After coming off of one of the most successful seasons in University of Minnesota Duluth softball history, the Bulldogs are ready to make their presence felt again when they throw out the first pitch this weekend at the Mankato Dome Invite on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato Friday and Saturday. UMD is slated to face Emporia State University Friday at 3:15 p.m., followed by a 7:45 p.m. against Upper Iowa University. The Bulldogs will wrap up their weekend with a game against Lewis University Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH EMPORIA STATE: Emporia State, which will travel north from Emporia, Kansas this weekend, has an interesting history with the Bulldogs, that includes an NCAA postseason run-in. UMD holds the upper hand of the all-time record at 5-3, and while the Hornets used extra innings to get past the Bulldogs in their last meeting in 2020, it's the 2018 NCAA Regional showdown that is most notable among the two sides in fairly recent history.

The Bulldogs defeated the Hornets twice in a row back on May 12 and 13, 2018 to advance to the program's first-ever NCAA Super Regionals. After knocking Emporia State 4-3 the day before to force the winner–takes-all game, the Bulldogs mauled the Hornets 9-1 in six innings behind five RBIs from then freshman Jordyn Thomas who blasted two home runs.

Emporia State was picked to finish ninth in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, and returns six position players with 30 or more hits and more than 110 at-bats last season and three pitchers that started at least eight games. The Hornets finished 33-23 overall in 2023 and are coached by April Rosales, who is in her ninth season at the helm with an overall record of 208-202.

HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH UPPER IOWA: Upper Iowa out of Fayette, Iowa -  which played in the NSIC up until last season - was swept by the Bulldogs last season by scores of 9-0 and 10-4 in Duluth back on April 15, 2023. All-time, UMD is 14-7 against the Peacocks and the Bulldogs have won eight out of their last 10 games against UIU. The Peacocks, who have a new coach in Aubrey Honecutt, went 17-26 last season and 9-16 in the NSIC. UIU will compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference this season and was picked to finish 12th out of 14 teams in their first GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll.

HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH LEWIS UNIVERSITY: Lewis University, which resides in Romeoville, Ill., has played just three times against the Bulldogs, and all three games have happened in the past two seasons. In those three meetings, UMD is a perfect 3-0 against the Flyers, including 2-0 last season with wins by scores of 4-0 on Feb. 25 in Romeoville and 5-4 in the Makato Dome Invite on Feb. 4. Lewis is coming off a 38-20 season overall and NCAA Midwest Regionals berth, and was picked to finish second overall in the GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll after earning the GLVC Tournament Crown in 2023. Becky Pearl enters her 10th season as the head coach of the Flyers, and is 469-447 over that span.

ALL IN ON ANDERSON: Lynn Anderson begins her third season with Bulldogs after leading UMD to more wins (79) in her first two seasons in the dugout than any other head coach in program history. Overall, Anderson is 79-29, and led UMD to just its fourth-ever 40-plus win season in 2023, as well as a berth in the NCAA Regional Tournament.

DOMINANT DIXON: Lauren Dixon, senior out of Sobieski, Wis. and reigning NSIC Pitcher of the Year, is back. Allso named the 2023 NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Dixon was a 2023 NFCA and D2CCA All-Central Region First Team selection, as well as the 2023 NSIC Pitcher of the Year – UMD's first since the 2003 season. Named to the 2023 All-NSIC First Team, Dixon set the UMD program record for career strikeouts (585) last spring and owned a 1.50 ERA over 172.2 innings pitched, allowing just 37 runs with a whopping 228 strikeouts. Dixon finished her junior campaign with a 21-5 record, which included 11 shutouts.
 

With the career strikeout record already all her own (585), look to Dixon to put it out of reach for mere mortals in 2024.

UMD PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN THE NSIC: The defending NSIC Tournament champions were picked to finish second in the NSIC 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll, mimicking UMD's regular season final resting place from 2023. UMD went 22-6 in the NSIC last year, and only Augustana University was chosen to finish higher. The Bulldogs earned 168 points – just seven behind the Vikings who were picked to finish first with 193 points. 

SEASON PREVIEW: The  Bulldogs aren't even close to satisfied.

Despite going 40-13 in 2023, just the fourth-ever Bulldog squad to reach the 40-win plateau and first since the 2018 season, UMD wants more. The defending NSIC Tournament champions were picked to finish second in the NSIC 2024 Preseason Poll, mimicking UMD's regular season final resting place from 2023. UMD went 22-6 in the NSIC last year, and only Augustana University was chosen to finish higher. The Bulldogs earned 168 points – just seven behind the Vikings who were picked to finish first with 193 points.

"We're prepared our team last year for the mental game and now we are continuing it this year because we feel like that's going to benefit all of our players and our whole entire team when we focus on not just the physical skills but how can we control the mental aspect so that we can have continued success," said Bulldog head coach Lynn Anderson, who is in her third season in the UMD dugout with an overall record of 79-29. "We don't want to make last year like a lucky year. We want to continue to build this program and continue to put it on the national stage as often as we can," said Anderson.

Anderson's current UMD squad lost one big piece of their 2023 NCAA Tournament puzzle in catcher and NSIC First Team selection Sidney Zavoral, who recorded a batting average of .363 and a slugging percentage of .596 – both the third best on the team last season. One of the best UMD hitters a year ago, Zavoral also had seven home runs. But as UMD's starting catcher in 49 games last season – Zavoral was an integral piece of the Bulldogs dominant deliverance from the mound.

While the Bulldogs will certainly miss Zavoral, it appears as though UMD has returned everything else it needs to make a run at – and in – the NCAA postseason, starting with reigning NSIC Pitcher of the Year, Lauren Dixon. Dixon was a 2023 NFCA and D2CCA All-Central Region First Team selection, as well as the 2023 NSIC Pitcher of the Year – UMD's first since the 2003 season. Named to the 2023 All-NSIC First Team, Dixon set the UMD program record for career strikeouts (585) last spring and owned a 1.50 ERA over 172.2 innings pitched, allowing just 37 runs with a whopping 228 strikeouts. Dixon finished her junior campaign with a 21-5 record, which included 11 shutouts.

Dixon's not the only pitcher that UMD returns, however, and graduate Mady Stariha, junior Allison Luoma and sophomore Alyssa Williams will hope to solidify the Bulldog pitching core once again. Stariha went 9-3 in 2023 with the second most innings pitched behind Dixon with 85.1. Over that span, Stariha had 41 strikeouts and a 2.05 ERA. Luoma had a record of 3-1, which included 15 strikeouts, while Williams made 21 appearances last season and had a record of 8-3 with 47 strikeouts. 


UMD's infield is chalk full of returning upperclassmen, including senior shortstop Kiana Bender, was also named a NSIC Player to Watch after her All-NSIC Second Team performance a season ago. The native of Cloquet, Minn. posted career bests in 2023 with a .369 batting average, 16 doubles and a slugging percentage of .694 that led the team. Bender also upped her defensive game with a collegiate-best 77 putouts. Bender is joined by fellow seniors Julia Gronholz at second base and Elle Potts at third base. Potts had 29 RBIs last season with 24 putouts and the third-most assists at 60, while Gronholz recorded a .444 slugging percentage in 2023 and the second most doubles on the team with 13. Gronholz also had the second most putouts on the team with 88. First baseman and 2023 NSIC First Team selection Nicole Schmitt led UMD with a fielding percentage of .989 and 359 catches, while her bat led the way with a .370 batting average and 50 hits, including 12 doubles.

The Bulldog outfield boasts a pair of seniors in Corrie Weise in left field, while Kat Burkhardt returns to the centerfield position. Weise, who started in 51 of UMD's 53 games a season ago, had 41 hits, 10 doubles and nine home runs – the second most on the team, while Burkardt, a 2023 NSIC All-Second Team member, led the team with 10 homers and the second most hits at 56.

 

All-in-all, with 19 players returning off the Bulldogs 2023 NSIC Tournament champion roster, look for UMD to make a push for the NCAA postseason again in 2024.