SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Softball Team (23-24, 13-13 NSIC) will travel to St. Cloud State (36-14, 18-8 NSIC) and Minnesota Duluth (28-17, 19-7 NSIC) for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheaders in the final weekend road trip of the regular season. Due to potential weather problems (rain and cold) on Saturday, the matchup with St. Cloud State will be played on Friday (April 26) at 2/4 p.m., while the series against UMD will be held on Sunday (April 28) at 12/2 p.m.

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.

Last time out – USF dropped a pair of games to Minnesota State
USF dropped a pair of NSIC contests against Minnesota State on Senior Day (April 24) at Sherman Park. USF fell 7-3 in a heartbreaking extra inning game one before losing 6-1 in game two. In game one, senior Kerrigan Hoshaw had an outstanding start for USF, limiting Minnesota State to one unearned run through six innings. However, Hoshaw, who fell to 9-9 on the season, allowed a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and then was replaced in the eighth inning after she ran into control problems. Hoshaw threw her ninth complete game of the season as she allowed seven runs on just six total hits but walked eight batters while striking out four. After she allowed one unearned run in the first inning and then threw five scoreless innings of two-hit ball.  The USF offense produced three runs on four total hits with two of those home runs. Senior Emily Hove led the offense as she recorded a pair of hits, including a double. Junior Sydney Nieveen had a two-run home run in the second inning to give USF a 2-1 lead. Then, Hoshaw supported her own cause with a solo blast to right center in the fourth inning for a 3-1 lead.  

In the second game of the day, Nieveen took the loss for USF and fell to 5-5 on the season after pitching five full innings. She allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits while striking out a pair of Maverick batters. Freshman Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag came in as relief in the top of the sixth inning and threw two innings as she allowed the other two runs on two hits with a strikeout. The USF offense recorded seven total hits in 26 at bats for a team batting average of .269. Hoshaw led the Cougars with two hits in three plate appearances and one RBI while freshman Sarah Keen had a hit, walk and scored USF's run. Francesca Mickelson, Emily Miller, Hove and Emmie Uitts each had a base hit.

Conference playoff standings
With the two losses to MSU, USF maintained their hold on eighth place in the NSIC standings with a 13-13 conference record. They sit just behind Upper Iowa, who is sporting a 13-12 conference record while just maintaining a lead over University of Mary and Southwest Minnesota State at 12-14. UMD is third in the NSIC standings (19-7), while St. Cloud State is fourth at 18-8.

Series History vs SCSU – USF leads SCSU, 8-6
Against the SCSU Huskies, USF has won six of their last nine matchups. The Cougars split the 2017 season's doubleheader after dropping a 3-2 decision in game one before rebounding to defeat the Huskies, 13-4, in game two. In last season's series, USF fell twice to the Huskies including an 8-0 defeat in game one followed by a 5-4 loss where USF surrendered a late run in the top of the seventh inning.

Series History vs UMD – UMD leads USF, 9-3
Since joining the NSIC in 2013, Sioux Falls is 3-9 against Minnesota Duluth. USF has dropped six straight contests against the UMD Bulldogs which includes a pair of one-run games (2-1, 5-4) in St. Joseph, Minn., in the 2017 season. In their most recent matchup during the 2018 campaign, USF fought hard but dropped a pair of high-scoring games to UMD. The Cougars hit four homeruns in game one, but ultimately fell 10-6 to the Bulldogs. In game two, the teams combined for 14 runs in the third inning alone, and USF nearly completed a late comeback before falling, 13-12.

Hoves has set USF hits record during stellar senior campaign
With three hits against Minnesota State, Emily Hove has become the career hits leader at USF in the program's DII era. She also ranks first in career at-bats (638), and career games started (208), while ranking second in appearances (207), second in career total bases (290) third in RBI (105) and sixth in career runs scored (92). Hove has enjoyed a strong senior season by registering a .568 slugging percentage with 10 doubles, two triples and team-highs in home runs with nine and RBI with 36. Hove is posting a .325 batting average with 55 hits in 169 at bats through 47 games, while also sporting a .348 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.

Miller and Hoshaw putting together strong senior seasons
Senior Emily Miller, who has appeared in 78 games while starting in 65 throughout her career at USF, has enjoyed a strong end to her senior campaign. She has hit nine career homeruns with eight in her senior season. Miller has produced a standout performance over her last 14 games, posting a .467 batting average with 21 hits in 35 at bats. She has also produced a 1.022 slugging percentage with seven homeruns and four doubles while also driving in 13 RBI and scoring 12 times. Over the 14-game stretch, Miller has raised her season batting average from .164 to .275. 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.

Senior Kerrigan Hoshaw has had a solid season on the mound for the Cougars with a 9-9 record in 23 appearances and 16 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. Hoshaw pitched a pair of gems including a four innings of scoreless softball against Minot State (April 19) followed by a complete game two-hitter against U-Mary on April 20. Hoshaw owns a 3.27 era and has held opponents to a .248 batting average. Hoshaw has pitched 108.2 innings and has recorded eight complete games with two shutouts. Hoshaw has struck out 85 batters while allowing 45 walks on the season. In USF's DII era, Hoshaw ranks first all-time with 11 shutouts and 396 strikeouts. She is second at USF in wins (49), appearances (114), starts (99), innings pitched (557.1) and third in complete games (42). In the series against Minnesota State (April 24), Hoshaw hit her 27th career home run, which ranks third all-time in USF's DII era.

Mossman, Uitts and Mickelson present consistency in Cougar lineup
Junior shortstop Lindsey Mossman, sophomore catcher Emmie Uitts and junior center fielder Francesca Mickelson have started in all 47 games for the Cougars and have been a consistent staple in the USF defense.

At shortstop, Mossman has recorded 86 total assists and 47 put outs while only committing eight errors on the season for a fielding percentage of .943. She has also recorded a season batting average of .312 (39-for-125) and a slugging percentage of .464 with four homeruns and seven doubles. Mossman has also scored 19 runs while driving in 21 RBI on the year. Over six game stretch against Augustana, Minot State and U-Mary, 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 219 put outs on the year with 23 assists while only recording seven total errors for a fielding percentage of .972. On offense, Uitts is batting .229 (24-for-105) with four homeruns and six doubles for a slugging percentage of .400. She has also driven in 14 runs while scoring 18 runs for herself.

Mickelson is hitting .265 with 39 hits in 147 at bats. She has recorded 23 runs and 21 RBI with a .422 slugging percentage after hitting five homeruns paired with eight doubles on the season. Mickelson has also made highlight reel plays from center field as she has posted 66 put outs and assisted on five more outs while only recording one error in the 47 game season for a fielding percentage of .986.

Nieveen and Meyer add depth to Cougar offense
Junior All-league infielder Sydney Nieveen has been swinging a hot bat recently. She has raised her average to .318 on the year with 22 RBI through 47 games. Nieveen has scored 27 runs with an on-base percentage of .409 and a slugging percentage of .470 with four homeruns and eight doubles. 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 .466 slugging percentage and a .239 batting average. She ranks tied for sixth all-time in home runs with 18.
Keen and Swift post efficient freshman seasons
Sarah Keen, a freshman from Rapid City, S.D., leads the team in hitting at .366 mark. In her 32 games played and 17 starts, she has produced 15 hits in 41 at bats and drawn five walks for an on base percentage of .435, which is second on the team. Keen has also recorded four doubles, three RBI and has scored eight runs for the Cougars while holding a .463 slugging percentage.

Lexie Swift has been a force at the plate during her freshman campaign as she has posted a .519 slugging percentage with 11 doubles, two triples and two homeruns in 129 at bats. Swift is hitting .357, which ranks second the team, with 46 hits in 129 at bats, while driving in 19 RBI. Swift has drawn 19 walks and holds a .447 on-base percentage while scoring 28 runs.

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.