neutral sites, which included a pair of tournaments in the American State Bank Sports Complex and Stars & Stripes Classic in Branson, Mo. Providence holds an 8-9 record in one dome tournament and multiple games in the Tucson (Ariz.) Invitational games.

2025-26 STATS COMPARISON


Batting Average	.322	.283
Runs	163	102
On-Base %	.402	.357
Slugging %	.470	.397
Home Runs	16	12
Hits	255	191
Doubles	47	31
Triples	11	5
Stolen Bases	51	31
Walks	93	75
Fielding %	.939	.933
ERA	6.96	6.66

SCOUTING THE ARGOS
Joey Egan enters her 14th season as Providence (Mont.) softball head coach. The Argos finished ninth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference last season.

The Argos are coming off a Frontier Conference home four-game series sweep of Bismarck State (N.D.). The Argos opened the weekend with a 9-0 win, before rattling off three straight one-run victories to close out the sweep.

Providence opened conference play with a series split against Dickinson State (N.D.). Providence is tied for first in Frontier Conference play with Valley City State (N.D.) at 6-2 overall record.

The Providence offense is led by Kasidy Yeoman, who is batting .490 with a 1.254 OPS and six triples on the season. The Argos' pitching staff is pitching to a 6.96 team ERA and a .337 batting average against.

This series will be the first meeting between Providence and Dakota State since 2014, where the teams met in the semifinals of the NAIA Softball Unaffiliated NSAA/Frontier Tournament. The Argos downed the Trojans 5-0.

DSU is 0-2 record all-time against Providence, both during the conference qualifying conference tournaments. Providence was formerly known as the University of Great Falls before the name change in 2017.

LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State played one of the busiest weeks on their 2026 schedule, playing a total of eight games in six days during the week of March 23 through March 30. The Trojans kicked off their week with a pair of exhibition games setback to NCAA Division I North Dakota in Grand Forks on March 25.

DSU returned to Frontier Conference action, traveling to Valley City State (N.D.) at VCSU Softball Complex in Valley City. The Vikings edged the Trojans in the first two games by scores of 4-0 and 5-4 on March 28, followed by a pair of victories on March 29 8-0 and 14-6.

Valley City State held Dakota State to two singles in the four-game series opener. The Vikings scored twice in the bottom second and fifth innings to secure the victory. Gabrielle Ortega-Alves and Hannah McFarland each had a single and a walk. Julia Maldonado added a walk. Makenna McGee started the game and worked for five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Maycee Bricker pitched one scoreless inning in relief.

Dakota State opened with a 2-0 lead in the second game, thanks to a 2-run home run by Emmalynn Rabe. Alexis Resseguie added a solo home run to extend their lead to 3-0 in the top fourth. VCSU regained their lead to 5-3 after five innings. The Trojans' attempt to come back in the final inning fell short after scoring a run in the top seventh inning after Alexis Hayden's RBI single.

Rabe led the Trojans with a home run, two RBIs, and a walk. Hayden and Resseguie each added a hit and an RBI. Ally Morrissey tallied two singles. Bricker started the game worked for 3 1/3 innings and allowed three runs (two unearnend) on three hits. Grace Kitterman took the setback after tossing 2 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits.

The Vikings shut down DSU 8-0 in five innings in the third game of the series. Dakota State was limited to one hit by Ortega-Alves. Kitterman and McGee worked in the pitching circle for DSU.

Valley City State erupted for eight runs through the first four innings in the four-game series finale. The Trojans roared with a six-run production in the top fifth frame to trim their deficit to 8-6 but unable to hold off VCSU as they answered with six runs in the bottom fifth inning to earn a 14-6 win. Quincy Hartley had a home run and drove in three runs for DSU. McFarland added two singles. Rabe recorded a triple and two RBIs. Maldonado had a double and an RBI. Bricker, Mason Usselman, McGee, and Kitterman each pitched in the circle.

Dakota State played their third consecutive day of doubleheader on March 30, as they played their first home games at Thue Field. The game was knotted at 3-3 after five innings before the Bruins plated three runs in the top seventh inning to hold off the Trojans 6-3. Rabe led the Trojans with a triple and single. Ortega-Alves and Hayden each added a single and an RBI. McFarland, Resseguie, Morrissey, and Brenley Goebel each recorded a hit. Kitterman worked for six-plus innings, while McGee came in the top seventh in relief.

DSU surpassed their last year's wins total after holding off BU in the nightcap. The Bruins scored twice in the top third inning before the Trojans overtook the lead in the bottom half of the inning. McFarland started the scoring run with an RBI double, followed by Rabe's RBI triple, and Hayden's RBI single for 3-2 DSU lead. Bellevue tied the game at 3-3 in the top third inning, while DSU took advantage of 13 consecutive balls in the bottom sixth and plated two runs to regain their lead at 5-4. Dakota State held off Bellevue in the top seventh inning for a 5-4 victory.

Ortega-Alves, McFarland, Rabe, Hayden, Maldonado, Hartley, Resseguie, and Morrissey each recorded a hit for Dakota State. McFarland had two RBIs and three walks. Ortega-Alves, Rabe, and Hayden each had an RBI. Bricker tossed a complete game victory in the pitching circle for Dakota State.

TROJANS IN THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE RANKS
According to the NAIA-PrestoStats statistical website as of Wednesday, Dakota State's Hannah McFarland ranks fifth in the Frontier Conference in batting average. She posts a batting average of .432 prior to DSU's four-game series with Providence (Mont.) Thursday and Friday. She is also fifth in the league with 12 stolen bases.

Quincy Hartley ties for sixth most home runs in the league with four home runs each, with Lexi Wesson of Bismarck State (N.D.), Brooke Thompson of Carroll (Mont.), Kiley Hubby of Dickinson State (N.D.), Marguerite Brown of Bellevue (Neb.), and Erin Bishop of Providence (Mont.). Alexia Hayden ranks fifth in the conference with 26 runs batted in (RBIs).

Dakota State ranks sixth in the Frontier Conference with .283 batting average. The Trojans are sixth in the league with 98 RBIs. DSU is fourth in the conference with 31 stolen bases.

2026 DSU SOFTBALL TEAM LEADERS

· Hits: Hannah McFarland—32 hits

· Batting Average: Hannah McFarland—.432 batting average (32-of-74 at-bats)

· Slugging Percentage: Alexia Hayden—.627 slugging percentage (3 home runs, 2 triples, 8 doubles, 10 singles)

· Runs Batted In (RBI): Alexia Hayden—26 RBIs

· Doubles: Alexia Hayden—8 doubles

· Triples: Emmalynn Rabe—3 triples

· Home Runs: Quincy Hartley—4 home runs

· Total Bases: Alexia Hayden—47 total bases

· Runs Scored: Emmalynn Rabe—20 runs

· Walks: Hannah McFarland—18 walks

· Hit-by-Pitch: Julia Maldonado, Gabrielle Ortega-Alves—2 hit-by-pitches