Softball Plays in Hy-Vee Classic This Weekend

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – After a successful 8-2 run through the Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. last week, the St. Cloud State softball team (16-4) plays in its final non-conference tournament of the season with a trip to St. Joseph, Missouri for the Hy-Vee Classic from March 17-19.

The 2017 Hy-Vee Classic is hosted by Missouri Western State University and features 20 teams playing 60 games over three days on four fields in St. Joseph, Missouri. Ten teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) and 10 from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) make-up the regional field.

The Huskies have a total of six games over the course of the three days in the tournament. SCSU plays a pair of games daily starting with a 10 a.m. contest against Nebraska-Kearney at Griffon Softball Field on March 17. St. Cloud State then takes on Pittsburg State later that same day at 2 p.m. at Heritage Field 3

The rest of the schedule for the Huskies at the Hy-Vee Classic goes as follows: Northeastern State University (March 18 / 10 a.m. / Heritage Field 3), No. 18 Missouri Western State (March 18 / 2 p.m. / Griffon Softball Field), Washburn University (March 19 / 11 a.m. / Heritage Field 4) and Northwest Missouri State (March 19/ 3 p.m. / Griffon Softball Field).

History

Daily tickets for the games and tournament can be purchased at the facility.
Click here for the website to the 2017 Hy-Vee Tournament page
The games against UNK (March 17), Missouri Western (March 18) and Northwest Missouri State (March 19) will have live stats

Opponent Notables

SCSU is 6-7 all-time against Nebraska-Kearney since first meeting in 1986, 6-3 against Pittsburg State since the first meeting in 1991, 12-6 against Missouri Western State since first meeting in 1989, 3-2 against Washburn University since the first meeting in 1986 and 4-1 against Northwest Missouri State since first meeting in 1990.
The game against Northeastern State University is the first meeting between the schools.
The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers are 1-21 on the season and lost both games to open MIAA play last weekend at home to Northeastern State by scores of 9-0 and 15-7.
Macey Nelson has been the top hitter with a .350 batting average, 10 runs, 21 hits, three doubles and two triples.
Molly Stern has team-highs of two home runs and eight RBIs
Sara Sempek has picked up 10 walks and 10 hits.
The Huskies played and defeated UNK by scores of 9-1 and 7-4 earlier this season at the Kelly Laas Memorial Invitational at the Husky Dome on Feb. 10.
The Pittsburg State Gorillas are 17-7 on the season.
The team won three of four MIAA conference games last weekend including a sweep of Washburn by 11-1 and 8-5 scores.
Kala Holder is hitting .324 with 14 runs, 24 hits, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
Kylie Guthier is hitting .323 with 11 runs, 21 hits, five home runs and 17 RBIs.
Nicole Nease has totaled three home runs and 21 RBIs.
Emmie Robertson is the top pitcher with a 12-3 record, 1.12 ERA, eight complete games in 94 innings pitched with 117 strikeouts.
The Northeastern State University Riverhawks are 11-12 on the season and 4-2 in the MIAA
The program defeated UNK by scores of 15-7 and 9-0 last Sunday.
Paige Gann has been the top hitter with her .406 batting average, 15 runs, 28 hits, nine home runs, 24 RBIs and 60 total bases.
Sierra Crick is hitting .377 with 24 runs, 26 hits, five home runs and 13 RBIs
Haley Acrey is hitting .308 with six doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs
Sylver Collins is 6-3 in the circle.
Jennifer Wolf leads the team with her 50.2 inning pitched, 35 strikeouts and a pair of saves.
The Missouri Western State University Griffons are 18-4 on the season and have won 11 of the last 12 games.
Shelbie Atwell is hitting .453 with 17 runs, 34 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs, 15 RBIs
Rebekah Mueller is hitting .396 with 18 runs, 21 hits, four doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs and 12 walks
Sydney Washington is hitting .378 with 16 runs, 28 hits, three doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs
Barbara Billingsley is 11-2 with a 2.06 ERA, 10 complete games in 78 innings thrown
The Washburn University Ichabobs are 11-18 overall and 1-7 in MIAA play after splitting with Missouri Southern State last weekend.
Erica Harper is hitting .345 with 15 runs, 30 hits, eight doubles, six home runs and 18 RBIs.
Savannah Moore sports a .309 batting average with 22 runs, 25 hits and seven doubles.
Ashley Willis has a 2.94 ERA with a 6-2 record in 50 innings pitched.
Kelsee Henry has four wins and leads the team with her 90 innings worked and 49 strikeouts.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats are 10-6 on the season including a mark of 2-0 in the MIAA
Kaitlin Weis leads the team with her .411 batting average, 14 runs, 23 hits, four doubles, six home runs and 18 RBIs.
Abigail Gibson has five home runs and 15 RBIs
Holly Posegate is 6-2 with a 2.02 ERA and five complete games in her 45 innings pitched.

SCSU Notables

St. Cloud State had an 8-2 record in the team's annual trip to Florida for spring break from March 7 – March 12.
The program's last game on March 13 against Slippery Rock University was rained out.
Senior Alyssa Coletto led the team with her .469 batting average and 15 hits to go along with two home runs, 11 RBIs.
Sophomore Jaiden Lund had an outstanding tournament with a .414 batting average, nine runs, 12 hits, five home runs, 12 RBIs and 28 total bases.
Freshman Maya Keating hit .407 with eight runs, 11 hits, and nine walks plus four stolen bases
Senior Rebecca Harps hit .355 with 11 runs and 11 hits plus the first two home runs of her career and six RBIs.
Senior Jessica Goerger had 11 RBIs on her nine hits.
Sophomore Kate Kopeck went 5-1 and struck out 17 in 26.1 innings worked
Coletto leads the team on the season with her .464 batting average, 26 hits, six doubles and 43 total bases.
She also has nine multi-hit games and is currently third in the NSIC in hits, fourth in total bases and tied for sixth in doubles.
Keating is hitting .423 with 14 runs, 22 hits, 11 walk and 10 stolen bases.
She enters the weekend on a 10-game hitting streak and placed fifth in the league in stolen bases
Harps sports a .386 batting average with 16 runs, 22 hits, two home runs and 11 RBIs
Sophomore Morgan Emmans has seven extra base hits (four doubles, a triple and two home runs) among her 20 hits and 16 RBIs.
Goerger leads the team and is second in the NSIC with her 23 RBIs.
She also is placed tied for sixth in the league with her six doubles and leads the team with her nine multi-RBI performances.
Senior Abby Bunnell is hitting .364 with 19 runs, 24 hits, seven walks and 22 stolen bases.
Bunnell, with nine stolen bases last weekend, became the school's all-time career leader in stolen bases with 91.
She is currently the league leader in stolen bases, while placing fourth in both hits and runs.
Lund is tied for third in the league with her five home runs.
She is hitting .321 with 15 runs, 18 hits, 13 RBIs and 36 total bases.
Senior Megan Hedstrom has six wins, a 1.91 ERA, five complete games, four saves plus 40 strikeouts in her 66.0 innings thrown.
She is tied for the league lead with her four saves and is second in innings pitched.
Kopeck is 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA plus 37 strikeouts in 49.0 innings in the circle.
She is second in the NSIC in wins.
The Huskies have a team batting average of .329 with 168 hits, 27 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 103 RBIs and 244 total bases.
The team sports an ERA of 2.33 with 81 strikeouts in 135 innings thrown.

Up Next

St. Cloud State starts Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) on Tuesday, March 28, and travels to Minnesota Duluth for a pair of games in Duluth, Minn. beginning at noon.
SCSU will play 30 league games in 34 days
The team then returns home for the first time in over a month and hosts Minot State for a doubleheader on April 1 beginning at 1 p.m.