Sioux Center, Iowa – Softball season is upon us and after finishing last year with a program best 18 wins, Minnesota Crookston softball will open up the season at the ASB Sports Complex Softball Classic, hosted by Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa.
 
The Golden Eagles will play four games, a pair of doubleheaders against Mount Marty University (S.D.) on Saturday and wrap-up the classic against Dakota Wesleyan on Sunday. Both games against the Lancers and Tigers will start at 2 P.M.
 
How to Follow
Minnesota Crookston vs Mount Marty (S.D.)
Date – Saturday, Feb. 10
Time – 2/4 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://godordt.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://dordtdefendernetwork.com/
 
Minnesota Crookston vs Dakota Wesleyan
Date – Sunday, Feb. 11
Time -- 2/4 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://godordt.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://dordtdefendernetwork.com/
 
Minnesota Crookston (2023 Record – 18-32)
The Golden Eagles are in their third season under the direction of Nick Weinmeister and have seen growth under Weinmeister. The Golden Eagles set a school record with 15 wins in his first season in 2022 and broke that record by three games with 18 wins a season ago, including a pair of wins against 2022 NCAA Tournament teams and the first ever win in program history against Minnesota State.
 
The offense for the Golden Eagles should be pretty solid. The maroon and gold had four hitters that played over 30 games that hit over .300 a season ago; three of which return to the lineup this year. Whitnee Curry (Jr., MIF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.), who led the Golden Eagles with a .353 average and was second on the team in walks, returns in the middle of the lineup. Paige Shwaluk (Sr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) will set the table at the top of the lineup after hitting .309 a season ago and accounting for nearly a third of the team's stolen bases going 19-21 on the base paths. Reagan Emerick (R-Jr., MIF, Macomb, Ill.) was the fourth best hitter a season ago for the Golden Eagles, hitting .300 in 80 at-bats. The Golden Eagles offense will also rely on Shaelyn Grant (Sr., OF/C, Grand Junction, Colo.), who was second with six home runs in 2023 and dual-threat Charlotte Dombrowski (So., P/OF, Valparaiso, Ind.) to have a good season offensively. The Golden Eagles hit .260 as a team a season ago.
 
The pitching staff should be good as well with an experienced group leading the way in the circle. Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa) and Evie Stuck (Jr., P, Papillion, Neb.) are both back and should be a solid 1-2 punch in the circle after combinng for 29 starts and 49 appearances. Dombrowski should also give the Golden Eagles solid innings.
 
Mount Marty (1-1)
The Lancers and Golden Eagles will meet in between the lines this Saturday for the first time in both programs' history. Mount Marty will head south to Sioux Center, Iowa with a 1-1 record after splitting a pair of games with Culver-Stockton College (Mo.). The Lancers scored 13 runs in the opening season win versus the Wildcats.
 
The Lancers had a good offensive weekend, hitting .364 as a team and were led by juniors Abby Johnson and Olivia Valdez, who each had four hits on the weekend. Autumn Porter drove in five runs and hit .375 on the weekend. The Lancers had a quarter of their hits as a team go for extra bases, as they had 20 hits and five of those were to the gaps.
 
In the circle, the two starts went to a senior and a freshman. McKenzie Gray, a senior for Mount Marty started the first game and helped the Lancers get a win, going 5.1 innings, while giving up eight hits. Freshman Jacey Hayen went 3.0 innings in her first career start, giving up six hits and four earned runs.
 
Dakota Wesleyan (0-4)
The Tigers are currently 0-4 on the season and were outscored 42-7 in that span. The Tigers did play some solid competition in Minot, falling to NSIC foe and Division II MSU Moorhead and last year's Division III NJCAA National Champions, the North Dakota State College of Science.
 
DWU struggled offensively last weekend, hitting .233 as a team and getting on base at just a .324 clip. Junior Peyton Bagley did have a great weekend, hitting .500, while driving in three of the team's seven runs. As a team, DWU struck out 26 times in 60 at bats over the weekend.
 
In the circle, the Tigers were led by Keirstyn Krcil and Sophie Wietzema. Krcil did a majority of the heavy lifting, appearing in 11.2 innings with three starts, while giving up 33 hits and 30 earned runs. Wietzema appeared in all three games and went 2.2 innings, giving up two earned runs.