Players Mentioned
St. Cloud State softball gains spot in NCAA Central Region ranking
4/18/2018 2:30:00 PM | Softball
This is the first of three NCAA Division II Softball Regional Rankings that will be released in 2018. Of note, the NSIC had six of the top ten teams in the central region. Winona State is the top ranked team in the region while UMD is third, Augustana is fourth, Minnesota State is fifth, St. Cloud State is eighth and Concordia-St. Paul is ninth.
The 42-team NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC). Automatic bids are awarded to the tournament champions from each conference with the final five spots awarded on an at-large basis. In all, eight teams will advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on May 10-12, with the top two seeds in the region hosting.Â
The NCAA softball selections will be announced on www.NCAA.com on Monday, May 7 at 9 a.m. (CT). The NCAA Championships are set for May 24-28 at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia hosted by the City of Salem and the Mountain East Conference.
The NSIC Softball Tournament is set for May 3-5 at Bowden Field & Sherman Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The top-ten teams in the NSIC standings will participate in the double-elimination tournament, which will be co-hosted by Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls.Â
The Huskies currently own a 26-15, 12-8 NSIC record this season under the leadership of head coach Paula U'Ren, who is in her 21st season at SCSU. The Huskies are in sixth place in the NSIC standings as of April 18, and the team awaits word on the location, dates and times of this weekend's scheduled games against NSIC rivals Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. Weather and field conditions in the region have played havoc with the outdoor schedule and a final decision on the games is pending.
SCSUÂ SOFTBALL NOTES:
- The St. Cloud State softball moved to 26-15, 12-8 NSIC with the results of a doubleheader split against Minnesota State Moorhead on April 17 in St. Cloud. SCSU won the first game 9-1 in five innings and then lost the second game 8-2..
- The Huskies have already played 26 games indoors on the field in the SCSU Husky Dome this season. Â
- Maya Keating is leading the Huskies this season with a .394 batting average, 52 hits and 32 runs scored.
- Morgan Emmans is tops on the team this season with a .689 slugging rate, nine homers, 16 doubles and 47 RBIs.
- Kylie Thomsen has been a double threat this season. She is second on the team with a .338 batting average and she leads the club with an 11-7 pitching mark (3.52 ERA).
- Paula U'Ren has won 673 games during her tenure in the Granite City.
- Haley McFarlane ranks second on the team with six home runs and 30 RBIs this season.
- Bradi Yost has been very solid for the Huskies with a 6-1 pitching record and a 1.48 ERA in 52 IP this season.
- McFarlane was named the NSIC Player of the Week on April 17.  McFarlane led SCSU on offense with a .500 batting average last week. She has nine hits in 18 at bats, which included three homers, 13 RBIs and 19 total bases. This was her first NSIC weekly award as a Husky.
NCAA Division II Central Region Poll - April 18, 2018
|
Rk |
School (Conf) |
In-Region |
DII Rec |
|
1 |
Winona State (NSIC) |
20-4 |
30-4 |
|
2 |
Southern Arkansas (GAC) |
42-4 |
42-4 |
|
3 |
Minnesota Duluth (NSIC) |
23-7 |
29-8 |
|
4 |
Augustana (NSIC) |
21-8 |
28-8 |
|
5 |
Minnesota State (NSIC) |
20-11 |
26-12 |
|
6 |
Arkansas Tech (GAC) |
32-12 |
32-12 |
|
7 |
Washburn (MIAA) |
36-7 |
36-9 |
|
8 |
St. Cloud State (NSIC) |
20-9 |
25-14 |
|
9 |
Concordia-St. Paul (NSIC) |
17-13 |
22-16 |
|
10 |
Harding (GAC) |
27-17 |
27-17 |
