SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Softball Team (23-22, 13-11 NSIC), which will honor its three seniors in a pre-game ceremony, will host Minnesota State (29-17, 14-10 NSIC) in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Senior Day at 2/4 pm, Wednesday, April 24 at Sherman Park.
 
Follow all the action
To follow USF, fans are encouraged to check out the Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and YouTube accounts for all 17 USF Athletics accounts at usfcougars.com/socialmedia. Live stats for all USF Softball home games are available at usfcougars.com/livestats and links to live stats for all NSIC games are on the USF Softball schedule.  Weather permitting, all USF Softball home games will be streamed for free through Stretch Internet at usfcougars.com/watch and links to away games are on the USF Softball schedule.
 
Leaving a legacy
Prior to game time USF will hold an honoring ceremony to recognize USF's three seniors and also recognize two seniors from Minnesota State about 1:45 pm at Sherman Park.  Here is a review of USF's student-athletes -
 
#2 Emily Hove - Hove is first in USF history in career at-bats (634), career games started (207), ranks second in appearances (207), second in total hits (180), second in career total bases (287) third in RBI (105) and sixth in career runs scored (92). Emily Hove has enjoyed a strong senior season by registering a .571 slugging percentage with nine doubles, one triple and team-highs in home runs with nine and RBI with a team-high 36. Hove is posting a .323 batting average with 52 hits in 162 at bats through 45 games, while also sporting a .347 on base percentage and recording 29 runs scored. Following her standout performance during the Florida spring break trip earlier this year, Hove was awarded the NSIC Softball Player of the Week honors on March 18 for the first time in her career.
 
#9 Emily Miller - Miller has appeared in 76 games while starting in 63 throughout her career at USF. She has hit nine career homeruns, including eight in her senior season. Miller has produced a standout performance over her last 12 games, posting a .513 batting average with 20 hits in 39 at bats. She has also produced a 1.154 slugging percentage with seven homeruns and four doubles while also driving in 13 RBI and scoring 11 times. Over the 12-game stretch, Miller has raised her season batting average from .164 to .281. For her standout performance against Concordia-St. Paul, MSU Moorhead and Northern State, Miller was awarded the NSIC Player of the Week honor on April 16 as USF won five of six contests.
 
# 32 Kerrigan Hoshaw - Hoshaw has had a solid season on the mound for the Cougars with a 9-8 record in 22 appearances and 18 starts. Following her second career perfect game on Saturday (March 30), she allowed just one run in a complete game loss to Minnesota Crookston at home on March 31. In a 13-3 win over Wayne State, she allowed just one run on April 2, then pitched a complete game against UIU in earning the victory. She held a prolific Winona State offense to four runs on nine hits in a hard fought loss over on April 6. Over the weekend, Hoshaw pitched a pair of gems including a four innings of scoreless softball against Minot State followed by a complete game against U-Mary where pitched a complete game allowing no runs and only two hits. Hoshaw owns a 3.35 era and has held opponents to a .255 batting average. Hoshaw has pitched 108.2 innings and has recorded nine complete games with two shutouts. Hoshaw has struck out 81 batters while allowing 41 walks on the season. In USF's DII era, Hoshaw ranks first all-time with 11 shutouts and 392 strikeouts. She is second at USF in wins (49), appearances (113), starts (98), innings pitched (550.1) and third in complete games (42). Earlier this season, Hoshaw hit her 26th career home run, which ranks third all-time in USF's DII era.
 
Weekend recap- USF sweeps Minot State before splitting series with U-Mary
USF swept Minot State in a pair of crucial away games on Friday (April 19) on the road. USF took the first game 12-0 in five innings before winning game two, 6-5.  In game one, Hoshaw, a senior pitcher from Apple Valley, Minn., pitched a four-inning gem in game one and moved to 8-8 on the season. Hoshaw threw 68 total pitches in four scoreless innings of work, and allowed only three hits while striking out two. She held MiSU to a .167 team batting average.
 
The USF offense posted 12 hits in 27 at-bats for a team batting average of .444. USF also recorded three home runs in the contest, including a pair from Mossman. A junior shortstop, Mossman went two for three with two HRs, three RBI, three runs scored while drawing one walk. Mickelson also was two for three with a home run, two RBI and scored twice. Miller continued her hot streak with three hits with a double, two RBI and one run scored. SEmily Hove led off for USF and went two of four with a double and a triple while scoring a pair of runs and driving in two more. As a result Hove surpassed 100 RBIs in her career (101).
 
After closing out game one, Van Der Zwaag got the start for USF and tossed a complete game as she allowed four earned runs (five total) on seven hits while striking out seven hitters. The USF offense posted 13 hits in 34 at bats for a team batting average of .382 and scored six runs. USF snapped their consecutive game home run streak at nine games in a row, but still got the win utilizing small ball and key base hits. Mossman continued to swing a hot bat after recording three hits in five plate appearances including two doubles while scoring two runs and driving in one RBI. Hove supplied two hits and two RBI while scoring once. Miller had two hits and an RBI. Sydney Nieveen and Swift each provided two hits and a run scored while Swift had an RBI. 
 
With strong starting pitching from Hoshaw and Nieveen, USF split a NSIC doubleheader with the University of Mary on April 20. USF took the first game of the series, 3-0, behind a complete game shutout by Hoshaw before falling in extra innings, 4-3, in game two.
 
In game one, Hoshaw moved to 9-8 on the season while recording her eighth complete game and her third complete game shutout. Hoshaw allowed just two U-Mary hits in 23 at bats for a team batting average of .087. Hoshaw didn't issue a single walk inn her solid outing while striking out three batters while only needing 66 total pitches and stranding two runners on base. As a team, the USF offense posted eight hits in 28 at-bats for a batting average of .286 while scoring three runs and leaving seven runners on base. Hove and Mossman led the team with each recording two hits and one RBI a piece. Francesca Mickelson and Lexie Swift both had a hit and run scored. Emmie Uitts and Emily Miller also recorded hits for USF in the game.
 
USF lost a heartbreaking second game despite a quality outing by Nieveen, who fell to 5-4 on the season with the loss. Nieveen pitched eight full innings for the Cougars and allowed four runs (three earned) on 12 total hits and struck out four batters while not allowing a walk. As a team, USF produced 10 hits in 36 at bats for a batting average of .278. Miller and Mossman both posted three hits in four at bats in the contest with each scoring a run. Mickelson was a hit and drove in a pair of runs. 
 
Playoff picture
After going 3-1 over the weekend, USF is tied for sixth in the NSIC standings with a 13-11 conference record (23-22 overall). Both Concordia-St. Paul and Upper Iowa also have a 13-11 conference record. Minnesota State is in fifth with a 14-10 conference record (29-17 overall). The top 10 teams in the NSIC make the conference tournament at the end of the regular season with the seven through 10 seeds playing a single elimination play-in game in order to make it into the double elimination postseason tournament.
 
Series History vs. Minnesota State: MSU leads USF, 10-1
Since joining the NSIC for the 2013 season, Sioux Falls has faced Minnesota State 11 times and come up empty their first 10 times, with the lone USF victory coming in their last outing in 2017. With the 2018 series being cancelled due to weather conditions, their last series in 2017 ended in a split doubleheader with MSU taking game one 3-2 and USF gaining their first win over the Mavericks in a 5-4 game two thriller. USF scored four runs in the final two innings to push past MSU with Francesca Mickelson hitting a game winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Cougars have closed the gap recently after a few lopsided results in the first two years as regular opponents. The cougars are 1-3 at home in games against the Mavericks and 1-4 in games played at Sherman Park after MSU eliminated the Cougars with a 6-2 victory in the NSIC Tournament semifinals. In 2016, USF suffered a 5-4 defeat in game one, taking it to extra innings. The Cougars dropped game two 8-2, ending their road trip to Mankato, Minn.
 
Mossman, Uitts and Mickelson present stability in the USF lineup
Junior shortstop Lindsey Mossman, sophomore catcher Emmie Uitts and junior center fielder Francesca Mickelson have started in all 45 games for the Cougars and have been a consistent staple in the USF defense.
 
At shortstop, Mossman has recorded 81 total assists and 44 put outs while only committing eight errors on the season for a fielding percentage of .940. She has also recorded a season batting average of .320 (39-for-122) and a slugging percentage of .475 with four homeruns and seven doubles. Mossman has also scored 19 runs while driving in 21 RBI on the year. Over the last six games, Mossman has posted a batting average of .522 (12-for-23) including two HRs, three doubles, five RBI and six runs scored with an on base percentage of .560 and a slugging percentage of .913.
 
Uitts has caught every game for USF this season and has been the vocal leader from behind the dish. Uitts has recorded 210 put outs on the year with 22 assists while only recording six total errors for a fielding percentage of .975. On offense, Uitts is bathing .230 (23-for-100) with four homeruns and six doubles for a slugging percentage of .410. She has also driven in 14 runs while scoring 18 runs for herself.
 
Mickelson, who has started in all 45 contests this season, is hitting .271 with 38 hits in 140 at bats. She has recorded 23 runs and 21 RBI with a .436 slugging percentage after hitting five homeruns paired with eight doubles on the season. Mickelson has also made stellar plays from center field as she has posted 63 put outs and assisted on five more outs while only recording one error in the 45 game season.
 
Nieveen and Meyer add pop to Cougar offense
Junior All-league infielder Sydney Nieveen has been swinging a hot bat recently. She has raised her average to .325 on the year with 20 RBI through 45 games. Nieveen has scored 26 runs with an on-base percentage of .419 and a slugging percentage of .460. Nieveen also leads the league in being hit by pitches with a total of 16 HBP taken. Ashley Meyer has hit six home runs on the season and added 14 RBI and 16 runs scored with a .482 slugging percentage and a .247 batting average.
 
Freshman Keen and Swift highlight strength in efficiency
Freshman Lexie Swift has been a force at the plate during her freshman campaign as she has posted a .545 slugging percentage with 11 doubles, two triples and two homeruns in 123 at bats. Swift is hitting .374, which leads the team, with 46 hits in 123 at bats, while driving in 19 RBI. Swift has drawn 19 walks and holds a .465 on-base percentage while scoring 28 runs.
 
Sarah Keen, a freshman from Rapid City, S.D., is second on the team in hitting at .359 mark. In her 30 games played and 16 starts, she has produced 14 hits in 39 at bats and drawn four walks for an on base percentage of .419, which is second on the team. Keen has also recorded four doubles, three RBI and has scored seven runs for the Cougars while holding a .462 slugging percentage.
 
Preseason Forecast - USF picked 8th in NSIC Poll
The Cougars, which have had 30 or more wins five straight years, were picked eighth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll which was released Jan. 23 by the league office. USF received 135 points and finished just behind Concordia-St. Paul, which earned 140 points for seventh. The 2019 NSIC Softball Tournament will consist of the top ten teams in the NSIC final standings competing in a double elimination format on May 2-4 at the RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minnesota. USF's players to watch included pitcher Hoshaw and infielder Nieveen.