CROOKSTON, MN – The University of Mary softball team (9-36, 2-18 NSIC) is on the road this weekend, opening against the University of Minnesota Crookston in a doubleheader on Friday, April 18, at 2 pm in Crookston, MN. UMary then heads to Bemidji, MN, to challenge Bemidji State University on Saturday, April 19, at noon in a doubleheader.
doubleheader against UMC was moved from noon to 2 pm due to inclement weather.
HOW TO WATCH
Fans can watch the games or follow the live stats at
www.GoUMary.com/coverage
STAT LEADERS
Janelle Bergmann leads the team in home runs (5), OPS (.876), slugging percentage (.560), extra-base hits (15) and RBIs (26). Bermann has a .303 batting average and a .316 on-base percentage.
Madison Hunter leads the Marauders in batting average (.333) and on-base percentage (.385). She has a .826 OPS and a .441 slugging percentage.
Ariana Retuta has the most hits (41) on the Marauders. Retuta has a .315 batting average, a .392 slugging percentage, and a .341 on-base percentage.
Elyssa Verploegen has the most wins (4), innings pitched (75.1), complete games (2), and strikeouts (49) on the team.
STANDINGS
The Marauders are currently sitting in 15
th place in the Northern Sun standings.
LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders dropped their doubleheaders to Concordia-St. Paul (4-0, 7-3) and Winona State University (2-1, 8-0).
OPPO RESEARCH – UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
UMC is 17-28 overall and 5-13 in the Northern Sun. The Golden Eagles are currently 12
th in the NSIC standings. Freshman outfielder Chayse Doering leads the team in OPS (.797), home runs (2), runs scored (22) and stolen bases (8). Junior pitcher Alexa Guilford leads UMC in ERA (2.62) and saves (3).
OPPO RESEARCH – BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY
BSU is 16-28 overall and 3-17 in the NSIC. The Beavers are 14
th in the conference standings. Senior outfielder Molly Houts in OPS (.787), on-base percentage (.390) and triples (4). Freshman pitcher Kennedy Joachim leads the team in ERA (3.18), strikeouts (130), innings pitched (127.2) and wins (10).
SARIAH PEREZ NSIC PLAYER TO WATCH
Sariah Perez is the Marauders NSIC Player to Watch. Last season, Perez recorded a .348 on-base percentage and a .413 slugging percentage to give her an OPS of .761. The senior from Patterson, CA, led the Marauders in total bases last year with 50. Perez started a team-high 44 games last season and collected 35 hits in 121 at-bats.
HANNAH CHAMBERS NSIC PITCHER TO WATCH
Hannah Chambers is the Marauders NSIC Pitcher to Watch in 2025. Last season, Chambers led UMary in innings pitched with 72.0. The senior from Paso Robles, CA, has the best ERA (5.74) of any returning starting pitcher. Chambers recorded three wins and struck out 14 batters last year.
NOTABLE RETURNERS
Janelle Bergmann returns to the team as a junior middle infielder. Bergmann led the team in OPS (.873) and slugging percentage (.488).
Francesca Villaneda returns for her junior season at first base. Villaneda led the team in batting average (.357) and on-base percentage (.405).
Arria Johnson returns for her sophomore season at the circle. Johnson led the team in wins (4) and recorded 24 strikeouts to go along with a 5.81 ERA.
Other returners include
Ariane Sims,
Jenel Mallari,
Kelsey Mischel,
Jaraya Diaz,
Ariana Retuta,
Emma Kimberling,
Katelyn Falk and
Whitney Carnes.
NEWCOMERS
Head coach
Amy Schmeckpeper adds 13 newcomers to the roster. The Marauders have seven freshmen on the roster:
Genevieve Hastings,
Elyssa Verploegen,
Madison Hunter,
Jayleen Rojas,
Hailey Altenhof,
Ivee Johnsen and
Madison Schamanski.
UMary also adds six transfers:
Peyton Whitehead,
Cassidy Bagnell,
Rilyn Kirkland and
Alyssa Opgenorth.
THE STAFF
Amy Schmeckpeper enters her second year as the Marauders head softball coach. In her first season in charge, the Marauders went 10-38, an improvement of three wins from the season prior. UMary posted a team ERA of 5.82 last season, compared to a 7.43 ERA for the 2023 season.
Kaitlyn Alvarado returns to UMary this season in her third 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.
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