St. Cloud State Softball Set to Open Northern Sun Play in Rochester

Friday, March 22

Rochester, Minn.

11:00 A.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Winona State

Photo by: Kaitlyn Zuehl

St. Cloud State Softball Set to Open Northern Sun Play in Rochester

3/21/2024 3:06:00 PM | Softball

Huskies meet Winona State on Friday to begin conference season

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Softball (17-9, 0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) heads south to play its first conference doubleheader of the season on Friday against Winona State (16-10, 0-0 NSIC). The games are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) Dome in Rochester.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Live stats will be provided by WSU. Links to each coverage option can be found on the St. Cloud State Softball schedule page.

LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State participated in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA)/NSIC last weekend, finishing the event with a 1-5 record. The Huskies fell to (RV) Missouri Southern, No. 11 Central Oklahoma twice and split with Nebraska Kearney.

Redshirt freshman third baseman Grace Frechette (Forest Lake, Minn.) led the team offensively, slashing .444/.643/.778 in five games at the MIAA/NSIC Crossover Challenge. She led the Huskies in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Frechette was one of two Huskies to hit a home run and earned five walks. She tied for the team lead with four hits (4-of-9) and led the team with seven total bases while succeeding on her only stolen base attempt.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday's doubleheader will mark the 106^th and 107^th time SCSU will face off against the Warriors. WSU holds a 59-46 advantage in the all-time series. Last season's doubleheader was canceled due to poor weather conditions, so the teams haven't met since 2022. Winona State swept that pair, 3-1 and 9-1. The Huskies are 1-9 in their last 10 games against WSU and their last win in the series came in 2021.

SCOUTING WINONA STATE
Winona State opens Northern Sun play with a 16-10 record but has lost its last six games in a row. The Warriors played a daunting schedule at the MIAA/NSIC Crossover Challenge, playing doubleheaders against No. 11 Central Oklahoma, No. 13 Pittsburg State and (RV) Missouri Southern. WSU kept its first four games close, but couldn't close them out, losing 5-4 and 6-5 to PSU and 3-2 and 1-0 to MSSU. The Warriors then fell to UCO 11-0 and 7-2 in its final two games.

Senior utility Sam Keller leads the Warriors in most offensive statistical categories. She is slashing .427/.500/.708 and has tallied 38 hits including nine doubles, two triples and four home runs. She has scored 20 runs and driven in 22 more. Freshman outfielder Kiley Slaats is slashing .419/441/.570 with 36 hits (four doubles, three triples and one home run). She has also scored 20 runs, has 14 RBI and has stolen six bases. Senior pitcher/infielder Abbie Hlas is slashing .385/.457/.560 with 35 hits (11 doubles, one triple and one home run). She has scored 26 runs and has 10 RBI.

Sophomore pitcher Izzy Howe has made 13 appearances with 12 starts and owns a 6-3 record. She has pitched three complete games and two shutouts. Howe has a 2.61 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 58.2 innings. Opponents are batting just .216 against her.

Greg Jones is in his 24th season at the helm of the Winona State softball program. He owns a 929-316-4 (.745) overall record and a 406-93 (.813) mark in NSIC play. He is the longest-serving member of the WSU coaching staff across all programs. During the 2023 season, he surpassed the 900-win mark, and is now among the top eight active NCAA Division II head coaches. His 929 victories heading into this season are also in the top-15 within the NCAA Division II ranks. WSU was 38-16 overall during the 2023 season, earned a 20-6 NSIC mark and had seven players earn NSIC All-Conference honors. They also had five players on the 11-member NSIC Gold Glove team following the 2023 season.

RECORD BOOK UPDATES
In the Huskies first game of the season, a 19-3 win over Black Hills State a pair of Huskies produced school record performances.

Junior corner infielder Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak, Lawn, Ill.) tied school records for home runs in a game (two) and RBI in a game (seven). She was the first player to have a two-home run game since Raven Vanden Langenberg in 2023 and a seven RBI game since Jasmin Estrada in 2021.

Freshman shortstop Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.) tied the school record for singles in a game (four) in her first collegiate game. She became the first player to hit four singles in a game since Emily Edgerton in 2010.

NSIC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
St. Cloud State sophomore right handed pitcher Justyce Porter (Kent, Wash.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Softball Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 20. It was her first NSIC weekly honor this season and of her career. She was the second Husky to earn NSIC weekly award honors after junior outfielder Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.) was named Player of the Week on Feb. 5.

Porter earned three straight saves to end the Huskies 3-1 stretch in Sioux Center, Iowa. She appeared in all four games and did not allow an earned run over her 9.0 innings. She struck out five batters and only allowed five hits (all singles) – opponents hit just .129 against her.

NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
St. Cloud State junior outfielder Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Softball Player of the Week on Feb. 5 for her efforts in the Huskies opening weekend sweep. It was her first NSIC weekly honor this season and of her career.

Holzhueter went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run, scoring three runs and driving in three runs made her in her debut for the Huskies. She hit .600 (6-for-10) in SCSU's 3-0 opening weekend. Five of her six hits were extra base hits – three doubles, one triple and one home run. She drove in four runs, walked once and was successful on her lone stolen base attempt. Holzhueter led the NSIC with a 1.400 slugging percentage and a 2.036 OPS.

PRESEASON POLLING
St. Cloud State was selected to finish fifth in the 2024 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Jan. 24. Additionally, graduate student outfielder Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn.) was named the Player to Watch, and junior right-handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.) was named the Pitcher to Watch.

Head Coach Mitch Roberts enters his third season at the helm of the Huskies program. He led last year's team to a 34-20 overall record and 16-8 record in NSIC play, finishing tied for fourth.

Weinberger returns to SCSU for a graduate year after starting every game last season. On defense last season, she tallied 46 putouts with two assists for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. At the plate, Weinberger went 63-for-176 for a season batting average of .358, an on-base percentage of .418 while slugging .460. She tallied 31 RBIs, 13 doubles, one triple, and home run. She earned CSC All-District honors, was named a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction award winner, and an NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence member last season in addition to earning All-NSIC Second Team honors the past two seasons.

Eickhoff looks to build off her strong sophomore campaign a season ago. In her second season with the Huskies last year, Eickhoff served as the Huskies top secondary pitcher. She appeared in 21 games with 13 starts, compiling a 9-2 record with one shutout. She struck out 62 batters over 72.0 innings while allowing just five sacrifice bunts. She posted a 3.69 season ERA. In conference play, Eickhoff was an even bigger threat, going 8-0 against NSIC opponents. Additionally, she was an NSIC All-Academic team member.

ROBERTS' REMARKS
On his 2024 team outlook...
"I am looking forward to the team this year. We are youthful, eager, and possess excellent team chemistry. Our roster has a good balance of experience and young talent, and we look forward to the challenges this upcoming year will bring."

On NSIC Player to Watch Holly Weinberger...
"Holly has a great presence at the plate and leads our offense with an intelligent and gritty approach to her at bats. Holly is a great leader and the type of person you want in your organization. She is a class act on and off the field and is a competitor who plays with joy and passion."

On NSIC Pitcher to Watch Emma Eickhoff...
"Emma has the ability to change speeds and movement that can produce swings and misses. She shows passion for what she does on and off the field. As she enters her third year, we look for Emma to continue developing after another year of pitching experience against the NSIC and ultimately lead our pitching staff."

WELCOME TO THE PACK
SCSU welcomed 14 newcomers over the offseason include six transfers – senior Mckenna Stallings (Milton Freewater, Ore. / Eastern Oregon), juniors Maddie Buchert (West Fargo, N.D. / Saint Benedict), Molly Gross (Columbia Heights, Minn. / Anoka-Ramsey CC), Reese Holzheuter (Shakopee, Minn. / Sioux Falls) and Rainna Stangle (Sartell, Minn. / St. Cloud Technical & CC) and redshirt freshman Grace Frechette (Forest Lake, Minn. / Colorado Christian) – and eight freshmen – Bree Beck (Lakeville, Minn. / South HS), Kaylee Collins (Lakeville, Minn. / North HS), Hannah Harms (Bartlett, Ill. / South Elgin HS), Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn. / Prior Lakes HS), Miranda Johanek (Green Bay, Wis. / Denmark HS), Kori Needham (Milan, Ill. / Rockridge HS), Bethany Weiss (Forest Lake, Minn.) and Megan Wilcox (Centennial, Colo. / Eaglecrest HS).

THE SENIORS
Six athletes will compete in their senior campaign in 2024 as graduate student Kaitlyn Istanovich (Chisago City, Minn.) is joined by fifth-year Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn.) along with true seniors Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis.), Evy Polsfuss (Apple Valley, Minn.), Tenley Quesnell (Boise, Idaho) and Stallings.

THE JUNIORS
The seven juniors are Buchert, Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.) Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.), Holzhueter, Gross, Madison Spah (Ramsey, Minn.) and Stangle.

THE SOPHOMORES
Two athletes make up this year's sophomore class – Kendall Buss (Luverne, Minn.) and Justyce Porter (Kent. Wash.).

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Softball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.