Huskies close regular season against MSUM, NSU

Saturday, May 8

St. Cloud, Minn.

12 p.m.

St. Cloud State

Minnesota State University Moorhead

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

5/7/2021 10:09:00 AM | Softball

ST. CLOUD, MINN. - It all comes down to this. The St. Cloud State University softball team has reached the final weekend of the 2021 regular season. After weeks and months of practices, the Huskies will host Minnesota State University-Moorhead and Northern State University this upcoming Saturday and Sunday with a trip to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament on the line.

Entering the final weekend of regular season play, St. Cloud State sits in ninth place in the NSIC standings thanks to its overall record of 23-13 and a 12-10 mark in conference play. As it stands, the Huskies would qualify as the No. 9 seed in the NSIC tournament, which will take place May 13-15 in Rochester, Minnesota. There is plenty on the line this weekend, as St. Cloud State looks to solidify its place in the playoff picture and move up the rankings with wins over both the Dragons and Wolves.

As if there wasn't already enough excitement this weekend with playoffs looming, the Huskies will also honor their five seniors throughout the course of the weekend. Super seniors Cassie Francesconi (Schomberg, Ontario / Emily Carr Secondary) and Maya Keating (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton-Warrensville) will be honored before Saturday's doubleheader against MSU-Moorhead, while Megan Conrads (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville South), Sydney LaPoint (Green Bay, Wis. / Bay Port) and Emma Murphy (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) will be recognized prior to Sunday's doubleheader.

First pitch for both Saturday and Sunday's doubleheaders is slated for 12 p.m. with game two to follow. Fans who cannot attend the games in person can follow along via live stats and video, and score updates will be made to the team's official Twitter account when possible (@SCSUHUSKIES_SB).

Here is a special senior edition of the five things to know before this weekend's contests:

228/155/248 - Keating has put together an impressive resume during her five years with the Huskies. The senior second baseman has played in 228 career games, tallying 248 hits and scoring 155 runs in that time. She ranks second all-time in career games played (228) and career runs scored (155) and additionally ranks third in career hits (248), career stolen bases (83) and single-season runs scored (49). More impressive, though, may be Keating's off the field resume. A two-time team captain, Keating earned Second Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region honors in 2019 and was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District selection after the shortened 2020 season. She additionally is a three-time member of the Academic All-Conference Team, a two-time NFCA ACademic All-American, and a 2019-20 NSIC Myles Brand Award recipient.

6 - Like Keating, Francesconi has put together some impressive numbers during her career with St. Cloud State. As a senior in 2021, Francesconi tallied a career-high six RBI in the Huskies 30-6 win over Viterbo on February 14. The senior outfielder's performance helped the Huskies break the program record for single-game RBI (team), previously set at 24, and total runs scored in a game. Additionally, Francesconi's six RBI against the V-Hawks ranks second behind teammate Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) all-time for single-game RBI by an individual player.

16 - Murphy has been stellar on the mound in her four-year career at St. Cloud State. In the course of four years, Murphy has appeared in 16 games with three starts, posting a 2-2 record. She recorded the first win of her collegiate career as a freshman in 2018, when she led the Huskies to an 8-0, five inning win over Wayne State. Murphy went the distance in the game, pitching five innings and surrendering just five hits in the complete game effort.

14 - Few can forget Conrads incredible start to the 2019 season. The then-sophomore opened the season with a 14-game hit streak and earned Second Team All-NSIC honors later that season for her play both in the outfield and first base. That was an indicator of big things to come for Conrads, who hit over .300 her sophomore, junior and senior seasons with St. Cloud State and holds a .323 career batting average entering the final weekend of 2021. Additionally, Conrads ranks second all-time in career stolen base percentage, as she's been caught stealing just once in 57 attempts, and is seventh all-time in career stolen bases (56).

10 - While LaPoint is listed as a junior on the roster, the pitcher has opted to graduate in the fall and forgo her final season of eligibility next sprint. In three years with the Huskies, LaPoint has cemented herself as the ace of the pitching staff, tallying 186 strikeouts in just 60 appearances in the circle. The junior made a little history earlier this season though as she pitched the first no-hitter of her career in a 17-0 win over Truman State. LaPoint was an error away from perfection, as she struck out 10 of the 16 Bulldog batters faced without surrendering a single walk. It was the first no hitter thrown by a St. Cloud State pitcher in six seasons and earned LaPoint the second NSIC Pitcher of the Week honor of her illustrious career with the Huskies.