St. Cloud State Softball Opens Conference Play with Home Doubleheader

Saturday, March 22

St. Cloud, Minn.

10 a.m.

St. Cloud State

Winona State

Photo by: Nathaly Delgado

St. Cloud State Softball Opens Conference Play with Home Doubleheader

3/21/2025 1:36:00 PM | Softball

Huskies open Northern Sun play Saturday against Winona State in the Husky Dome

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Softball (21-7, 0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) returns home on Saturday to open conference play against Winona State (19-6, 0-0 NSIC) after completing its 22-game out-of-state road trip on March 7 in Clermont, Fla. The games times are scheduled for 10 a.m. and noon CT at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The doubleheader will be streamed on the NSIC Network and live stats will be provided by SCSU. Links to each coverage option will be available on the SCSU Softball schedule page.

Game 29 vs. Winona State (Husky Dome – St. Cloud) – Saturday, March 22 / 10 a.m. / Live Stream (NSIC Network) / Live Stats
Game 30 vs. Winona State (Husky Dome – St. Cloud) – Saturday, March 22 / Noon / Live Stream (NSIC Network) / Live Stats

For in-game updates make sure to follow the Huskies on Twitter.

SERIES HISTORY
The Huskies are 46-60 all-time against Winona State. The teams split their series that was played in Rochester, with the Warriors winning the first game 10-2 in five innings, before SCSU earned a 1-0 pitchers' duel win in game two.

RECORD BOOK WATCH
Senior infielder Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.) is seven walks away from becoming the program's all-time leader in that category. She would surpass Morgan Emmans (2016-19), who drew 90 base on balls in her career.

UNDEFEATED EICKHOFF
Senior right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.) is perfect on the season (9-0) and is tied for the team lead in wins, appearances (14) and starts (13). She also leads the team in WHIP (1.12) and ranks second in innings pitched (65.1), second in strikeouts (53) and third in ERA (2.25). Eickhoff has logged four complete games this season including two shutouts. Her complete games rank second and her shutouts are tied for the most among SCSU pitchers.

BROOKE MAKES IT HO(L)ME(S) A LOT
Sophomore infielder Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.) leads the NSIC in several offensive categories including runs (35), runs/game (1.25), batting average (.479) and hits (46). She also leads the Huskies in home runs (six), on-base percentage (.532), slugging percentage (.781), RBIs (30), total bases (75), home runs/game (0.21), RBIs/game (1.07), times hit by a pitch (3), assists (45).

MAGNIFICANT MACEY
Right handed pitcher Macey Clark (Winneconne, Wis.) leads the team in wins (nine – tie), complete games (seven), shutouts, (two – tie), starts (13 – tie), innings pitched (77.0), strikeouts (73) and strikeouts/7 inn. (6.6). She also ranks second in ERA (2.18), WHIP (1.18), appearances (13), K/BB ratio (3.84) and BB/7 inn. (1.73)

JP THE CLOSER
Junior right-handed pitcher Justyce Porter (Kent, Wash.) is tied for first among all pitchers in Division II in saves (five) and also leads the NSIC. She also leads the team in ERA (1.65), appearances (14 – tie) and is third in WHIP (1.28).

REESE'S PIECES
Senior catcher/outfielder Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.) leads the team in doubles (10), triples (three), stolen bases (seven – tie), doubles/game (0.37) and triples/game (0.11) . She also ranks second in batting average (.418), hits (41), runs (25), total bases (60) and runs/game (0.93).

THE WEISS IS RIGHT
Sophomore catcher/infielder Bethany Weiss (Forest Lake, Minn.) is tied for the team lead in sacrifice flies (three). She is also third on the team in doubles (eight – tie), third in runs (23), third in batting average (.372), third in slugging percentage (.574), home runs (three) and fourth in RBIs (18).

FITZMAGIC
Senior infielder Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.) leads the conference in walks/game (0.71). She leads the team in walks (20). She also ranks third in doubles (eight – tie), third in on-base percentage (.476), fourth in batting average (.354) and fourth in home runs (two – tie).

NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore infielder Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.) was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player of the Week by the league office on Feb. 24. It was the first weekly conference award of her career, and she became the first Husky to earn weekly honors this season.

Holmes led the Huskies offense in many statistical categories during their 5-1 stretch that weekend in Rosemont, Illinois. She hit .458 (11-for-24) and owned a .458 on-base percentage and .792 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.250. She posted five extra base hits including one home run, one triple and three doubles.

The sophomore also drove in a team-high 10 runs, scored four runs and was 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts. She recorded a hit in every game to extend her hitting streak to seven games while tallying three multi-hit games including two three-hit games. Defensively, tallied seven putouts and 11 assists with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

NSIC Release

PRESEASON POLLING
St. Cloud State has been selected to finish seventh in the 2025 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Thursday. Additionally, senior infielder Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.) was named the Player to Watch, and junior right-handed pitcher Justyce Porter (Kent, Wash.) was named the Pitcher to Watch.

Head Coach Mitch Roberts enters his fourth season at the helm of the Huskies Softball in 2025. He has record of 100-64 (.610) and led last year's team to a 30-26 overall record, including 12-16 record in NSIC play, to finish eighth in the standings. The Huskies took down ninth-seeded Sioux Falls in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament, 6-2, before falling to the hosts and eventual champions, Augustana, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

Fitzgerald enters her senior season with the Huskies with lots of momentum, coming off a career year in 2024. Last season, she set new single-season best marks in games played (55), games started (55), batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.422), slugging percentage (.652), at-bats (155), runs (29), hits (49), doubles (10), home runs (14), walks (29), RBIs (53) and fielding percentage (.993). Fitzgerald ranked tied for third in home runs, fourth in RBIs, seventh in slugging percentage, tied for eighth in OPS (1.077) and tied for 10^th in fielding percentage among NSIC players last season.

Porter looks to build off her strong sophomore season where she appeared in 43 games, making six starts. She owned a 11-5 record with seven saves and one shutout while posting a 2.27 ERA in 138.2 innings pitched. She set new single season bests in appearances, starts, innings pitched, strikeouts (69), shutouts, wins and saves. Porter ranked first in saves, eighth in ERA, 10^th in innings pitched, 10^th in opponents' batting average (.248) and tied for 10^th in wins among NSIC pitchers last season. She was named NSIC Pitcher of the Week once last season.

SCSU returns 14 players from last season's roster – including one graduate student, five seniors, one junior, six sophomores and one redshirt freshman. The Huskies brought in seven newcomers including two junior transfers and five freshmen.

Key returners include senior catcher/outfielder Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.), who was named All-NSIC First Team honors and Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region Second team honors as a utility player. In her first season with the Huskies, Holzhueter made an immediate impact while splitting time behind the plate and in the outfield. Other returning starters inlcude sophomores Brooke Holmes (infielder, Savage, Minn.) Bethany Weiss (catcher/infielder, Forest Lake, Minn.) and redshirt sophomore infielder Grace Frechette (Forest Lake, Minn.). In the circle, SCSU also returns senior right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.).

For the sixth consecutive season, Augustana was chosen as the favorite in the NSIC Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll. The Vikings, the four-time defending regular season champions, amassed 196 points and all 14 first place votes (coaches cannot rank their own team). Concordia-St. Paul was second with 174 points while Minnesota State was third with 163 points and the other first place vote.

The preseason coaches' poll is based off each coach ranking each team with the top team receiving 14 points, second 13, third 12, etc.

The 2025 NSIC Softball season gets underway with non-conference play on January 31, while the 28-game NSIC schedule is set to begin on Saturday, March 22.

The 2025 NSIC Softball Tournament will have a 10-team single elimination format over four days played at Bowden Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on April 30 - May 3, 2025; hosted by Augustana University. The tournament will be streamed on the NSIC Network, with tournament passes or single game access available for purchase.

2025 NSIC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team (first place votes) Points

Augustana (14) 196
Concordia-St. Paul 174
Minnesota State (1) 163
Minnesota Duluth 157
Winona State 155
Minot State 125
St. Cloud State 116
MSU Moorhead 100
Sioux Falls 86
Southwest Minnesota State 81
Northern State 70
Bemidji State 54
Wayne State 43
Minnesota Crookston 38
UMary 17

NSIC RELEASE

ROBERTS' REMARKS
On his 2025 team outlook...
"We are returning five starters and feel confident about the players stepping into the roles we've lost," said Roberts, "In addition, we've added depth in the circle, which strengthens our overall pitching staff. With solid improvements in all areas, we believe we have the right pieces in place to make a strong push and improve our standing in conference play."

On NSIC Player to Watch Maggie Fitzgerald...
"Maggie brings a presence to the plate and will be a cornerstone of our offensive production this year," said Roberts, "Her experience, professionalism, and strong work ethic have set her up for success this spring. We're excited to see what her senior year has in store and the impact she'll make on the field."

On NSIC Pitcher to Watch Justyce Porter...
"Justyce brings an invaluable quality to our team," said Roberts, "Her uniqueness is key to her consistent success. With her competitiveness and mindset, she excels in high-pressure situations, making her a perfect fit to come in late and close out games. We are excited to see the things she will achieve this year."

WELCOME TO THE PACK
SCSU welcomed seven newcomers over the offseason, including two junior college transfers – right handed pitcher Macey Clark (Winneconne, Wis. / Winneconne HS / Bryant & Stratton – Wisconsin) and infielder/catcher Sydney Roe (Davenport, Iowa / Assumption HS / Kirkwood CC) and five freshman – infielder Grace Dahmen (Jordan, Minn. / Jordan HS), catcher Morgan Honeycutt (Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount HS), right handed pitcher Madeline Nutter (Elko New Market, Minn. / Lakeville South HS), right handed pitcher Madison Soule (Shakopee, Minn. / Shakopee HS) and infielder Hannah Weckman (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North HS).

THE SENIORS
Six athletes will compete in their senior campaign in 2025 as fifth year infielder Evy Polsfuss (Apple Valley, Minn.) is joined by true seniors right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.), infielder Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.), catcher/outfielder Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.), right handed pitcher Molly Gross (Columbia Heights, Minn.), and utility Rainna Stangle (Sartell, Minn.).

THE JUNIORS
The lone returning junior on the roster is right-handed pitcher Justyce Porter (Kent, Wash.).

THE SOPHOMORES
Five true sophomores – outfielder Bree Beck (Lakeville, Minn.), outfielder Hannah Harms (Bartlett, Ill.), infielder Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.), outfielder Kori Needham (Milan, Ill.) and catcher/infielder Bethany Weiss (Forest Lake, Minn.) are joined by redshirt sophomore infielder Grace Frechette (Forest Lake, Minn.) and redshirt freshman utility Kaylee Collins (Lakeville, Minn.).

SCHEDULE LINKS
SCHEDULE RELEASE | 2025 SCHEDULE (WEB) | 2025 SCHEDULE (PDF)

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