BISMARCK, ND – On the last weekend of the regular season, the University of Mary softball team will play their first true home game of the season. With renovations completed to fencing and the backstop of the home park, the Marauders host #10 Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul on campus at the UMary softball field on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30.
The Marauders have played all their home dates this season at the Clem Kelly softball complex in Bismarck.
Due to UMary's graduation on Saturday, the Marauders and the Northern-Sun leading Mavericks will begin their doubleheader at 10 am for the team's annual cancer awareness game. First pitch on Sunday between the Marauders and the Golden Bears for senior recognition day is 12 noon.
Sitting at 13-13 in conference play, the Marauders are currently in a three-way tie for eighth place with a .500 winning percentage with Minot State (13-13) and the University of Sioux Falls (14-14). UMary and MSU both have four games remaining against the same competition. USF has two games left against fifth-place Bemidji State. Additionally Southwest Minnesota State is just one win back at 12-14 with four home games to play against Minnesota Crookston and BSU.
The top ten teams qualify for the NSIC tournament.
A young team that starts as many as three freshman and three sophomores, the Marauders say goodbye to three seniors this weekend.
Taylor Mendez,
Amber Gamboa and
Lex Hubbard all play their final home games this weekend.
A four-year starter who is already a two-time All-Northern Sun player, Mendez has settled into first base this season after playing a variety of positions in her career. A lifetime .357 hitter with 48 home runs, 156 RBIs and a .653 slugging percentage, Mendez is on the precipice of posting double digit home run seasons for the third straight year. She is the career home run leader for the Marauders during the program's NCAA era.
Also a four-year starter and a two-time All-NSIC performer, Gamboa has served as the Marauders primary catcher while also seeing time at third and first. She has a career average of .318 with a slugging percentage of .456, hitting 35 doubles and 14 home runs with 108 RBIs.
After seeing limited playing time as a freshman and sophomores, Hubbard has started every game the past two years as a corner outfielder, primarily occupying right field. She had five assists last year and three this season. Hubbard has 35 career hits, scored 23 runs, hit two doubles and two home runs, has 16 RBIs and 16 sacrifice hits.
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