Softball takes talents to St. Cloud and Duluth
Aaron Young
Staff Writer
After having their doubleheader against Sioux Falls canceled due to weather, the Maverick softball team will continue action tomorrow in St. Cloud against the Huskies in St. Cloud, MN at the Husky Dome.
The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. The Mavericks end the weekend facing the UMD Bulldogs late Sunday night at 6 p.m. in Duluth, MN. The squad wants to prove to the rest of the conference they still have their mojo, as they are ranked No. 20 in the power rankings.
The Mavs will be looking to get back on track as they are currently in the midst of a 3-game winning streak, having lost to both Wayne State and Augustana the last time around.
Freshman, Torey Richards, is seeking quite the streak as she attempts to have a hit in 20 straight games. Richards has a BA of .423 in 104 At-bats and along with 44 hits, 11 of them for extra bases, 8 doubles and 3 triples. She isn’t the only one whose been putting on a show at the plate, though.
Being the lone senior on the roster, Jessica Meidl has also been wreaking havoc, with three home runs on the season to contribute to a BA of .427 and slugging percentage of .600 on the season.
What’s perhaps more amazing is these two players aren’t even the top performers on this young and talented roster. A lot of the team’s success this season has been due diligence to sophomore outfielder, Carly Esselman, and freshman, Hannah Hastings, who’ve been crushing it at the plate this season. Esselman is posting a .455 BA with a team-high six triples and 36 RBI’s. Hastings, despite having started twice all season, has been quite the opportunist. In 5 at-bats, the freshman has reached the bases 3 times including a double. With a BA of .600, it’s no surprise she’s been walked twice in 5 plate appearances.
On the mound, it’ll either be sophomore hurler, Caitlin Stone, or freshman Mackenzie Ward on the bump for the Mavericks. Stone has been a stonewall on the hill the year for the Mavericks, posting a record of 8-1 with an ERA of 2.41. The sophomore leads the team in ERA but trails Ward in strikeouts and innings pitched.
Ward looks to continue her domination this weekend, boasting 56 strikeouts and a record of 9-4. As a whole, the Mavs rotation looks good so far, with an ERA average of 2.97 and throwing over 100 strikeouts.
Their first opponents, the St. Cloud State Huskies, display a similar record to the Mavs at 20-9. They are 6-2 in the conference. At home, the Huskies are 11-3, losing their two home games in conference play. At the visitors they are undefeated. The Mavs next opponent, which is the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, may give them a tougher challenge. With a slightly better record than the Huskies at 22-7, the Bulldogs have been barking their way up in the rankings.
Let’s hope the Mavericks can take down the two dogs over the weekend, and snap the Bulldogs winning streak which is currently at 3. Get live coverage of the softball games online at msumavericks.com.