Crookston, Minn. – Minnesota Crookston softball will head back on the road this weekend after a brief two-game home opener against St. Cloud State on Tuesday afternoon. The Golden Eagles lost a pair to the Huskies, including a tight one run ball game in the second game of the doubleheader.
 
This weekend, the Golden Eagles will head to Winona State and Minnesota State, for a pair of doubleheaders with two of the top programs in the NSIC.
 
How to Follow
Minnesota Crookston @ Winona State
Friday, April 5
2 / 4 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://winonastatewarriors.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/winonastatewarriors/
 
Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota State
Saturday, April 6
1 / 3 P.M.
Live Stats -- https://msumavericks.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/winonastatewarriors/
 
Minnesota Crookston (8-24)
The Golden Eagles have dropped seven NSIC games, but they have played all four of their doubleheaders in conference play against teams who would make the NSIC playoffs if the season ended today, including Concordia-St. Paul, who is undefeated in conference play. The Golden Eagles will play four more games against possible postseason teams in the Warriors and Mavericks.
 
The Golden Eagles have been led offensively by a pair of upperclassmen in Whitnee Curry (Jr., MIF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.) and Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.). Curry has been red hot as of late, hitting .692 in her last four games, aided by a 5-5 game against Sioux Falls. Curry has three RBI and a run scored in that stretch as well. Grant leads the Northern Sun with a career-high eight home runs and has 57 total bases on the season. Paige Shwaluk (Sr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) leads the Golden Eagles in runs with 24 and has nine stolen bases on the season. Freshman Rayna French (Fr., C, La Salle, Manitoba) leads the team in hits with 30 on the season.
 
In the circle, the Golden Eagles have been led by Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa). The senior has made 11 starts on the season and has a pair of complete games, as well as leading the Golden Eagles in innings pitched and strikeouts. Alexa Guilford (So., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) has made 20 appearances on the season, which is fifth in the NSIC and has an ERA of a little over three.
 
Winona State (21-13, 5-5 NSIC)
The Warriors, who have been a power in the NSIC under the direction of Greg Jones, including 13, 40-win seasons are 21-13 and will play host to Concordia-St. Paul Thursday afternoon before a pair of doubleheaders with Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State. The Warriors are 21-0 against the maroon and gold, dating back to 2011.
 
The Warriors have one of the best offenses in the entire nation as they are top-50 in the nation in batting average (26^th), doubles (29^th), on-base percentage (40^th) and are 53^rd nationally in slugging percentage. WSU has been led by the bats of Sam Keller and Kiley Slaats. Keller, the senior, is hitting .409 on the season, which is third in the NSIC, while Slaats, the freshman is hitting .402 through 34 starts. Abbie Hlas, Teaghan Amwoza, Alyssa Woelfel and Carly Engelhardt are each hitting over .300 on the season. Engelhardt leads the Warriors with 29 runs knocked in. The Warriors have scored more than 10 runs in eight games this season and are 8-0 in said games.
 
The Warriors pitching staff is also very solid. They carry a team ERA of 3.69 on the season and have been led by Izzy Howe and Abby Smith, who have combined to make 30 of the possible 34 starts on the season. Howe is second in the NSIC with 7.3 strikeouts per seven innings and has three shutouts on the year. Howe's 1.91 ERA is good for seventh in the Northern Sun, as well. Smith leads the rotation innings pitched at 84.1 and has given up a .261 batting average to opponents. Freshman Jayda Berg has also been good this season for the Warriors, mostly in relief.
 
Minnesota State (26-8, 6-2 NSIC)
The Mavericks are another perennial power in the Northern Sun and are off to a good start this season, sitting 18 games over .500 and 6-2 in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles split with the Mavericks a season ago in Crookston.
 
The Golden Eagles will take on a pair of outstanding offenses this weekend, as the Mavericks are 4^th in the NSIC in batting average. Marina Carter and Kylie Sullivan have paced the Mavericks offense this season, combining for 70 hits on the season and each have an average of over .385. Sullivan and Gianna Lara each have four home runs on the season. The Mavericks have scored 199 runs this season, good for second in the NSIC and are outscoring their opponents by over 100 runs this season.
 
What makes the Mavericks so good is their pitching staff. The duo of Maddie Oetzmann and McKayla Armbruster are 25-5 on the season with 32 starts between the two, while also combining for 10 complete games on the year. Oetzmann has an ERA of .92, which is second among qualified pitchers on the season. The Mavericks are first among pitching staffs in team ERA, WHIP, shutouts, and strikeout-to-walk ratio.