SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Softball Team (15-18, 5-7 NSIC) will host Concordia-St. Paul (20-12, 7-5 NSIC) on Tuesday, April 9 for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader at Sherman Park. The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 3 p.m., with the second game slated for 5 p.m. The USF-CSP DH was originally scheduled for Wednesday but moved up due to weather issues.
 
Follow all the action
To follow USF, fans are encouraged to check out the Twitter, Facebook, 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.
 
USF split with UIU before dropping two against No. 21 WSU
Emmie Uitts and Ashley Meyer each hit homeruns as USF split a doubleheader with Upper Iowa on April 5. Uitts and Meyer propelled USF to a 3-2 game one win before the Cougars fell in game two, 8-5. After her solo homerun in the first game of the doubleheader, Meyer moved into a tie with Danielle Walker (2015-16) for fifth in program history with 18 career homeruns. Kerrigan Hoshaw, a senior from Apple Valley, Minn., pitched a complete game two-run effort to propel USF to a 3-2 win in the first game against the Peacocks. With the win, Hoshaw now is 6-6 on the season and has pitched eight complete games including one perfect game on March 30 against Bemidji State. In game two, the USF offense tallied five runs on six hits in 25 at-bats during the game. Francesca Mickelson scored twice in the contest while going one for three at the plate. Nieveen, who was hit by two pitches during the game, capitalized in her lone at-bat by hitting an RBI double. Sarah Keen went one for two with one run scored and two walks, and Emily Hove hit one double in her three plate appearances while scoring once.
 
In the final doubleheader of the weekend on Saturday (April 6), USF lost a pair of close games against No. 21 Winona State despite solid pitching outings by Hoshaw and freshman Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag. To highlight the offense on the day, Sydney Nieveen and Francesca Mickelson each hit solo HRs in a 4-3 game one loss against one of the nations top pitchers in Jordan Klemann (14-1) before the Cougars fell in game two, 2-0. Hoshaw put together a strong performance against the nationally-ranked Warriors but took a hard luck 4-3 loss. In dropping to 6-7 on the season, Hoshaw allowed four earned runs on nine hits and issued three walks while striking out one in throwing a complete game, which is her eighth of the season in 13 starts. Van Der Zwaag (0-1) had an impressive outing for USF as she pitched a complete game six inning effort where she allowed two runs on 10 hits. Van Der Zwaag also struck out three WSU batters throughout the contest.
 
Series history vs. CSP- USF leads 11-3
B winning eight of the last nine match ups, Sioux Falls enters their NSIC doubleheader with a 11-3 edge in the series. Fueled by Emily Hove's first-inning grand slam then secured by Ashley Meyer's solo homer and Kerrigan Hoshaw's complete game pitching effort in game one, USF earned a doubleheader split at CSP in the 2018 series. The Cougars won game one, 5-3, then faltered on offense in game two and lost by an 8-1 margin. The Cougars picked off CSP three times, all in exciting fashion in 2017. USF and Concordia-St. Paul combined for nine runs in the eighth and ninth innings of a non-conference game, and USF held a final edge, 6-5, for the victory. During the regular season, pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw made history, recording the first perfect game in USF's Division II history. Hoshaw struck out four batters and retired all 15 she faced as Sioux Falls defeated the Golden Bears, 8-0, in five innings. In the third meeting of the season, USF and CSP were tied 1-1 entering the seventh. Concordia-St. Paul broke a tie with a run in the top half of the inning then USF responded, scoring the game-winning run on an error two seasons ago.
 
Veterans Hove, Mickelson and Nieveen continue to produce
Senior Emily Hove has enjoyed a strong first half of the schedule by registering a .545 slugging percentage with seven doubles, one triple and team-highs in home runs with six and RBI with 23. Hove is posting a .304 batting average with 34 hits in 112 at bats, while also sporting a .328 on base percentage and recording 18 runs scored. Following her standout performance during the Florida spring break trip Hove was awarded the NSIC Softball Player of the Week honors on March 18 for the first time in her career. Hove is sixth on USF's DII all-time list with 17 home runs and ranks fourth at USF all-time (DII era) with 91 RBI.
 
Junior outfielder Francesca Mickelson, who has started in all 33 contests this season, is hitting .271 with 26 hits in 96 at bats. She has recorded 17 runs and 15 RBI with a .458 slugging percentage after hitting four homeruns paired with six doubles on the season. Nieveen is hitting .344 on the year with 15 RBI through 33 games. Nieveen has scored 23 runs with an on-base percentage of .435 and a slugging percentage of .462. Ashley Meyer has hit five home runs on the season and added 13 RBI and 12 runs scored with a .561 slugging percentage and a .281 batting average.
 
Freshman Swift and Keen have efficient first half of the season
Sarah keen, a freshman from Rapid City, S.D., leads the team in batting average with a .394 mark. In her 24 games played and 12 starts, she has produced 13 hits in 33 at bats and drawn four walks for an on base percentage of .459, which is second on the team. Keen has also recorded three doubles, three RBI and has scored six runs for the Cougars while holding a .485 slugging percentage.
 
Freshman Lexie Swift has been a force at the plate during her freshman campaign as she has posted a team-leading .573 slugging percentage with seven doubles, two triples and two homeruns in 89 at bats. Swift is also hitting .382 at the plate, which ranks second on the team, with 34 hits in 89 at bats, while driving in 13 RBI. Swift has drawn 16 walks and holds a team-high .486 on-base percentage while scoring 20 runs in her freshman campaign.
 
Mathews and Hoshaw anchor USF pitching
Courtney Mathews, a junior right-hander from Lee's Summit, MO., who was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week in an announcement by the league on Feb. 5, has a 6-7 record in 18 appearances and 13 starts with seven complete games and one shutout in 78.1 innings pitched. Mathews has posted a 3.49 era and has held opponents to a .313 batting average. On the season, Mathews has given up 100 total hits and recorded 53 strikeouts while walking just 15 batters.
 
Senior Kerrigan Hoshaw has had a solid start to the season on the mound with a 6-7 record in 17 appearances and 13 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. Then in a 13-3 win over Wayne State, she allowed just one run on April 2, then pitched a two run complete game win against UIU and held a prolific WSU offense to four runs on nine hits in a hard fought loss over the weekend. Hoshaw owns a 3.43 era and has held opponents to a .263 batting average. Hoshaw has pitched 81.2 innings and has recorded seven complete games with one shutout. Hoshaw has struck out 64 batters while allowing 34 walks on the season. In USF's DII era, Hoshaw ranks first all-time with 10 shutouts and 375 strikeouts. She is second at USF in wins (46), appearances (108), starts (93), innings pitched (525.1) and third in complete games (40). Hoshaw recently hit her 26th career home run, which ranks third all-time in USF's DII era.
 
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.