THIS WEEK
The University of Mary Softball team prepares for more Northern Sun action on the road this coming week. The Marauders will begin the week with a doubleheader at Minnesota State University Moorhead on Wednesday, April 12 at 1 and 3 pm. They will then venture to the University of Sioux Falls for action at 1 and 3 pm on Saturday, April 15, and then to Marshall, MN for a Sunday doubleheader with Southwest Minnesota State University on April 16 at noon and 2 pm.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Despite spring conditions sweeping over Bismarck, the home field is still not ready for play on the hill. Wednesday's doubleheader with the Dragons will be a site reversal a day after the Marauders originally planned to host.
LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders played their past ten games in Minot, ND underneath the MSU Dome. April 7-8 featured competitive play from the Marauders, but they fell short going 0-4 over the weekend dropping 0-4 and 5-9 games to Wayne State College on Saturday, and later 0-12 and 2-10 contests to Augustana University.
The Marauders enter the new week 5-24 overall and still searching for their first win in the Northern Sun.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Janelle Bergmann sustained an exceptional batting average over the weekend, still standing out for the Marauders hitting .353. Bergmann has restarted a hitting streak of four straight games with a base knock. She had a ten-game string earlier this season from March 14 through April 1.
Kaylee Kannegiesser batted .429 over the past weekend while executing crucial sacrifice plays at the plate and consistent defensive play in the middle infield. Kannegiesser rose her batting average to .258 this past weekend.
Brooke De Jonge batted .333 over the past weekend and drove in two crucial runs in Saturday's 5-9 loss to Wayne State. De Jonge is batting .328 currently with a tied team-high in runs batted in (14).
Devyn Ritz is coming off a 2-2, RBI, R performance against good pitching in Sunday's 2-10 loss to Augustana. Ritz rose her average to .278 heading into the week.
Madison Wszolek is still hitting solid for her senior season with a .316 average and team-high .870 OPS. She went 2-3 with a double and a triple in Saturday's 5-9 loss to Wayne State.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION - DRAGONS
MSU Moorhead enters the week as the softball leaders in the NSIC with a 21-7 overall record and a 9-1 conference record. The Dragons are led by two top-five hitters in the NSIC with Mack Gallagher (.415) and Avery Steffen (.413). Gallagher also leads the conference in RBIs with 39 and has belted 8 home runs.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION - COUGARS
Sioux Falls enters the week with a current record of 15-15 and 6-5 in the NSIC. Nearly seven Cougars starters are hitting above .300. Kait Van Der Zwaag is a key player both in the circle and at the plate. As a pitcher, Van Der Zwaag has a 4.52 ERA and a 9-5 record. Batting, she leads the Cougars in home runs (5) and RBIs (21).
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION - MUSTANGS
SMSU enters the week 7-23 overall and is 2-9 currently in the NSIC. Jillian Noel is the top batter for the Mustangs as she currently hits .322 with 10 extra-base hits, 2 of which are home runs.
LIVE COVERAGE
Marauders fans can follow along with links to live stats and live video provided at goumary.com/coverage.
THE STAFF
Dre Frantz returns to the University of Mary in her second year as head softball coach. Frantz brings a desire to elevate the program where she excelled as one of UMary Softball's most decorated athletes.
As a Marauder, Frantz earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA first-team All-American honors as a utility player after her impressive senior season. One of only three Marauders during the program's NCAA era to earn All-American honors, she was also a Daktronics All-American honorable mention selection and a Louisville Slugger/NFCA and Daktronics All-Region choice in 2010 after hitting .427 with a .469 on-base percentage and a .680 slugging percentage, all career-highs. In her four-year career, Frantz posted a batting average of .393 with a .432 on-base percentage and a .605 slugging percentage.
Before taking over as Head Coach, Frantz stayed close with the program, serving six total years assisting the coaching staff. Frantz's coaching history also expands throughout the community, helping coach Mandan in 2014, Bismarck from 2015-18, and then taking over the helm with Legacy softball. In 2020, Frantz returned to the collegiate coaching level as an assistant at Bismarck State College.
Frantz is joined by other familiar faces in the UMary Softball program.
Cassidy Barclay returns to the Marauders for her second season as an Assistant Coach. Barclay was a four-year starter and all-conference catcher for Emporia State University.
Kaitlyn Alvarado returns to UMary this season in her first year as an Assistant Coach. Alvarado was a standout player for the Marauders from 2019-2021, both in the circle and at the plate. She batted a career average of .288 and had a career slugging percentage of .413.
Jared Sotelo comes to UMary for his first season as an Assistant Coach for the Marauders. Sotelo brings experience to the staff, coaching softball for the last nine years and most recently assisting the Park University Softball program.
Kennedy Cowart returns to UMary as the Marauders Student Coach. Cowart was a .310 hitter for the Marauders in 2022 as a senior. Cowart also played at West Virginia Wesleyan College where she earned two-time MEC First Team All-Conference honors.
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