WAYNE, NE – The University of Mary softball team prepares for a massive road trip as UMary first heads to Wayne State, NE, to take on Wayne State College on Friday, April 24, at noon. The Marauders then head to Sioux Falls, SD, to take on Augustana University this Saturday, April 25, at noon.
HOW TO WATCH
Fans can watch the games or follow the live stats at
www.GoUMary.com/coverage
THE RECORD
UMary is 13-31 on the season and 3-19 against conference opponents. The Marauders are currently 16
th in the NSIC.
STAT LEADERS
Kaitlyn McLaughlin leads the Marauders in hits (43), steals (21), and runs scored (25). She has a .333 batting average, .381 on-base percentage, and a .800 OPS. McLaughlin is second in the conference in stolen bases and is fifth in triples (4).
Jianna Cota has the highest batting average (.353), on-base percentage (.443), OPS (.884), and the most RBIs (24) on the team.
Genevieve Hastings has the most home runs (4), total bases (56), and has the highest slugging percentage (.487) on the Marauders. Hastings is hitting .278 on the season and has a .877 OPS.
Jenel Mallari has the second-highest on-base percentage (.418) on UMary. She is slugging .385, to give her an OPS of .803. Mallari ranks eighth in the NSIC in walks (22).
Arria Johnson has the best ERA (4.31), the most wins (8), innings pitched (115.1), strikeouts (45), and saves (3) on the Marauders.
LAST TIME OUT
UMary went 1-3 last week, earning a split at home against Northern State and falling in a doubleheader to the University of Jamestown.
Jianna Cota went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the Marauders 11-5 win over NSU.
OPPO RESEARCH – WSC
Wayne State College is 35-11 and 15-7 in the Northern Sun. WSC is ranked third in the conference standings. Junior outfielder Emilee Marth leads the team in batting average (.416), hits (57), total bases (86), on-base percentage (.524), slugging percentage (.628), and OPS (1.152). Sophomore pitcher Kennadi Borngrebe has the best ERA (1.64), most innings pitched (136.1), and strikeouts (174) on the Wildcats.
OPPO RESEARCH – AU
Augustana University is 20-25 overall and 12-10 in the NSIC. AU is in a four-way tie for sixth place in the Northern Sun standings. Freshman infielder Kierra Lubovich leads the Vikings in batting average (.416), on-base percentage (.491), slugging percentage (.737), OPS (1.228), and RBIs (46). Senior pitcher Helene Krage leads the team in ERA (4.50), complete games (8), innings pitched (105.2), and wins (8).
NOTABLE RETURNERS
Madison Hunter became the first Marauder to earn first-team honors since Taylor Mendez did so in 2015. The Red Deer, Alberta, native led UMary in batting average (.342) and on-base percentage (.398). Hunter blasted two home runs and stole seven bases in her first season with the Marauders.
Genevieve Hastings was named to the 2025 NSIC All-Defensive Team for her great play at shortstop. Hastings showcased her prowess on the defense, recording 62 putouts and 100 assists. The Billings, MT, native posted a .936 fielding percentage as her tremendous arm helped UMary turn seven double plays. Hastings becomes the first Marauder since Kristin Ormsby did so in 2014.
Ariana Retuta returns for her fifth season. Retuta batted .296 to go along with a .388 slugging percentage and a .707 OPS.
Elyssa Verploegen prepares for her sophomore season. Verploegen led the team in innings pitched (95), strikeouts (59), and wins (4).
Other returners include
Ariane Sims,
Jenel Mallari,
Jaraya Diaz,
Cassidy Bagnell,
Jayleen Rojas,
Ivee Johnsen,
Madison Schamanski, and
Francesca Villaneda.
NEWCOMERS
Head coach
Amy Schmeckpeper adds ten newcomers to the roster. The Marauders have seven freshmen on the roster:
Olivia Gomez,
Claire Tompkins,
Jianna Cota,
Eleanor Funke,
Lalaina Baker,
Camryn Fuessel, and
Evelyn Darke.
UMary also adds three transfers:
Kaitlyn McLaughlin,
Daisy Sparrow, and
Bree Waldron.
JANELLE BERGMAN - NSIC PLAYER TO WATCH
Janelle Bergmann, a senior from Tracy, CA, is the Marauders NSIC Player to Watch. Last season, she posted a .310 batting average, .346 on-base percentage, and .563 slugging percentage to give her a team-best .909 OPS. The Tracy, CA, native led the Marauders in home runs (6) and RBIs (31) in her first season playing the outfield. Bergmann recorded 39 hits and eight steals in 46 games played.
ARRIA JOHNSON - NSIC PITCHER TO WATCH
Arria Johnson, a junior from Graham, WA, is the Marauders NSIC Pitcher to Watch in 2026. She led UMary with a 5.09 ERA last season. Johnson pitched 77 innings and struck out 32 batters.
THE STAFF
Amy Schmeckpeper enters her third year as the Marauders head softball coach. The Marauders showed progress on offense last year, posting 181 runs in 2025, a significant improvement from the 128 runs scored in 2024.
Kaitlyn Alvarado returns to UMary this season in her fourth year as an assistant coach. Alvarado was a standout player for the Marauders from 2019 to 2021, both in the circle and at the plate.
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