The University of Mary softball team will head up to Minot, ND, to take on the University Minnesota Duluth in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 17, at 2 pm. UMary will then travel to Aberdeen, SD, to take on Southwest Minnesota State University on Friday, March 19, at 11 am. These are the final nonconference games this season for the Marauders before the start of Northern Sun play on March 30.
LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders last competed in a doubleheader against Northern State University on March 6 where they fell 4-2 in game one and 6-1 in game 2. UMary held early leads in both games. Mariah Sanchez went 3-for-6 with two walks over the doubleheader. Devyn Ritz hit her first home run of the season in game one against NSU.
RECORD
UMary enters Wednesday's game with a 1-8 record.
FOLLOW LIVE
Live video and stats will be provided for the Marauders games against the Bulldogs and the Mustangs. Links are available at www.GoUMary.com/coverage
OPPO RESEARCH – University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is 6-4 this season. Last season UMD went 9-12 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. Senior first basemen Jordyn Thomas has gotten off to a red hot start as she is batting .438 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. Lauren Oberle leads the team in on-base percentage which stands at .526. Jen Walter enters her sixth season as the Bulldogs head coach and has amassed a 147-75 record over that time.
OPPO RESEARCH – Southwest Minnesota State University
Southwest Minnesota State has gone 7-5 thus far in the season. Last year SMSU finished with a 9-7 record. Junior outfielder Bailey Johnson leads the team in batting average at .438 with three home runs and 13 RBIs. Senior infielder Kali Tomlinson is hitting .411 with three home runs and 15 RBIs. Head coach Bailey Bouman took over the Mustangs program in 2018 and has gone 28-33 over her first two seasons.
HISTORY OF THE MATCHUPS
UMary has gone 3-20 against UMD since 2011. The Marauders have gone 9-7 against SMSU since 2010.
STATS TO WATCH
- Mariah Sanchez leads the team with 13 hits as she has a .406 batting average. She also is slugging .500 and has an OPS of 957.
- Eryn de Jonge is second on the team with eight hits and currently has a .296 batting average.
- Rachael Laetsch leads the team with two home runs, five RBIs and an OPS of 1.084
- Freshman Brooke de Jonge has scored a team-best four runs
- Alissa Alvarado has struck out 13 hitters in 16.2 innings and has a 3.78 ERA.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior catcher Madelynn Trout and senior pitcher Kaitlyn Alvarado were named as 2021 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Players to Watch for the Marauders as the NSIC released the preseason coaches' poll.
In her first season as a Marauder, Trout slashed .380/.446/.740 while hitting four home runs and driving in 15 runs in 17 games. The senior catcher/utility player ed the team in OBP (.446) and OPS (1.186) and was second in slugging percentage (.740)
"Last year, Maddy Trout transferred to our team after being a part of a very successful junior college program," said Marauders head coach Steph Roan. "Since her first day on campus, Trout has made her presence known by being a good role model for our underclassmen to follow. On the field, she has been a major contributor behind the plate as a catcher and with the bat. As a young professional, Maddy continues to work hard in the classroom and strives to have a successful career."
Alvarado, back for her third season at UMary, posted an ERA of 3.00 with a WHIP of 0.99 in 30.1 innings last season. Opponents had a batting average of only .188 against her. The senior also hit .303 last year while collecting 15 RBIs.
"Kaitlyn has been a versatile threat both on the mound and at third base," said Roan. "She has also proven her worth in the box as a lefty power hitter. As an upperclassman, she has provided leadership qualities and a competitive spirit to our roster. This season will be her senior year so I anticipate big things from her!"
MARAUDERS PROJECTED TO FINISH 11TH
Roan enters her third season as the head coach of the Marauders softball program. The Marauders went 21-29 in her first season in charge and 12-9 last season before it was canceled.
"This season we have a veteran roster across the field," said Roan. "Several of these players have contributed to our success over the last of couple seasons. We also have younger players that are showing a lot of promise. I look forward to starting where we left off last season!"
UMary is projected to finish 11th in the NSIC according to the preseason coaches' poll. Augustana is the preseason favorite, followed by Winona State University, Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State University, University of Minnesota Duluth, Concordia-St. Paul, Northern State University, Minot State University, University of Sioux Falls, Southwest Minnesota State University, UMary, Bemidji State University, Upper Iowa University, University of Minnesota Crookston, Wayne State College and MSU Moorhead.Â
UMARY ROSTER RUNDOWN
The Marauders bring back several big bats from last year, such as senior catcher/outfielder Rachael Laetsch who returns to the Marauders after having an on-base percentage of .435 and led the team with 10 walks. Last season Laetsch made no errors behind the plate and had 10 assists with 59 putouts.
Senior first basemen Kasidy Chileen has been a starter since her freshmen year for UMary. She hit .320 and drove in 33 runs in 2019. Other returning starters include Mariah Sanchez, Haley Berube and Mikaela Pelesauma.
To bolster the lineup, Roan brought in five new freshmen to the team. The freshmen include Brooke De Jonge, Levi Luna, Nichole Eckhardt, Alissa Alvarado and Mackenzie Reinhardt.
Other additions include junior outfielder Avery Dome who transferred from Phoenix Community College. Dome hit .455 in 51 games played while at Phoenix Community College.
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