THE OPENING PITCH: The University of Minnesota Duluth opens the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference slate at home with a double header against Winona State University on Friday. The Bulldogs (20-8) and Warriors (19-6) will square off at James S. Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minn., starting at 12:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE: The Warriors are 19-6 this season after finishing up non-conference play at THE Spring Games. They dropped four of their last six before snapping their two-game losing streak with a 7-1 win over Northwood University. Winona State was 33-20 last year and lost to UMD in the NSIC Tournament to end its season. Greg Jones is in his 25th season with the Warriors and has a 981-342-4 record.
As a team, Winona State is batting .329, averaging 5.96 runs per contest. Six players are batting above .300 on the year with Sam Keller leading the team with a .442 batting average. Braelee Jodarski is the main power bat in the lineup hitting .360 with a team-high eight home runs and a team-leading 27 RBI. In the circle, the Warriors have a 2.09 ERA and allow 2.24 runs a game. Izzy Howe is the top arm in the rotation with a 10-2 record in 13 games. She has a 1.33 ERA, a .98 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) with five shutouts, 92 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched. 

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Winona State stack up with its respective records this season, it's records compared to last season, and how each team has done in its last 10 contests.
 

NO HARD FEELINGS: The latest matchup between the Bulldogs and Warriors happened in the NSIC Postseason Tournament last season. UMD came away with a 4-3 victory on May 2, ending Winona State's season. Junior outfielder Morgan McMillan went 3-for-3 and was a home run shy of the cycle as she scored a game-high two runs. Julia Gronholz gathered three RBI plus a two-run home run in the first inning.

The Bulldogs have won five of the seven games between the two squads. UMD has also won the last three home games against the Warriors. The last meeting in Duluth, Minn. was back on April 14, 2023 when UMD swept the double header 10-0 and 6-5 in 10.

LAST PLATE APPEARANCE: UMD went 5-3 at THE Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. The Bulldogs had their longest winning streak of the season -- six games -- snapped midweek but finished strong with back-to-wins to close out competition in The Sunshine State. The Bulldogs capped off the opening day with a 13-4 win over Edinboro (Pa.) and their third shutout of the year in a 1-0 victory over Queens. Findlay (L, 5-4) and Hillsdale (L, 6-4) gave UMD its first back-to-back setbacks on the season including a nine-inning loss to Findlay the following day. The Bulldogs responded with a split on day three taking out Bentley 11-1 and losing 4-0 to Northwood. The final day in the sun featured UMD laying the smackdown on Saint Martin's (5-2) and Purdue Northwest (6-2).

BULLYING NON-CONFERENCE COMPETITION: UMD finished the non-NSIC portion of the schedule 20-8. The 20 wins in the most wins in non-conference play since the 2018 season, when the Bulldogs advanced to their first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance. UMD finished with a winning record in the first-half of the season for the fifth consecutive year

WELCOME TO THE NORTHERN SUN: The Bulldogs finished third in the NSIC last season with a 20-8 record. UMD is scheduled to play 28 games this season with 14 at home with a season long six-game home stand from April 5-9 with double headers against Concordia-St. Paul, Southwest Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

PILE UP THE WEEKLY ACCOLADES: Senior infielder Nicole Schmitt and junior outfielder Morgan McMillan have each been bestowed as NSIC Player of the Week award winners this season, both for the first times in their careers. Schmitt was named the player of the week twice (Feb. 4 and Feb. 10) and McMillan nabbed the honor back on March 10. UMD had three of the first six NSIC Player of the Week recipients this spring – the first team to accomplish the feat since St. Cloud State had three separate winners in the first five weeks of the 2019 season.

In addition, the duo were the first Bulldogs to win a league award since Lauren Dixon claimed Pitcher of the Week honors back on Apr. 22, 2024 for the second time last season. In addition, Schmitt was the first Bulldog since Sidney Zavoral to earn the Player of the Week accolade, earning that distinction back on Feb. 14, 2023. 

A PROGRAM FIRST?: The latest individual award stands out as a major accomplishment as it is (a believed) first time in program history -- going back at least 20 years -- the Bulldogs have received back-to-back NSIC Player of the Week recognition. Lauren Dixon did grab NSIC Pitcher of the Week accolades in three consecutive weeks during the 2023 season (4/4, 4/11, and 4/18).

SCHMITT ON TOP OF THE CHARTS: In a speculator first half of the season, senior infielder Nicole Schmitt is near the top of the charts in many offensive categories in the Division II landscape. She ranks, nationally, second in RBIs with 45, fifth with 79 total bases, 14th with a .878 slugging percentage, 10th with nine home runs, 49th in batting average at .467 and 36th in on-base percentage at .551 and 28th with 31 runs.

GOING STREAKING: Junior outfielder Morgan McMillan is currently riding a nine game hitting streak, a team high. McMillan has recorded at least one hit in 14 of the last 15 games. McMillan is hitting .444 (20-for-45) during that 15-game span. 

GOOD EYE: Free passes have been a steady diet in 2025. UMD has 126 walks, which is the third most in all of Division II. Nova Southeastern has four more than the Bulldogs with four more games played. The Bulldogs have walked at least six times in 11 outings including a season-high 11 base on balls against Concordia University, St. Paul. The 11 walks is the most in a single UMD game dating back to Feb. 11, 2023 against the University of Mary. Seven Bulldogs -- Taryn Christopher, Kendal Jenkins, Khendal Johnson, Morgan McMillan, Nicole Schmitt, Sierra Thomas and Serena Timmer -- already have double digit walks with Jenkins and Schmitt pace the club with 17 each.

STRIKE THREE: Senior Allison Luoma and junior Allyssa Williams have each set new single-season and single-game strikeout marks this season. Luoma has fanned 50 batters this season and achieved her single-game high against Newman back on Feb. 28 when she tossed aside seven Jets in five innings of work. Williams has struck out a team-high 62 batters this year and recorded the lone double-digit strikeout game with 11 against Hillsdale back on Feb. 21.

CLOSING TIME: Junior pitcher Allyssa Williams has six career saves. Her six saves is tied for 19th most among her Division II peers. She is tied for fourth most among her class of junior hurlers. Williams notched four saves as a freshman, one as a sophomore and one as a junior.

KEEP THE BALL IN THE PARK: UMD has allowed just three home runs this season in 28 games. It is one of three NSIC clubs to have given up three home runs or less this season and UMD is 19-6 when not allowing one. 

SWEET SIXTEEN: The Bulldogs put up 16 runs against Wayne State University (Mich.), a season high. The 16-run performance was the most runs scored by UMD since a 16-0 shutout of Bemidji State University back on Feb. 11, 2023. The Bulldogs compiled 11 runs in the seventh-and-final inning on seven hits including six runs before an out was even recorded in the final inning. The 11 runs was also the most in a single inning by a Bulldog club since they tabbed an 11-run first inning on the University of Mary -- also (oddly enough) back on Feb. 11, 2023.

RUNS ON RUNS: The Bulldogs have scored double-digit runs on eight different occasions, the most since 2023 when it posted double-digit runs in 11 games. They are averaging 6.29 runs a game, which is 33rd in the nation. UMD posted back-to-back 10-run games for the first time since that 2023 season, when the Bulldogs pulled off the feat in four straight contests. 

HIGH FIVE: The Bulldogs are 15-0 this season when they score at least five runs. UMD has scored at least five runs in four of the last five outings.

SITUATIONAL HITTING: UMD is hitting .389 in the leadoff position, .325 with runners in scoring position, .248 with two outs, and .237 with the bases loaded.

IN A PINCH: Freshman Taylor Dawyduk has two of the four hits as a pinch hitter. Dawyduk went deep for her first collegiate home run, hitting a three-run walk-off bomb versus Bentley University. This season, UMD is 4-for-21 (.190) in pinch-hitting situations. 

DOUBLES MACHINE: UMD ranks 16th in the nation in doubles and 21st in the nation in doubles per game. The Bulldogs have amassed 53 doubles including six doubles against Southwest Minnesota State University, the most doubles by UMD in a game since they blasted seven against the University of Mary back on 4/11/2021.

SPEED KILLS: Trailing only Minnesota State Moorhead by one stolen base, UMD has 60 stolen bases this season. That mark is 27th best in Division II. The Bulldogs are 60-73 in opportunities. Junior outfielder Morgan McMillan leads the team with 14 .

LASER BEAM: The outfield has contributed nine assists including outs at home plate saving three runs this season. Junior Morgan McMillan has six assists from center field, a team high, including all three outfield assists at home. Sophomore Noelle Krumrie has the other three assists from right field.

SURVEY SAYS: The NSIC coaches placed UMD fourth in the coaches' preseason poll for the second time in a row. The poll was released on Jan. 23 and the league selected Augustana to finish first in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll. This marks the sixth consecutive season that the Vikings have been selected to win the NSIC. The four-time defending regular season champions amassed 196 points and 14 first place votes. Concordia-St. Paul was second with 174 points and Minnesota State came in third with 163 points and the other first place vote. The Bulldogs, who are looking to secure their first regular season title since 2013, claimed 157 points.

Augustana senior pitcher Grace Glanzer -- the 2024 NSIC Pitcher of the Year -- was named the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while Concordia-St. Paul sophomore infielder Alexis Monty -- the 2024 NSIC Freshman of the Year -- was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.
 

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THE FIRST OF MANY TO COME: Head Coach Nat Wagner grabbed his first win -- in his first game -- as the head coach of the UMD softball team against Southwest Minnesota State University. The Bulldogs defeated the Mustangs in convincing fashion, blanking the Mustangs 7-0 in the season opener on Feb. 1.

CLOSING IN A MILESTONE: Additionally, head Coach Nat Wagner needs 20 more wins to hit his 100th career coaching victory as a head coach.

THE WAGNER FILES: A new era of Bulldog softball commences this season with the addition of head coach Nat Wagner. The newest manager of the maroon and gold becomes just the fifth head coach in the program's 44-year history after serving as an assistant coach for the University of Saint Thomas the past two seasons. Prior, Wagner was at the helm of the Minot State University program for three years, leading the Beavers to a 60-48 record and one NSIC Postseason appearance.

ON DECK: The Bulldogs continue the NSIC home stand as they play Bemidji State University Wednesday, March 26. Opening pitch of the doubleheader will begin at 2:00 p.m.