OPENING PITCH: The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team takes the field in its third non-conference invitational of 2026. The Lewis Dome Invitational will feature the Bulldogs facing the host Lewis University first on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., with Roosevelt University (9 a.m.) and Ferris State University (11 a.m.) to follow on Thursday, Truman State University (6 p.m.) and Wayne State University (8 p.m.) on Friday, and finally Hillsdale College on Saturday (6 p.m.).
 
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD stacks up with the invitational field, with last season's records and this season.
 

TEAM	2025 RECORD (CONF.)	2026 RECORD	POLL
UMD	39-17 (18-8)	4-3	4th (NSIC)
LU	37-20 (22-6)	1-3	4th (GLVC)
RU	17-31 (11-17)	1-1	T6th (GLIAC)
FSU	28-21 (16-12)	3-5	3rd (GLIAC)
TSU	26-25 (14-14)	3-7	8th (GLVC)
WSU	24-32 (12-16)	2-0	5th (GLIAC)
HC	39-18 (19-5)	2-3	3rd (G-MAC)

 
SCOUTING LEWIS: Lewis last competed on February 1st against UT Dallas where they fell 10-7 on the road. One of their top threats is Anna Frafjord; in 15 at-bats, she has 9 RBIs with a .457 batting average and a .733 slugging percentage. On the mound, Jolee Strohmeyer has a 1-1 record in 13 innings pitched with a 3.59 ERA.
 
SCOUTING ROOSEVELT: The Lakers have only faced one doubleheader this season, earning a split with the University of Illinois Springfield. Their top batter in seven plate appearances is Rebecca Urbaniak with a .429 batting average and .429 slugging percentage with three hits. On the mound, Riley Czarnecki has a 1-1 record in 5.2 innings pitched with a 1.24 ERA.
 
SCOUTING FERRIS: The Bulldogs are out to a 3-5 start, enjoying a 9-1 win over Tusculum on Saturday.  Freshman infielder Emma Herremans is one of their top threats at the plate with nine hits and a .429 batting average.
 
SCOUTING TRUMAN: The Bulldogs lost the last double header they faced last week in losses to Winona State (2-3) and Arkansas Tech (0-4). Leading the batting effort is Cassie Smith with a .469 batting average with five RBIs, 15 hits, and six runs. On the mound, Jayda Long has a 3-1 record in 27 innings pitched with a 1.04 ERA.
 
SCOUTING WAYNE: The Warriors opened 2-0 in their first games of the season last Saturday, enjoying a 7-0 win over Lincoln Memorial and a 10-6 win over Bluefield State. Hunter Near leads the batting effort with a .625 batting average with five runs, three RBIs, and five hits. On the mound, Sydney Long leads the team with a three-hit shutout in their win over Lincoln Memorial.
 
SCOUTING HILLSDALE: The Chargers split their last doubleheader Sunday, losing to Northeastern State 9-7 and winning against New Mexico Highlands in extra innings 5-3. Leading the batting effort is Taylor Lewis with a .467 batting average with four runs, seven hits, and three RBIs. On the mound, Grace Harris has a 2-0 record in 14.1 innings pitched with a 4.88 ERA.
 
OPENING SERIES DOMINANCE: The Bulldogs took an impressive 4-1 record home from their trip to the Lone Star D2 College Classic down in Mansfield, Texas, last week. In all, UMD combined for a total of 31 runs.
 
EVANS EARNS FIRST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Daphne Evans of the UMD softball team has claimed the first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player of the Week selection of the 2026 season in her first season as a Bulldog.
 
The freshman outfielder from Chanhassen, Minn., claims the honor after helping the team to a 4-1 start in their first week of competition and leads the NSIC as the top batter. In that span, she hit .556 (10 for 18), owned a .600 on-base percentage, and a 1.000 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.600.
 
Throughout the week, she tallied a hit in all five outings, with three hits in the season opener against Eastern New Mexico University and three against Rockhurst University. At the plate, she drove in six RBIs with two doubles and two home runs. Out in the field, she tallied her first career putouts with eight total, keeping a clean 1.000 fielding percentage.
 
SURVEY SAYS: The UMD softball team has been picked to finish fourth in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) competition by the annual preseason coaches' poll. This comes after completing the 2025 season with an overall record of 39-17 and an 18-8 record in NSIC action.
 
 

2026 NSIC Softball Preseason Poll	Points
1. Augustana (12)	221
2. Winona State (4)	202
3. Minnesota State	197
4. Minnesota Duluth	183
5. St. Cloud State	175
6. Concordia-St. Paul	148
7. Wayne State	138
8. Minot State	133
9. Southwest Minnesota State	111
10. Sioux Falls	96
11. MSU Moorhead	80
12. Bemidji State	68
13. Northern State	56
14. Minnesota Crookston	43
15. Jamestown	42
16. University of Mary	27

    first place votes in ( )
 
ALL EYES ON ME: Senior Kendal Jenkins was named as UMD's NSIC Player to Watch, along with senior pitcher Allyssa Williams being named as the UMD NSIC Pitcher to Watch.
 
A native of Hastings, Minn., Jenkins posted a .335 batting average and .561 slugging percentage last season. By the end of the season, she earned a NSIC First Team All-Conference selection after tallying 58 hits, 19 doubles, a triple, and six home runs.
 
Williams, a product of Yuba City, Calif., went 17-8 in 29 appearances, earning a 2.91 ERA in 137 innings. In a career high season who earned a selection to the NSIC All-Defensive Team while tossing 112 strikeouts and earning a .249 bats against average.
 
LAST PLATE APPEARANCE: UMD fell twice to Minnesota State University Mankato in the annual Mankato Dome Invite. Heading into the double-header, the Bulldogs were off to a 4-1 start and now dropped to 4-3 in non-conference competition after a 6-4 and a 4-1 loss to the Mavericks.
 
The first match of the day saw a Bulldog 2-0 lead off an opening home run from Khendal Jenkins that brought home Daphne Evans, who singled to open the game. Sierra Thomas and Serena Timmer reached the base paths on walks before Maddie Oetzmann managed to force three outs. The Mavericks responded with a two-run inning as two hits off Allyssa Williams brought the score even.
 
The second inning saw both lineups go down to remain tied. UMD found more success in the top of the third with Morgan McMillan opening the inning with a walk and a steal to allow Johnson a single to bring her home. That would be the only run of the inning as three Bulldog runners were left stranded. The Mavericks responded by putting up four hits for four runs off a combined inning between Williams and Ashley Mandell to take the lead at 6-3.
 
Noelle Krumrie and McMillan were the only Bulldogs to record a hit as both teams remained scoreless in the fourth. The UMD bats found some success in the fifth inning as Jenkins' double brought Taryn Christopher home to trail the Mavericks 6-4. The Bulldogs did not earn a single hit and left three runners on in the final innings to seal game one for a loss at 6-4.
 
Game two saw both teams struggle to record a hit until the second inning. The Bulldogs and Mavericks recorded a singular hit in the second, with UMD leaving two runners on as Thomas recorded the only hit.
 
The third inning had the Bulldog bats go down in order as the Maverick bats picked up two runs off four hits from Emmie Sylvia-Cochran on the mound. UMD was unable to muster a run until the fifth inning, which only came off a sacrifice fly by Jenkins that brought home Maya Miller.
 
The Mavericks brought home two more runners in the fifth inning off a triple and a fielder's choice to bring the score up to 4-1. This was the last time any hits were recorded as the Bulldogs fell to their second loss of the day.
 
2025 ACCOLADES: Senior infielder Nicole Schmitt and junior catcher Kendal Jenkins earned Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference First Team All-Conference recognition and junior pitcher Allyssa Williams attained NSIC All-Defensive Team honors. 
 
Named to both the NFCA and the D2CCA All-Central Region clubs, Schmitt became the eighth player in program history to earn the title of All-American, the ninth overall, with Patty Becker earning NAIA All-American status in 1990 and 1991, including the other First Team accolade. She is now the program's fifth NFCA All-American and the program's lone NFCA First Team honoree.

GETTING THE CALL UP: The Bulldogs feature six new freshmen on the 2026 roster. That list comprises outfielder Marissa Tomashek (Shawano, Wis.), utility player Maya Miller (Eden Prairie, Minn.), utility player Paige Johnson (Superior, Wis.), outfielder Daphne Evans (Chanhassen, Minn.), catcher Kaylin Yenter (Stevens Point, Wis.), and pitcher Emmie Sylvia-Cochran (Ham Lake, Minn.). 
 
THE WAGNER FILES: A new era of Bulldog softball continues this season under head coach Nat Wagner. Under Wagner's first season of leadership, the Bulldogs posted 39 wins with a sweep of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate regular season competition. In his first year, he coached two NSIC First Team selections and a NSIC All-Defensive Team standout with four single-season records broken. The newest manager of the maroon and gold is the fifth head coach in the program's 44-year history after serving as an assistant coach for the University of Saint Thomas for 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 compete in the Midwest College Classic starting February 27th. Their first opponent is scheduled to be WashburnUniversity at 10 a.m., with Newman University following at 12:15 p.m.