DSU softball prepares for eight games in span of six days

Softball 4/9/2026 8:07:00 PM Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director

Trojans kick off Frontier softball second half schedule this weekend; host Waldorf (Iowa) Tuesday

Dakota State plays eight games in a span of six days; visits Bellevue (Neb.) Wednesday in Frontier mid-week doubleheader

April 9, 2026

THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW
The Dakota State University Trojan softball team (9-23 overall record, 3-11 Frontier Conference record) prepares for a busy schedule with eight games in a span of six days. The Trojans kick off their second half portion of the conference schedule Friday and Saturday as they visit Carroll (Mont.) (11-11 overall record, 6-6 Frontier Conference record). The doubleheader starts Friday at 3 p.m. (Central Time)/2 p.m. (Mountain Time) and Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT)/12 p.m. (MT) at Nelson Stadium (1830 Bishop Carroll Dr.) on the campus of Carroll in Helena.

The Trojans return home Tuesday afternoon to close out their non-conference schedule versus Waldorf (Iowa) (3-25 overall record) at Thue Field (S Egan Ave. in downtown Madison). The doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. DSU then heads to Bellevue (Neb.) (17-16 overall record, 7-5 Frontier) in a mid-week doubleheader clash. The doubleheader is set to be played at Renner Dennis Complex (2102 Harvell Circle) in Bellevue, Neb., at 2 p.m.

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State prepares for their longest trip this season this weekend as they visit Carroll (Mont.) for their first-ever meetings. They will be playing on a turf field at Nelson Stadium in Helena, Mont.

*DSU returns home Tuesday for the first time since March 30. The Trojans close out their non-conference schedule as they host Waldorf (Iowa), a former member of the North Star Athletic Association.

*Dakota State will play on the newly turf field on Wednesday, hosted by Bellevue (Neb.) in their mid-week Frontier Conference clash at Renner Dennis Complex.

*The Trojans had surpassed their wins total from last season. DSU earned their ninth win of the season after defeating Providence (Mont.) in a thrilling 3-run walk-off home run at American State Bank Sports Complex on April 2.

*DSU will close their road trip next weekend as they travel to Dickinson State (N.D.) for the Frontier Conference four-game series.

2025-26 STATS COMPARISON


Batting Average	.308	.285	.240	.334
Runs	103	115	86	175
On-Base %	.371	.360	.341	.404
Slugging %	.438	.404	.304	.497
Home Runs	8	14	2	19
Hits	190	223	156	301
Doubles	46	39	29	75
Triples	5	6	3	7
Stolen Bases	18	18	18	24
Walks	60	89	94	104
Fielding %	.959	.939	.916	.962
ERA	4.88	6.49	11.07	3.29

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SAINTS
Shawna Juarez enters her fourth season as Carroll (Mont.) head softball coach. The Fighting Saints finished sixth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference last season.

Carroll is coming off a Frontier Conference doubleheader sweep of Providence (Mont.). The Fighting Saints took the mid-week contests with a pair of one-run victories, 4-3 and 3-2. Carroll is currently in fifth place in the Frontier Conference, with a conference record of 5-6.

The Carroll offense is led by Brooke Thompson, who is batting .435 with a 1.178 OPS and four home runs on the season. The Carroll pitching staff is pitching to a 4.88 team ERA and a .286 batting average against.

This weekend's four-game series will be the first ever meeting between Dakota State and Carroll.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Tom Myers enters his inaugural leading the Waldorf (Iowa) softball program. He previously was the head softball coach at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado.

The Warriors have a 3-25 overall record coming into this mid-week doubleheader. Waldorf is 1-9 record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and is scheduled to play at Briar Cliff (Iowa) on Friday and versus Mount Marty (S.D.) in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday.

WU is batting .240 as a team and their pitching staff is pitching to an 11.07 team ERA.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS
Michala Cimino is in her 17th season as Bellevue (Neb.) softball head coach. The Bruins finished third in the final year of the North Star Athletic Association last season. Cimino has recorded 29 or more wins in every season as head coach of the Bruins.

The Bruins are coming off a split against Carroll (Mont.), winning 1-0 before falling in the nightcap 7-5. The second day of the doubleheader was cancelled due to poor field conditions.

Dakota State and Bellevue split their doubleheader earlier in the season at Thue Field in Madison, S.D. Bellevue won game one by a score of 6-3 and DSU won game two 5-4.

LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State (S.D.) was unable to host Providence (Mont.) in the Frontier Conference home four-game series at Thue Field on April 2-3. Instead, they played four games inside the American State Bank Sports Complex in Sioux Center, Iowa, on the campus of Dordt (Iowa).

The Argos kicked off the four-game series with a 9-0 shutout victory over the Trojans in five innings on April 2. DSU collected two hits from Hannah McFarland (double, single) and a double from Quincy Hartley. Julia Maldonado added a single. Gabrielle Ortega-Alves, Alexia Hayden, and Lara Dolezal each recorded a walk. Grace Kitterman and Mason Usselman each worked in the pitching circle for DSU.

Dakota State earned their ninth win of the season in a thrilling walk-off fashion in the second game of the series on the same day. Both teams scored in the third and sixth innings, with the Argos leading 3-2 after six innings. The Trojans rallied to tie the game at 3-3 and eventually hit a 3-run walk-off home run by pinch hitter Alexis Resseguie for a 6-3 thrilling victory.

Hayden also had a home run, single, and an RBI for DSU. McFarland added three singles, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Ortega-Alves had two hits. Hartley collected a single and an RBI. Brenley Goebel recorded a single and swiped one base. Maycee Bricker pitched a complete game victory in the circle.

Providence held off Dakota State in a pair of games on the second day of the doubleheader. The Argos opened with a 2-0 lead after the first inning and expanded to 4-0 in the top third. DSU trimmed their deficit to 4-2 after three innings. UP outscored DSU 3-1 for the rest of the game to earn a 7-3 win. Emmalynn Rabe tallied a triple and an RBI. Ortega-Alves and Hayden each had a double and single. Hayden drove in two runs. Hartley added two hits. McGee started the game in the pitching mound for DSU, while Kitterman worked in relief.

UP closed the four-game series with a 7-4 victory after pulling away late. The Trojans trailed 5-4 after five innings, while the Argos added a run in the top sixth and seventh innings. Hayden hit two doubles and a single for DSU. Rabe, Maldonado, and Hartley each had a hit and an RBI. McFarland tallied two hits, walk, and an RBI. Goebel earned two hits and a stolen base. Bricker tossed a complete game in the pitching circle, despite the setback.

TROJANS IN THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE RANKS
According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Thursday, Dakota State's outfielder Hannah McFarland is ranked third in the Frontier Conference with .443 batting average. She is also tied for third in the league with 14 stolen bases. She ranks fifth in the conference with .537 on-base percentage. McFarland records 19 walks this season, which is third best in the league.

Alexia Hayden is 16th in the Frontier Conference with .379 batting average for the Trojans. She is 10th in the league with .690 slugging percentage and tied for sixth with 11 doubles. Hayden and Quincy Hartley are tied for eighth most home runs in the conference, hitting four home runs this season.

Emmalynn Rabe leads Dakota State with four triples this season, which is tied for second most triples in the Frontier Conference.

Maycee Bricker is 13th in the Frontier Conference with 4.56 earned run average (ERA) for the Trojans. She surpassed her 200th career milestone during the series with Providence (Mont.) last week. Bricker ranks sixth in the league with 46 strikeouts.

FRONTIER CONFERENCE SECOND HALF UNDERWAY
The Frontier Conference softball season is currently in their second half of their conference schedule this weekend. Dakota State have 12 conference games remaining before the conference postseason tournament on April 30 through May 3 at Bravera Field on Sanford Sports Complex in Dickinson, N.D.

The Trojans begin their second half schedule with back-to-back weekend road trips with a mid-week clash with their traveling partner. After their trip to Carroll (Mont.) Friday and Saturday, DSU plays a mid-week Frontier Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at Bellevue (Neb.).

Dakota State then travels to Dickinson State (N.D.) for a four-game series at the same site as the conference tournament next weekend. The Trojans close out their conference schedule on April 24-25 at home versus Bismarck State (N.D.) at Thue Field.

2026 DSU SOFTBALL TEAM LEADERS

· Hits: Hannah McFarland—39 hits

· Batting Average: Hannah McFarland—.443 batting average (39-of-88 at-bats)

· Slugging Percentage: Alexia Hayden—.690 slugging percentage (3 home runs, 2 triples, 8 doubles, 10 singles)

· Runs Batted In (RBI): Alexia Hayden—29 RBIs

· Doubles: Alexia Hayden—11 doubles

· Triples: Emmalynn Rabe—4 triples

· Home Runs: Quincy Hartley, Alexia Hayden—4 home runs

· Total Bases: Alexia Hayden—60 total bases

· Runs Scored: Emmalynn Rabe—22 runs

· Walks: Hannah McFarland—19 walks

· Hit-by-Pitch: Julia Maldonado—3 hit-by-pitches