Softball | 3/20/2025 10:44:00 AM
Crookston, Minn. – After more than a week in the great state of Florida, Minnesota Crookston softball, who is a program-best 12-15 through 27 games, opens up conference play this weekend against Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul.
The games, originally set for the Golden Eagles home opening weekend, have been site-reversed and the Golden Eagles will act as the home team in Marshall against Southwest Minnesota State and in Roseville, Minn., against Concordia-St. Paul.
How to Follow
Southwest Minnesota State vs Minnesota Crookston
March 21
1/3 P.M.
Marshall, Minn. (Minnesota Crookston will be the home team in the site reversal)
Live Stats -- https://smsumustangs.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/smsumustangs/
Concordia-St. Paul vs Minnesota Crookston
March 22
12/2 P.M.
Roseville, Minn. (University of Northwestern – St. Paul, Snelling Avenue North, Roseville, MN, USA)
Live Stats -- https://cspbears.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/cspbears/
Minnesota Crookston (12-15)
For the first time since 2019, the Golden Eagles are coming back from the Sunshine state with a winning record. The Golden Eagles won seven of their 12 games at the Space Coast Games and are off to their best start heading into the conference season in program history.
Minnesota Crookston is winning games with a ton of underclassmen making impacts at the plate. The young duo of
Chayse Doering (Fr., OF, Shakopee, Minn.) and
Madisen Yandle (Fr., SS, Lakeville, Minn.) have done an outstanding job of setting the tables at the top of the order, as they are each hitting above .300 and have combined to score 28 runs. The 3-4 hitters in the lineup,
Rayna French (So., C/OF, La Salle, Manitoba) and
Hannah Trzinski (Fr., P/1B, Stevens Point, Wis.) have been fantastic. Both of which have double-digit RBI, driving in a combined 25 runs.
Irelyn Spencer (R-So., IF, Rapid City, S.D.) is second on the Golden Eagles with 11 runs driven in. As a team, the Golden Eagles are hitting .266. The Golden Eagles have drawn 78 walks as a team.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles have been fabulous, as they rank seventh in the Northern Sun in fielding percentage at .962, as a team.
The circle has been very similar to the plate, where the Golden Eagles have used their youth to win games. In Florida, all but one game was started by an upperclassmen.
Delaney Penner (Fr., P, Winkler, Manitoba) was nothing short of phenomenal, going 3-0 in four starts, completing a pair of those games and allowing opponents to hit less than .200.
Riley Blake (Fr., P/OF, Las Vegas, Nev.) started a pair of games, both of which were no decisions, but she gave up just six hits in 10.1 innings of work.
Sydney McMurdie (Fr., P/UT, Twin Falls, Idaho) started four games in Florida and has an ERA of 2.93 on the year. In relief, the Golden Eagles turned to
Alexa Guilford (Jr., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) to get some big outs. The southpaw did indeed get big outs. The junior appeared in six games, picking up a win and a save in Florida.
Southwest Minnesota State (18-8)
The Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles are set to open NSIC play with a challenging road trip, beginning in Marshall, Minnesota, against Southwest Minnesota State (SMSU) before heading to Roseville to face Concordia-St. Paul (CSP). Historically, the matchup against SMSU has been an uphill battle for the Golden Eagles, who hold a 3-34 record against the Mustangs. This season, the Mustangs enter conference play with an 18-8 overall record, sitting fifth in the NSIC standings.
Offensively, the Mustangs are one of the top-hitting teams in the conference, hitting a .294 batting average. Seven players are hitting over .325, with sophomore Brynn Weber leading the way at .403 in 67 at-bats, ranking 10th in the NSIC. Weber also paces the team with 20 RBIs, good for eighth in the conference.
In the circle, the Mustangs look to Karlie Miller, who has been dominant this season. Two weeks ago, she earned NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time in her career after striking out a career-high 12 batters against College of Staten Island. Miller holds a 2.77 ERA across 74.2 innings. Morgyn Otte has also been a key contributor in the circle, posting a 2.59 ERA in 55.2 innings of work.
CSP (8-17)
After their battle with SMSU, the Golden Eagles will travel to Roseville to take on Concordia-St. Paul. Historically, CSP has dominated this matchup, boasting a 32-1 record against UMC. The Golden Bears enter the weekend with an 8-17 overall record and are looking to gain momentum.
CSP has struggled offensively this season, ranking last in the NSIC with a .247 team batting average. Despite that, senior Sydney Pelzer and sophomore Alexis Monty have been bright spots at the plate. Pelzer is hitting .366 with 26 hits in 80 at-bats, leading the team with 21 RBIs. Monty, a former NSIC Freshman of the Year and NFCA Third-Team All-American continues to shine, hitting .350 with 28 hits in 80 at-bats. Last season, Monty made history, setting the CSP single-season batting average record (.486) and recording a 30-game hitting streak.
In the circle, CSP relies on Emmy Bowne and Tatum Dunlavy. Bowne leads the staff with a 3.70 ERA in 58.2 innings, while Dunlavy carries a 5.31 ERA.
