Saturday, April 20
Aberdeen, S.D.
1:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
at
Northern State
Photo by: Jacob Sanders
St. Cloud State Softball Set for Final Regular Season Road Trip
4/19/2024 4:50:00 PM | Softball
Huskies play two games at NSU Saturday, two more at MSUM Sunday
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Softball (25-21, 8-12 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) makes its final road trip of the regular season this weekend. The Huskies travel to Aberdeen to play Northern State (20-20, 6-14 NSIC) on Friday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Koehler Hall of Fame field. SCSU then heads to Moorhead on Sunday to play MSU Moorhead (26-16, 13-7 NSIC) at noon and 2 p.m. at the Nemzek Softball Field.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Game One @ Northern State – Saturday, April 20 / 1 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live stats
Game Two @ Northern State – Saturday, April 20 / 3 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live stats
Game One @ MSU Moorhead – Sunday, April 21 / Noon CT / Livestream / Live stats
Game Two @ MSU Moorhead – Sunday, April 21 / 2 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live stats
Links to each coverage option can also be found on the St. Cloud State Softball schedule page.
SERIES HISTORY
Northern State
Saturday will be the 49th and 50th meeting between the teams. The teams' first meeting took place in 1980 and St. Cloud State holds an 38-10 lead in the all-time series. The Huskies swept Northern State in 2023 and picked up another win earlier this year during the season-opening Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament. In the last 10 matchups between the teams, SCSU is 8-2.
MSU Moorhead
Sunday will mark the 99th and 100th meeting between the teams. The teams first met in 1975 and SCSU holds a 73-25 advantage in the all-time series. The Huskies beat MSUM in the teams only 2023 matchup which happened at the NSIC Tournament in Rochester. The Huskies are 8-2 in the team's last 10 matchups.
SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
Northern State is 20-20 (6-14 NSIC) so far this season and sit 11th in the NSIC standings. On Wednesday, the Wolves were swept UMary. NSU is 4-6 in its last 10 games.
All seven of Northern State's qualified hitters are batting .319 or better. The Wolves are led by senior utility Lexi Chase and sophomore utility Kyra Knudtson. Chase owns a slash line of .364/.429/.515 with 36 hits (six doubles, three triples and a home run). She has scored 18 runs, has 17 RBI and is 5-for-6 on stolen base attempts. Knudtson owns a slash line of .356/.417/.458 with 42 hits (nine doubles and one home run). She has driven in 21 runs, scored 16 times and is a perfect 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.
Chase also leads NSU in the circle. She has made 16 appearances with 14 starts and owns a 7-7 record. She has pitched 11 complete games and two shutouts. She has a 2.82 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP and opponents are batting .242 against her over 99.1 innings.
Ashley Schilling is in her third season at the helm of Northern State softball and owns a record of 26-72 (12-44 NSIC).
SCOUTING MSU MOORHEAD
MSU Moorhead is 26-16 (13-7 NSIC) so far this season and is tied for sixth in the NSIC Standings. The Dragons are red-hot, winning their last seven games in a row and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
MSUM's offense is led by freshman catcher Chloe Makinney, sophomore infielder Azalya Lopez and sophomore infielder Mack Gallagher. Makinney owns a slash line of .374/.441/.516 with 34 hits (six doubles, two triples and one home run). She has scored 19 runs, has 16 RBI and is a perfect 11-for-11 on her stolen base attempts. Lopez owns a slash line of .310/.385/.444 with 39 hits (five doubles, three triples and two home runs). She has 26 RBI and has scored 20 runs. Gallagher owns a slash line of .296/.385/.496 with 34 hits (11 doubles and four home runs). She has 27 RBI, has scored 12 runs and is 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
Lopez also leads MSU Moorhead in the circle. She has made 23 appearances with 17 starts and owns a 14-5 record. She has pitched seven complete games, two solo shutouts and has been a part of two combined shutouts. She has a 2.38 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP and opponents are batting .252 against her over 109.0 innings.
Mike Armitage is in his third season at the helm of MSU Moorhead softball and owns a record of 38-52.
LAST TIME OUT
The Huskies went 2-2 in its matchups against Minnesota State and Sioux Falls last weekend and were swept by Minnesota Duluth on Tuesday.
Notes & Top Huskies from Game One – 7-1 loss to Minnesota State (April 13)
Senior second baseman Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis.) tied the career record for HBP (41) after only tallying four in her first two seasons. Earlier this season, she set the new single season HBP record of 19 after being hit twice on March 30 in the first game against Augustana – the previous record of 18 was set in 2022 by her former teammate Raven Vanden Langenberg. Krueger also owns the No. 3 spot on that list after being hit 16 times last season.
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.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Softball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Game One @ Northern State – Saturday, April 20 / 1 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live stats
Game Two @ Northern State – Saturday, April 20 / 3 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live stats
Game One @ MSU Moorhead – Sunday, April 21 / Noon CT / Livestream / Live stats
Game Two @ MSU Moorhead – Sunday, April 21 / 2 p.m. CT / Livestream / Live stats
Links to each coverage option can also be found on the St. Cloud State Softball schedule page.
SERIES HISTORY
Northern State
Saturday will be the 49th and 50th meeting between the teams. The teams' first meeting took place in 1980 and St. Cloud State holds an 38-10 lead in the all-time series. The Huskies swept Northern State in 2023 and picked up another win earlier this year during the season-opening Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament. In the last 10 matchups between the teams, SCSU is 8-2.
MSU Moorhead
Sunday will mark the 99th and 100th meeting between the teams. The teams first met in 1975 and SCSU holds a 73-25 advantage in the all-time series. The Huskies beat MSUM in the teams only 2023 matchup which happened at the NSIC Tournament in Rochester. The Huskies are 8-2 in the team's last 10 matchups.
SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
Northern State is 20-20 (6-14 NSIC) so far this season and sit 11th in the NSIC standings. On Wednesday, the Wolves were swept UMary. NSU is 4-6 in its last 10 games.
All seven of Northern State's qualified hitters are batting .319 or better. The Wolves are led by senior utility Lexi Chase and sophomore utility Kyra Knudtson. Chase owns a slash line of .364/.429/.515 with 36 hits (six doubles, three triples and a home run). She has scored 18 runs, has 17 RBI and is 5-for-6 on stolen base attempts. Knudtson owns a slash line of .356/.417/.458 with 42 hits (nine doubles and one home run). She has driven in 21 runs, scored 16 times and is a perfect 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.
Chase also leads NSU in the circle. She has made 16 appearances with 14 starts and owns a 7-7 record. She has pitched 11 complete games and two shutouts. She has a 2.82 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP and opponents are batting .242 against her over 99.1 innings.
Ashley Schilling is in her third season at the helm of Northern State softball and owns a record of 26-72 (12-44 NSIC).
SCOUTING MSU MOORHEAD
MSU Moorhead is 26-16 (13-7 NSIC) so far this season and is tied for sixth in the NSIC Standings. The Dragons are red-hot, winning their last seven games in a row and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
MSUM's offense is led by freshman catcher Chloe Makinney, sophomore infielder Azalya Lopez and sophomore infielder Mack Gallagher. Makinney owns a slash line of .374/.441/.516 with 34 hits (six doubles, two triples and one home run). She has scored 19 runs, has 16 RBI and is a perfect 11-for-11 on her stolen base attempts. Lopez owns a slash line of .310/.385/.444 with 39 hits (five doubles, three triples and two home runs). She has 26 RBI and has scored 20 runs. Gallagher owns a slash line of .296/.385/.496 with 34 hits (11 doubles and four home runs). She has 27 RBI, has scored 12 runs and is 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
Lopez also leads MSU Moorhead in the circle. She has made 23 appearances with 17 starts and owns a 14-5 record. She has pitched seven complete games, two solo shutouts and has been a part of two combined shutouts. She has a 2.38 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP and opponents are batting .252 against her over 109.0 innings.
Mike Armitage is in his third season at the helm of MSU Moorhead softball and owns a record of 38-52.
LAST TIME OUT
The Huskies went 2-2 in its matchups against Minnesota State and Sioux Falls last weekend and were swept by Minnesota Duluth on Tuesday.
Notes & Top Huskies from Game One – 7-1 loss to Minnesota State (April 13)
- St. Cloud State moved to 61-85 in the teams' all-time series after the loss.
- Junior catcher Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.) - 2-3, 2B, R
- Holzhueter recorded her 50th hit and scored ger 40th run of the season. She tallied her 13th multi-hit game of the season.
- Junior first baseman Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.) - 1-2, 2B, SF, RBI
- Fitzgerald tied her single season best for doubles (eight) and sacrifice flies (two). She hit her fifth career sacrifice fly.
- Fifth year right fielder Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn.) - 1-2, BB
- Junior right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.) surpassed 115.0 innings on the season and 275.0 for her career. She struck five out, setting a new single season best mark for strikeouts (74) and picked up her 205th career strikeout.
- The Huskies dropped to 61-86 all-time against Minnesota State after the loss.
- Fitzgerald - 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Fitzgerald recorded her 35th hit of the season and surpassed 95 hits for her career. She has eight multi-hit games this season and two three-hit contests. She scored the 45th run of her career.
- Freshman outfielder Bree Beck (Lakeville, Minn.) - 2-2, SB
- Beck posted her first career multi-hit game and surpassed five hits on the season. She is still perfect on stolen base attempts this season (8-for-8).
- Freshman shortstop Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.) - 2-4, 2B, RBI
- Holmes tallied her 30th hit of the season. She now has six multi-hit games this season.
- Holzhueter - 2-4, RBI, R
- Holzhueter surpassed 130 career hits and recorded her 65th career RBI. She has 14 multi-hit games this season.
- Redshirt freshman third baseman Grace Frechette (Forest Lake, Minn.) - 1-3, RBI
- Frechette recorded her 25th RBI of the season.
- Freshman outfielder Hannah Harms (Bartlett, Ill.) - 1-3, R
- Weinberger - 1-3, BB
- Weinberger drew her 45th career walk.
- Freshman designated player Bethany Weiss (Forest Lake, Minn.)- SB, R
- Weiss scored her 15th run of the season.
- St. Cloud State moved to 16-10 in the teams' all-time series after the win.
- Eickhoff - 4.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 6 K
- Eickhoff surpassed 120.0 innings pitched on the season and 280.0 for her career. Picked up her 80th strikeout of the season and surpassed 210 for her career.
- Sophomore right handed pitcher Justyce Porter (Kent, Wash.) (W, 10-5) - 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 K
- Porter surpassed 110.0 innings and earned her 10th win of the season. It is the first time she has won double digit games in a season.
- Weinberger - 2-4, RBI, R, SB
- Weinberger posted her 12th multi-hit game of the season. She recorded her 45th hit and 20th RBI of the season. She scored the 90th run of her career and stole her first base of the season.
- Weiss - 1-3, 2B
- Holmes - 1-3, R
- Frechette - 1-3, R
- Frechette tallied her 25th hit of the season.
- The Huskies improved to 17-10 all-time against Sioux Falls after the win.
- Harms - 2-2
- Harms' two hits doubled her season total. It was her first career multi-hit game.
- Holzhueter - 2-4, 3B
- Holzhueter posted her 15th multi-hit game of the season. She tallied her 55th hit of the season, setting a new single season best mark. She hit her fifth career triple (fourth of the season). She recorded her 25th RBI of the season.
- Eickhoff (W, 10-9) - 4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 K
- Eickhoff earned her 10th win of the season, setting a new single-season best mark. She reached 125.0 innings pitched on the season.
- Fitzgerald - 2-4
- Fitzgerald posted her ninth multi-hit game of the season. She tallied her 40th RBI and scored her 20th run of the season. She now has 85 career RBI and surpassed 45 career runs scored.
- Senior second baseman Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis.) - 1-2, 2 RBI
- Krueger tallied her 20th hit of the season and 70th of her career. She posted her 10th RBI of the season and surpassed 45 for her career. She recorded her third multi-RBI game of the season.
- Freshman outfielder Kori Needham (Milan, Ill.) - 1-1
- Senior Evy Polsfuss (Apple Valley, Minn.) - 1-1
- Weinberger - 2 R, 2 BB, SB
- Weinberger scored her 15th run of the season. She surpassed 45 walks drawn in her career and stole her second base of the year (2-for-2).
- St. Cloud State moved to 43-67 in the teams' all-time series after the loss.
- Frechette - 1-2
- Weinberger - 1-3
- Weinberger tallied her 220th career hit.
- Eickhoff - 3.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 K
- Eickhoff posted her 215th career strikeout.
- The Huskies fell to 43-68 all-time against Minnesota Duluth after the loss.
- Weinberger - 2-4, RBI, R
- Weinberger posted her 13th multi-hit game of the season.
- Junior utility Rainna Stangle (Sartell, Minn.) - 1-1, HR
- Stangle belted her second home run of the season while posting her fifth hit and fifth run.
- Eickhoff - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 5 K
- Eickhoff surpassed 130.0 innings pitched this season and 290.0 for her career. She also surpassed 85 strikeouts for the season and recorded her 220th career strikeout.
- Holmes - 1-3, RBI
- Krueger - 1-3, 2B
- Krueger hit her second double of the season, tying her single season best mark.
- Senior center fielder Tenley Quesnell (Boise, Idaho) - 1-3, R
- Quesnell scored her 15th run of the season.
- Holzhueter - 1-3, BB
- Holzhueter tallied her 135th career hit.
- Fitzgerald - 2B
- Fitzgerald hit her 20th career double and set a new single season best mark for doubles (nine).
Senior second baseman Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis.) tied the career record for HBP (41) after only tallying four in her first two seasons. Earlier this season, she set the new single season HBP record of 19 after being hit twice on March 30 in the first game against Augustana – the previous record of 18 was set in 2022 by her former teammate Raven Vanden Langenberg. Krueger also owns the No. 3 spot on that list after being hit 16 times last season.
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.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Softball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
RHP/UTL
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IF
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1B/3B
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INF
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OF
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INF
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C/OF
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INF
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OF
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1B
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RHP
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OF
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UTL
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IF
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OF/1B
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C/1B
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