Topeka, Kan. – After a week hiatus, Golden Eagle softball will once again hit the road, as is customary this time of year. For the fifth consecutive season, Minnesota Crookston will head to Topeka, Kan., for a number of games against MIAA opponents. The Washburn Invite is hosted by Washburn University.
 
The Golden Eagles will play five games against all Division II opponents, starting with Fort Hays State on Friday afternoon. The Golden Eagles will play a pair of games on Saturday and another pair on Sunday.
 
How to Follow
Minnesota Crookston vs Fort Hays State
Date – Friday, Feb. 23
Time – 2 P.M.
 
Minnesota Crookston vs Emporia State
Date – Saturday, Feb. 24
Time – 12 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live ($) -- https://themiaanetwork.com/washburnichabods/
 
Minnesota Crookston @ Washburn
Date – Saturday, Feb. 24
Time – 6 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live ($) -- https://themiaanetwork.com/washburnichabods/
 
Minnesota Crookston vs Missouri Western State
Date – Sunday, Feb. 25
Time – 10 A.M.
 
Minnesota Crookston vs Northwest Missouri State
Date – Sunday, Feb. 25
Time – 2 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://wusports.com/sidearmstats/softball2/summary
 
Minnesota Crookston (2-2)
The Golden Eagles are in their third season under the direction of Nick Weinmeister and have seen growth under Weinmeister. The Golden Eagles finished with a program record 18 wins a season ago and they hope that the experience and talent on this year's squad will bring more wins. The Golden Eagles are 2-2 on the season and will play their first Division II opponents this weekend in Kansas.
 
Offensively, the maroon and gold was led by Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.). Grant was named the NSIC Player of the Week a week ago after hitting .563, with three home runs and seven runs knocked in, while also sporting an OPS of 1.876. The Golden Eagles hit .363 as a team last weekend and had six hitters that played at least three games that hit over .300. Rayna French (Fr., C, La Salle, Manitoba) had at least two hits in each of her first four starts and didn't commit an error in the field. The Golden Eagle offense could get even better this weekend, as Maddie Shwaluk (Sr., OF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) should reenter the lineup after missing the first weekend.
 
In the circle, the Golden Eagles had four pitchers earn a start last weekend in Iowa. Evie Stuck (Jr., P, Papillion, Neb.), Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa), Gracelynn Kelly (So., P, Black Hawk, S.D.) and Charlotte Dombrowski (So., P/OF, Valparaiso, Ind.) each earned a start for the Golden Eagles. Dombrowski leads the pitching staff with nine strikeouts on the season. All in all, the Golden Eagles saw seven pitchers throw for them on the weekend.
 
Fort Hays State (6-2)
The Tigers are off to a quick start in 2024, winning six of their first eight games and are looking for their fourth straight win over the Golden Eagles dating back to 2007.
 
The Tigers hit .294 as a team and are led by Loren Beggs, who is hitting .435 on the season with three extra base hits and six runs driven in. Madison Pierce, Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson and Carly Stuke each have five RBI on the season. As a team, the Tigers have hit just one home run as a team, which came off the bat of Beggs.
 
The Tigers have an elite pitching staff, led by Savanah Egger and Morgan Schmidt. The juniors from California and Arizona, respectively, have each made four starts and have combined for seven complete games. Egger is 4-0 on the season with 28 innings pitched and has 26 strikeouts, almost a strikeout per inning.
 
Emporia State (8-6)
The Hornets are 8-6 on the season and have won seven games in a row, including four straight wins against a pair of NSIC schools in Wayne State College and the University of Mary. ESU will open up the Washburn Invite with three NSIC schools: Minot State, Minnesota State, Augustana and then will play the Golden Eagles.
 
Alexis Dial has paced the Hornets this season and is off to an absurd start to her season. The Hornets have played more games than a lot of teams, but Dial is second nationally in RBI (24), eighth in hits (21), 10^th in doubles and 15^th in total bases with 35. The Hornets are hitting .344 as a team and they love to be aggressive on the base paths, as they are 41-46 on the season, led by Abbey Ward, who is 12-12 on stolen base attempts this season, which ranks seventh nationally.
 
The Hornets also have a solid pitching staff, as they have a team ERA of 3.59. Gracie Rabe and Jayda VanAckeren each have ERA's of 2.49 and 2.75, respectively. The Hornets do give up a .279 batting average to their opponents.
 
Washburn (9-3)
The hosts of the tournament and the hosts of one of the coolest nicknames in collegiate sports, the Ichabods enter their tournament winners of six of their last seven, with their only blemish being a one run loss to Oklahoma Baptist. Washburn has won all four games between the two programs, including a 4-2 win in extra innings last year.
 
Jaycee Ginter and Hailey Neira are each hitting .545 on the season and each have an OPS of over 1.000. The Ichabods have played 12 games and have five hitters with more than 10 hits to go along with Ginter and Neira. Autymn Schreiner, Ellington Hogle and Marrit Mead each have 10 or more hits this season. Washburn hits .325 as a team, which is top-50 nationally and fourth in the MIAA.
 
The Ichabods might have one of the best pitching staffs in the entire nation. The 'Bods have a team ERA of 1.12, which is eighth nationally and they lead the nation with five shutouts as a staff, including three by Sadie Walker, which leads the nation. Walker also has five wins on the season, which ranks sixth in the nation. Scoring a run isn't easy for any opponent Washburn has faced this season.
 
Missouri Western (2-2)
The Griffons will be the lone opponent this weekend that have played the same amount of games as the Golden Eagles. MWSU is 2-2 on the season with a sweep on Monday to Maryville University and a pair of losses to No. 8 UT Tyler and Arkansas Tech. The Griffons and Golden Eagles have never met on the diamond.
 
Through four games, the Griffons have struggled offensively, hitting below the Mendoza line as a team at .198. Kaylea Fessler leads the way with a .429 average and an OPS of 1.121. There isn't another Griffon hitter above .300, but freshman Sarah Swallow has gotten off to a quick start in her career, hitting two home runs on the season.
 
The pitching staff has been outstanding, albeit in a small sample size. The Griffons have a team ERA of 2.33 and have allowed just nine runs in 27 innings of work. Harley Pruetting is 1-1 in two starts this season and leads the staff with eight strikeouts this season.
 
Northwest Missouri State (5-4)
The Bearcats and Minnesota Crookston will meet for the first time ever to wrap-up the Washburn Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
 
Lauren Gray has swung a hot stick this season and leads her team in both home runs with three and RBI with 15. Abby Nolte has also been solid this season, as she has 12 runs knocked in, including a seven RBI game earlier this year against Henderson State. The Bearcats have the second best offense in the MIAA, with a .348 team batting average. They also lead their league in on-base percentage and are third in the conference in slugging percentage.
 
In the circle, the Bearcats have struggled a bit as a staff, entering the weekend with a 5.71 earned runs average against, which ranks in the bottom half of the MIAA. Cassidy Paulson has been the most consistent Bearcat pitcher. In 11 innings of work, the Arvada, Colo., native has a 2.47 ERA. Olivia Moyer leads the staff with a 2-0 record and Breck Dickey has 14 strikeouts in 15.0 innings of work.