THE FIRST PITCH

It'll be a busy stretch for the University of Minnesota Duluth softball team (8-0) as it bounces around Topeka, Kan. to take part in the Emporia State Classic. The Bulldogs will spend Saturday, Feb. 18 at Shawnee Lake field to take on Oklahoma Baptist (10:00 a.m.) and Newman (2:30 p.m.) UMD will start Sunday, Feb. 19 with a stop at Washburn University's Gahnstrom Field to play Missouri St. Louis at 10:00 a.m. before heading back to Shawnee Lake Field to take on Quincy at 2:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will finish the festivities back at Gahnstrom Field to face Northwest Missouri State on Monday, Feb. 20 at 10:00 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT

If you're a fan of offense… boy, did the Bulldogs have a weekend for you.

UMD's slate of the Kelly Laas Invitational started with a matchup against UMary on Saturday, Feb. 11. Fitting date, as the Bulldogs would go on to score 11 runs in this one- in just the first inning. This was en route to an eventual 13-2 mercy rule victory. Kiana Bender scored three times, Ava Johnson brought in three RBIs and Julia Gronholz brought in two runs on two hits. Lauren Dixon picked up the win, allowing just two hits and two runs across five innings pitched.

Next came Bemidji State later that same day. As if 13 runs weren't enough… try 16, built largely on a nine-run 2nd inning. And why not shut out your opponent in the process? This was UMD's formula for success in this one. Along the way, Sidney Zavoral had a massive game, recording three hits, three RBIs and three runs. Elle Potts wasn't far behind with three hits, three RBIs and two runs. Mady Stariha snagged the W with only two hits and no runs allowed across three innings. 

New day, more of the same. UMD started Sunday, Feb. 12 with a rematch against the Beavers, one that went about as well for the Bulldogs as the initial encounter had gone. UMD scored five runs in the second and six total runs in the fourth en route to a 13-2 victory. A massive Gronholz triple in the fourth scored three and helped to seal the deal. Allyssa Williams was the winning pitcher in that one.

Last but not least was a Sunday showcase against tournament-host St. Cloud State. UMD's offensive work was evenly dispersed in this one, but it was as sure as ever. Four runs in the first, four in the third and three in the fourth. There's an explanation for this- let's break things up by home runs instead. A three-run shot by Zavoral in the first. Another three-run homer, this one courtesy of Potts. And yet another moonshot to score three, this one by Potts once again. All of this spelled an 11-1 victory for the Bulldogs, one Stariha picked up. Potts closed the game a perfect 2-2 from the plate with six total RBIs. 

NFCA POW FOR POTTS

Yeah… there's a good chance you saw this coming.

For her work in that contest against the Huskies and beyond, Potts was named the Division II Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week. The junior infielder was the first UMD player to earn the accolade since Jordyn Thomas in March of 2021 and just the third Bulldog to ever score the honor. Given Potts' overall statline… it was certainly well warranted. The St. Michael, Minn. native worked on a .818 batting average on the weekend to go along with a 1.545 slugging percentage and a .846 on base percentage. These numbers helped to generate nine hits overall, including two home runs and two doubles. Tack on 12 RBIs and seven runs, for good measure.

ZAVORAL SNAGS NSIC POW

But recognition for the Bulldogs' big weekend didn't stop with Potts. Zavoral brought home NSIC Player of the Week honors for her own efforts in the four-game sweep. With UMD's Williams earning the conference's Pitcher of the Week moniker last week, the Bulldogs are 2/2 on having a player earn NSIC notoriety so far this season. 

Across the Kelly Laas Invitational, Zavoral generated a triple-sevens statline of seven hits, seven runs and seven RBIs. She did this on a slash line of .778/.800/2.111. The senior also generated nine putouts and an assist from her work as a catcher.  

NATIONALLY PROLIFIC OFFENSE

This Bulldog offense is no joke- and this proves true on a national scale. 

UMD currently holds the sixth-best average scoring offense in the country, generating an average of 9.62 runs a game. The Bulldogs have scored the seventh-most runs overall with 77 so far on the year. A lot of this work is getting done through big plays- and it shows. UMD's third in the entire nation in triples with seven and eighth nationally in doubles with 20. The Bulldogs lead the NSIC in all four of the aforementioned stats.

SCOUTING REPORT ON OKLAHOMA BAPTIST (8-1)

The Bison are off to quite a start so far this year. The 8-1 record is already impressive, but it looks even better when you learn that four of those eight wins came in shutout fashion. OBU enters its contest against UMD on the back of a three-game winning streak. 

If you're looking for a name to help you start to contextualize the success of this club so far this year, try Kayleigh Jones. The senior pitcher has been on nothing short of a tear to start the year. Look at these numbers: just a 0.19 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and a .118 batting average across 37.1 innings pitched and six wins. Just two total runs allowed in that time span. It makes sense that while Potts was crowned the Player of the Week by the NFCA, Jones took home the Pitcher of the Week title.

Work at the plate for the Bison has been highlighted by players like Emily Adler, who leads the team in hits with 15 and RBIs with 13. Alder's 1.128 OPS and .576 on-base percentage are the highest among players with at least 20 at bats. Adi Reese leads the team in slugging with a .600 mark. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON NEWMAN (3-3)

Even record aside, Newman enters this weekend with a two-game winning streak in-tow, those wins coming courtesy of a double-header against Northwest Oklahoma State back on Feb. 7.

Notable Jets come in pairs of two. Offensively, it starts with Laurie Cooke, who leads the team with 10 hits and a .542 on-base percentage while working at a .476 batting average. Then there's Gianna De Luca-Paape, who leads the Jets with a 1.222 OPS and .833 slugging percentage as well as two home runs.

Two Jets have pitched 16 innings so far this season. Madison Dewitt leads the way with a 3.06 ERA and a .190 batting average to go along with a 1.06 WHIP. Jackie Gold is next with a 4.81 ERA and .324 opposing batting average to couple with a 1.63 WHIP.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MISSOURI ST. LOUIS

The Emporia State Classic will mark the beginning of the season for Missouri St. Louis. The Tritons finished last season with a record of 28-22, ultimately losing in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament. 

UMSL will be without Megan Brown this season, who led the squad last year with 39 RBIs and also tallied seven home runs. The Tritons do retain the services of McKenzie Lamos, who recorded team-highs in hits (51), homers (nine), runs (37) and slugging percentage (.571). 

UMSL's biggest pitching workhorse in Annie Scaramuzzi also returns to the fold. As a junior, Scaramuzzi pitched 118.2 innings en route to a 1.83 ERA and an opposing batting average of .220. She ended the season with an impressive 12-6 record.  

SCOUTING REPORT ON QUINCY

Quincy will also use this tournament as a chance to start its season off right. Last year, the Hawks finished with a 18-27 record.

Some good news for Quincy is that they will get to see another season of the Allyson Maynard experience. As just a freshman last year, Maynard led the club with 33 RBIs and eight home runs, those figures paired with a .561 slugging percentage and a .949 OPS. 

The Hawks will also see the return of a major pitching piece in Jayle Jennings.  As a junior, Jennings posted a 2.26 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP to go with a .284 opposing batting average across 91.2 innings pitched. These numbers helped Jennings lead the squad in wins with seven.

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE (1-3)

Perhaps this name looks familiar to you- that's because UMD's already met this squad once before earlier in the year. That Feb. 3 matchup ended up going pretty well for the Bulldogs, as they took the win by a score of 9-2. The Bearcats have gone an even 1-1 since that outing. 

A name to look out for on the offensive end for NWMSU is Aubrey Griffith. The senior infielder boasts a 1.00 OPS and a .500 on-base percentage (five hits on 10 at-bats) to go with three RBIs. In terms of pitching, that's very much been by-committee for the Bearcats so far, but a name to know is Raven Defrain. The junior holds NWMSU's lone win so far, working at a 4.67 ERA and 1.67 WHIP to go with a .292 opposing batting average. 

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will be back in a dome next week as they participate in the Lewis Dome Invitational. UMD's slate starts with Thursday, Feb. 23 bouts against Ferris State (6:00 p.m.) and Wayne State University (8:00 p.m.) Friday, Feb. 24 sees the Bulldogs take on Parkside (11:00 a.m.) and Grand Valley State (1:30 p.m.) The week ends with Saturday, Feb. 25 meetings with tournament-host Lewis (1:30 p.m.) and Saginaw Valley State (3:30 p.m.)