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THE WIND UP:  The University of Minnesota Duluth will host the Minnesota Duluth Invitational, a two-day event starting this Sunday in West St. Paul, Minn. The Bulldogs will play five games during the tournament, which features four other teams: Fort Hays State, Lincoln, Mary, and Minot State. 

THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs are 4-4 after competing in the University of Arkansas-Monticello 8-State Classic. Fort Hays State, who also took part the UAM tournament, sports a 5-1 record. Lincoln was idle last week standing at 2-0. Mary enters 1-4 after partaking in the Desert Stinger Classic two weekends ago. Minot State registered a 2-3 record in the Desert Stinger tournament to open their 2014 season. 

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD stacks up against the rest of the competition in the Minnesota Duluth Invitational in the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association poll:

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE: 

Fort Hays State- The Tigers are tied for 14th in the National Firstpitch Coaches' Association poll and was voted to finish third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic s Association Preseason poll under the tutelage of Erin Kinberger. FHSU has yet to surrender the lead after leading by four innings. A trio of Tigers, Rilee Krier, Kylie Strand and Bianca Adame, are hitting over the .450-mark. The club has committed one error is 176 chances (.994 fielding percentage).

Lincoln-  The Blue Tigers were picked 13th in the MIAA poll and is coached by fifth-year bench manager Nicole Stacey. Junior pitcher/second baseman Jessica Cook hurled a complete game win versus Ouachita Baptist. Junior infielder Sam Kircher has produced all the offense for LU. Kircher has drove in all six runs this year by the way of the long ball (three home runs).

Mary- The Marauders were selected to finish ninth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason poll under first-year head coach KJ Kelley. Senior Allison Brown leads the team with a .412 average and .500 on-base percentage. Brown also has a club-high five runs batted in.

FOLLOW THE ACTION: There are no video or audio available but the games can be monitored via live stats on umdbulldogs.com. Both fields will have live stats and can be viewed at:

sidearmstats.com/umd/softball/MDI1/xlive.htm

-or-

sidearmstats.com/umd/softball/MDI2/xlive.htm

In addition, results and recaps will be accessible through the tournament web page: umdbulldogs.com/sports/2014/2/16/2014_Minnesota_Duluth_Invitational.aspx

THE MANAGER: The passion for softball Jen Banford displayed as an all-conference collegiate player certainly has carried over into her role as a head coach. Since her arrival on the UMD campus in the summer of 2005, Banford's hard work, commitment and dedication has helped keep the tradition-rich Bulldog program firmly on the NCAA Division II radar.

During her eight years at the Bulldog helm, Banford, the reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Coach of the Year, has guided UMD to a 247-153 career record (for a .618 winning percentage), four NCAA II Central Regional berths (2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012), and one NSIC regular season championship. That NSIC title conquest, the school's first since 2003, occurred last spring when the Bulldogs rolled up their second most victories ever (they were 41-13 overall) and shattered some 23 team and individual single-season records, including most conference wins (19).  In addition, between Feb. 19 and March 19, the Bulldogs reeled off 14 straight wins -- their second longest victory streak ever (bettered only by the team's 19-game run in 1988). 

In 2012, UMD went 38-22 and also churned out the school's fourth All-American in second baseman Tyra Kerr (National Fastpitch Coaches Association second team), a three-time All-NSIC first team honoree who closed out her rewarding career in 2012 owning team career marks for hits (267), starts (209) and games played (210). She was bestowed with UMD's Outstanding Female Senior Athlete Award for 2012-13. Two years earlier, Banford's first recruit at UMD, pitcher/designated hitter Kristin Danielson, joined the All-American club (NFCA Division II third team). A four-time member of the All-NSIC/North Central Conference team, Danielson is UMD's all-time leader for pitching wins (58), strikeouts (547), appearances (113), starts (93), innings (624.2) and complete games (72) . She is one of three NFCA All-Central Region selections who has played for Banford (Kerr in both 2012 and 2011 and outfielder Myriam Trepanier in 2009 and 2007 were the others) and is among 16 Bulldogs who have secured All-NSIC/NCC first or second team acclaim.  

Seven years ago, Banford's Bulldogs finished with a 31-23 mark, earned a trip to the NCAA II regionals and placed second in the NCC Tournament after going 25-20 the previous spring in her UMD debut despite possessing a roster which was void of any seniors and sported a mere three juniors. 

Off the field, her Bulldogs have enjoyed similar successes: 21 NSIC/NCC All-Academic Team honorees and five NCC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll qualifiers. On top of this, a couple of Banford's pupils -- outfielder Myriam Trepanier and catcher/infielder Sarah Kabes -- were both recipients of UMD's Rasmussen Award (top senior Scholar-Athlete) in 2009-10 and members of the CoSIDA Academic All-District V team. Trepanier also received a post graduate scholarship from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association while Kabes and Coley Gale were bestowed with a 2011 NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete Award.

Banford, who, at age 33 (she was born on 11/29/80), is the youngest member of the UMD head coaching staff, joined the Bulldogs in the summer of 2005 following a one-season stint as the interim head coach at Mayville State University. Banford piloted the Comets to a 26-16 mark in all games -- for their best winning percentage (.619) ever -- and a 11-9 mark in the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC-10). In addition, Mayville State, an NAIA institution located in Mayville, N.D., also set team marks for batting average and home runs and one of Banford's players (Chantal Erickson) became the school's first softball All-American honoree. Besides serving as a head coach, Banford was also a lecturer in Mayville State's Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Banford spent the 2003-04 season at Northern State University, where she was graduate assistant coach with the softball Wolves. She entered the coaching arena fresh off a four-year career as a standout catcher at Valley City State (N.D.). During her Viking playing days she attained All-DAC 10 softball honors in 2000, 2001, and, one year later, was named to the DAC-10 All-Tournament Team as a senior team captain. 

Banford, who was a multi-sport athlete (softball, hockey, basketball, and volleyball) at Seaway District High School in Iroquois, Ontario, graduated from Valley City State in 2003 with a B.S. degree, double majoring in Health and Physical Education and completed her Master of Science degree in Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science at North Dakota State University in 2005.

LAST APPEARANCE: UMD opened the 2014 campaign in the UAM 8-State Classic departing Bentonville, Ark. with a 4-4 record concluding the tournament with four straight splits.

DOME SWEET DOME: A season ago, UMD called the West St. Paul dome its home away from Duluth after finishing a perfect 15-0 inside the comfort of the Teflon bubble. Overall, the Bulldogs went 26-3, including winning the first 21 straight games when playing inside.

RALLY CAPPERS: The Bulldogs had a pair of late-inning heroics against Henderson State and Nebraska Kearney. Freshman outfielder Heather Woyak propelled UMD past Henderson State with her two-run triple with two outs in the seventh inning and sophomore outfielder Ashley Schilling doubled in a pair of runners including the go-ahead run to spring the Bulldogs over the Lopers.

TURN TWO: UMD has turned four double plays on the year to lead the conference including two against Southern Nazarene in the season opener. Senior infielder Brooke Neuroth has helped complete three of those four.

FOLLOW MY LEAD: Sophomore infielder Sami Schnyder responded to the pressure since being thrown into the leadoff position to start the 2014 season reaching base 7-of-11 (.636) as the leadoff hitter.

2014 PREVIEW: The 2014 Bulldog softball team will certainly have the distinction of youth as the roster is only comprised of three upperclassmen, two seniors and a lone junior.

Ninth-year head coach Jen Banford will attempt to repeat as Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champions and capture the club's fourth NCAA tournament birth in five years and the program's first national championship.

It will be a different challenge as UMD lost the services of five letterwinners, all starters. The squad does retain, however, 10 letterwinners from a season ago. Headlining that group is senior captain Megan Mullen. Alongside her is fellow senior infielder Brooke Neuroth. 

Junior infielder Jordan Rice, who has three career grand slams to rank second among all active Division II players, anchors a talented group of infield sophomores  Dalyce Gustafson, Ashley Lewis (.335), and Sami Schnyder (.299). Schnyder shattered a team record of 119 assist during her rookie campaign playing all 54 games at third base. Sophomores Laura Nadeau, Abbey Nelson and Ashley Schilling have proven to step in for spot starts and added bench depth to round out a solid young core.

On the mound, the Bulldogs will rely heavily on the experienced 1-2 punch of Mullen and sophomore Cayli Sadler.  Mullen owns nine single-season team pitching records and is chasing several career marks as well while Sadler, a Brooklyn Park Minn., native, registered a league-best 0.71 ERA against conference opponents last year. Despite the loss of their ace Julia Nealer, UMD recruited two more live arms, Sam Hartmann (Orono, Minn.) and Mariah Schultz (Lewiston, Minn.) that provide the Bulldogs added depth in the rotation.

In addition to Hartmann and Schultz in the circle, the Bulldogs welcome five other talented first-year players Angel Dahl (Cotton, Minn.), Mel Jarvi (Duluth, Minn.), Hailey Lundquist (Hastings, Minn.), Kylie Pewe (Grantsburg, Wis.), and Heather Woyak (Stevens Point, Wis.).

THE NSIC FORECAST: For the second straight season, UMD was projected with a fourth-place finish in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs received 182 points (one first-place tally) while Minnesota State Mankato (seven) and Winona State (six) shared the top spot with 209 points in the 16-team conference. UMD was sandwiched between Augustana (184 pts.) and Minot State (177 pts.) to round out the top five.

2014 NSIC Preseason Softball Coaches Poll

1     Minnesota State Mankato    209

      Winona State    209

3     Augustana    184

4     UMD    182

5     Minot State     177

6     Concordia-St. Paul    153

7     Wayne State    152

8     St. Cloud State    114

9     U. of Mary     113

10     Upper Iowa    111

11     Northern State    78

12     Southwest Minnesota State    72

13     Sioux Falls    69

14     Minnesota State Moorhead    41

15     Bemidji State    35

16     Minnesota Crookston    21

LEADER OF THE PACK: Senior pitcher/outfielder Megan Mullen, a two-time All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selection, has been chosen as the University of Minnesota Duluth's team captain for the 2014 season.

Mullen made quite a splash in her debut season, landing the NSIC Freshman of the Year Award and all-league second team acclaim to enjoy a rewarding sophomore year in which she set nine single-season team pitching records. Last spring, the Hermantown, Minn., product showed her versatility by spending most of her time in the outfield and wound up batting a career-high .327 in 52 games. For her efforts, she landed a spot on the All-NSIC second team last spring.

THE 1 FOUR MANDY: In memory of the late Mandy Matula, the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, in partnership with the Matula family, has established the UMD Softball 1 Four Mandy Matula Fund. The fund will provide financial support for the Bulldog softball program.

Matula, who died this past spring at the age of 24, was a starting pitcher and utility player with the Bulldogs from 2007-08 to 2010-11.  She wrapped up her UMD playing days with a .304 lifetime batting average and posted an 11-9 record in 31 career pitching appearances. Matula, who missed her entire junior season while recovering from knee surgery, was a member of UMD's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an active volunteer in the Duluth community during her time with the Bulldogs.

Her No. 14 jersey will be officially retired this spring, making Matula the first UMD Division II athlete to be so honored. In addition, No. 14 decals and patches will adorn UMD's softball uniforms and batting helmets during the 2014 season.

ON DECK: The Bulldogs will head back to the West St. Paul dome after an eight-day break for a non-conference double header assignment against NSIC foe Concordia-St. Paul on March 4.