BISMARCK, ND - 77 days after opening day, the University of Mary Softball will prepare to take the field for their first games of the season in Bismarck. The Marauders will host Upper Iowa and Winona State for noon and 2 pm first pitches on April 22-23 from the Sanford Sports Complex at Legacy high school.
The Marauders enter the weekend 5-32 still looking for their first win in the Northern Sun.
SENIOR DAY SATURDAY
The Marauders will honor five seniors before Saturday's first pitch against Upper Iowa. The five graduating seniors from the 2023 season will be
Morgan Diedrich,
Madison Wszolek,
Devyn Ritz,
Kaylee Kannegiesser, and
Brooke McClure.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Devyn Ritz is the reigning NDPF Female Athlete of the Week for Marauders Athletics. The senior first-baseman from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada had a big week at the plate going 8-16 with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, and an OPS of 1.700. Ritz is a .299 hitter currently with 3 home runs, 8 doubles, and 14 RBIs.
Brooke De Jonge currently leads the Marauders in batting with a .321 average. The junior outfielder from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada also ties the team lead in RBIs with
Sariah Perez for 15. De Jonge has also legged out 3 triples.
Francesca Villaneda is coming off a four-hit performance against Bemidji State which helped raise the true freshman's average to .308. Villaneda also has driven in 14 runs.
Madison Wszolek is currently batting .304 with 10 extra-base hits, two of which are home runs. Wszolek has also thrown out 6 baserunners from behind the dish.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION - PEACOCKS
Upper Iowa enters Saturday 14-19 overall and 6-9 in the NSIC. The Peacocks have the number six offense in the Northern Sun hitting .302 as a team. Their sticks are led by Laila Pelds who's currently batting .402 (5th in the conference) with 21 RBIs and an OPS of .970.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION - WARRIORS
Winona State currently sits second in the NSIC standings with a 30-11 record and 13-3 in conference action. The Warriors bat .301 as a team and have collected 34 home runs throughout the lineup. Abby Smith and Abbie Hlas are two premier starters in the circle. Smith is 14-4 with a 2.03 ERA and 68 strikeouts to 31 walks through 124 complete innings. Hlas is 12-5 with a 3.18 ERA and 68 strikeouts to 36 walks through 114.1 innings pitched.
FOLLOW ALONG
Links to live stat coverage and live video streams for both days can be found 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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