Crookston, Minn. – After six straight conference games on the road, the University of Minnesota Crookston softball team is back home this weekend for the start of six straight games at home. The Golden Eagles will host Wayne State College on Saturday and then Augustana on Sunday, before wrapping up their home stand against Bemidji State next Tuesday.
The Golden Eagles will look to halt a four game losing streak in conference play and will look to make it two in a row against the Wildcats, dating back to last season.
How to Follow
Wayne State College @ Minnesota Crookston
Sat., April 13
12 / 2 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Augustana @ Minnesota Crookston
Sunday, April 14
12 / 2 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Minnesota Crookston (9-29, 2-12 NSIC)
Although their offense struggled against the Bulldogs, who might have one of the best staffs in the NSIC, the Golden Eagle offense has been solid as of late and they will look to continue that this weekend in the friendly confines of the UMC Softball Field.
The maroon and gold hit .251 as a team and they are led by
Whitnee Curry (Jr., MIF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.), who is hitting .311 on the year with 13 RBI.
Rayna French (Fr., C, La Salle, Manitoba) and
Paige Shwaluk (Sr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) have eerily similar stat lines. Both are hitting .294 on the season with 35 hits in 119 at-bats. Shwaluk has an OPS of .761 and leads the team by a wide gap with 27 runs scored.
Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.) has provided the pop for the Golden Eagles, sitting in the top-five in the NSIC with eight home runs.
In the circle, the Golden Eagles have relied on
Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa). The senior has started 13 games on the season and has a 4.24 ERA and leads the team in innings pitched, strikeouts and is tied with
Alexa Guilford (So., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) for the team lead in wins with three. The Golden Eagles have a team ERA of 5.85.
Wayne State College (6-30, 2-10 NSIC)
Wayne State College, the Golden Eagles' first opponent on the docket for Saturday, will come into Crookston having lost four of their last five games.
As a team, the Wildcats hit .234 as a team and don't have a single hitter above the .300 threshold. Jordyn Klein leads the way for the Wildcats with a .295 average and also has an on-base percentage that leads her team, as well. The Wildcats have hit just eight home runs in 36 games. The team leader in home runs is Dylan Sweeney with two long balls on the season. WSC has been outscored 224 to 88 this season.
In the circle, WSC has a team ERA of exactly six runs. Samantha Felt has led the Wildcats in starts with 19 and also leads the team in innings with 80.1. Grace Lucka has also been solid, mostly in relief for WSC. The junior leads her team in strikeouts with 60 and has made 24 appearances this season, 19 of those coming out of the bullpen.
Augustana (30-13, 15-1 NSIC)
Another NSIC powerhouse on the docket for the Golden Eagles as the Vikings will make their way to Crookston winners of 12 straight. Augustana will play at Bemidji State on Saturday, before making their way down Highway-2 to Crookston.
As a team, the Vikings have a really good offense and are top-100 nationally in a number of categories, including ninth in the nation with 397 hits, which equates to about nine hits per seven innings as an offense. The Vikings also have 88 doubles as a team, which is fifth in the nation and tops in the NSIC. The Vikings hit .335 as a team and are led by Ashton Dorman and Desi Cuevas, who are hitting .402 and .399, respectively. Reigning NSIC Player of the year and All-American, Tori Chute, is having a fantastic season once again for the Vikings. The senior from Stillwater, Minn., is hitting .333 on the year and has 12 home runs and 47 RBI. Chute had a stretch in late February where she was 0-for-21, but since that stretch, she is hitting .429, with all of her home runs coming in that stretch. She had a whopping three home run, five RBI game against Northwest Missouri State earlier this season.
Grace Glanzer has been outstanding for the Vikings in the circle this season. The senior from Sioux Falls is 14-3 on the season with 14 complete games. She also has 117 strikeouts in 121 innings and is coming off a perfect game thrown in her last start against Sioux Falls. As a whole, the Vikings have an ERA of 1.87.
