SIOUX FALLS – After opening 4-3, the University of Sioux Falls Softball Team will continue a busy schedule as they travel to the Washburn University Classic for six games which begin on Friday, Feb. 28 and continue through March 1 in Topeka, Kan.  

Schedule Breakdown --

The Cougars, directed by second year Head Coach Shannon Pivovar, will put their two-game winning streak on the line as they face Emporia State (8-5) at 12:30 pm at the Washburn Softball Complex. USF will also face Washburn (8-5) at 2:30 pm at the same location.  On Saturday, USF will meet Fort Hays State (10-6) at Hummer North Field at 9 a.m. Then at the Hummer South Field, USF will meet Nebraska-Kearney (7-8) at 11 am. On the final day of the tournament, the Cougars will play Pittsburg State (5-13) at 9 am at the Washburn Softball Complex at 9 am before concluding with a 1 pm matchup against Central Missouri (4-0) at the Hummer North Complex on March 1. Live stats and video will be available at the Washburn Invitational website by clicking here.
 
Breaking Down USF through seven games
Through seven games, USF has earned four wins. In a high-scoring affair, USF took an 11-4 decision over Metro State on Feb. 1 and an 8-7 win over Colorado School of Mines on Feb. 2. USF lost the opener to Metro State by a 4-3 decision in nine innings. CSM also defeated USF, 7-3, on Feb. 2 to close out USF's opening season four-game triangular in Colorado. At the ESU 5-State Classic in Emporia and Topeka, Kan., the Cougars took two of three games. The Cougars had solid pitching during the tournament. After a 7-2 loss to Emporia State, the Cougars rallied for a 3-2 win over Missouri Western State and then shutout Washburn, 2-0, as senior Sydney Nieveen had her first career shutout. She scattered 10 hits with her fourth complete game. Nieveen is 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA. At the tournament, she allowed just one earned run in two appearances and had a 0.70 ERA. In the 3-2 win over MWSU, freshman Hanna Cress had her best performance at USF. After allowing two unearned runs, she shut down the Griffons over the final four innings by retiring 12-of-13 hitters and registering four strikeouts. She had a career-best nine strikeouts and no walks in the win. USF rallied as freshman Shayla Running had a game-tying RBI and Cassie Van Beek delivered the go-ahead RBI on a run-scoring single. Van Beek also had a two-run hit in the 2-0 win over Washburn. 

USF's offense, which ranks sixth in the NSIC with a .311 batting average, is led by freshman Shayla Running with a .476 average in seven games. She has a .476 OBP and owns 10 hits. Sophomore outfielder Lexie Swift, who has 11 hits in 29 at bats, is hitting .379 while senior Frankie Mickelson is batting .333 with a home run and a .360 OBP. Overall, USF nine players, starters or reserves, are hitting over .300 The Cougars have home runs from sophomore Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag (.455, 5 games, 5 hits, HR, 2 RBI), Mickelson, and senior shortstop Lindsey Mossman, who is hitting .261 and owns a .370 OBP. Junior infielder Cassie Van Beek is hitting .318 with a team-high seven RBI. Catcher Emmie Uitts has a .308 average with two RBI and owns a .357 OBP. Behind the dish, she has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. As a team USF is fielding .962 with nine errors in seven games. 

USF pitching staff, which is seventh in the NSIC with a 4.28 ERA, is led by a four-person contingent. Freshman Karington Kadel has a 1.59 ERA with one appearance in which she tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed just an earned run on eight hits. Senior Sydney Nieveen is 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA in four appearances and two starts. She has 10 strikeouts and allowed five earned runs with a shutout, complete game and held opponents to a .253 average. Freshman Hanna Cress is 2-1 with a 4.70 ERA with a team-high 14 strikeouts. She has made five appearances with four starts and allowed eight earned runs in 15.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .213 against the standout right-hander. 

Looking at the opponents

Emporia State (7-5) -- Fourth-year Head Coach April Rosales (93-93) has led ESU to a 8-5 record. The Hornets have won three straight including a 7-2 decision against USF.  As a team, they are hitting .296 while giving up a .290 average to opponents. Hannah Seeby leads the offense by hitting .436 in 13 games with five home runs and 17 RBIs. Sydney Righi is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA with 16 strikeouts in six appearances and five starts. USF and ESU are tied in the all-time series 2-2. Besides ESU's 7-2 win at the ESU 5-State Classic during last weekend, the USF took a 3-0 decision Feb. 24, 2017.  USF also lost 4-1 on Feb. 24, 2017 but won a 4-3 decision in the first meeting on March 18, 2016.

Washburn (8-10) – Directed by fourth-year Head Coach Brenda Holaday (99-80), the Ichabods stand 8-10 as the tournament begins. They are led by Ashton Friend, who has a .375 average with a home run, eight RBI and a .575 slugging mark. Winter Henry is hitting .364 with 10 RBI, and 20 hits in 55 at bats. WU, which is hitting .266 as a team, is led on the mound by Raegen Hamm, who is 6-4 with a 2.05 ERA with 72 strikeouts across 15 appearances and nine starts. WU has a 2-1 all-time series lead over USF. The Cougars defeated WU, 2-0, as Sydney Nieveen tossed a 10-hit shutout and Cassie Van Beek had a two-run single in a game at the ESU 5-State Classic on Feb. 23. Prior to that WU took a 8-0 decision in the first meeting on Feb. 24, 2013 in Rochester, Minn. (Winona Dome) and won 5-2 on March, 18, 2016 in St. Joseph, Mo. 

Fort Hays State  (10-6) --  FHSU has opened the season at 10-6 and won two straight. On Feb. 22, they defeated St. Mary's at the Tom Heath Field at the Lawson Softball Complex in Oklahoma City. FHSU is directed by Head Coach Adrian Pilkington, who is in her sixth seasons and has guided the Tigers to 111 wins. Terran Caldwell is hitting .447 while Kristen Reed is at .353 with 16 RBI to lead the FHSU offense. On the mound, Michaelann Nelson has a 4-2 record with a 2.53 ERA in seven appearances and two starts. In the all-time series, the Cougars have a 2-0 lead. In the last meeting, the Cougars won 2-0 on Feb. 24, 2018. Frankie Mickelson hit a two-run home run to lead USF past FHSU in a game at St. Cloud, Minn. On March 18, 2017, the Cougars took an 8-1 decision in St. Joseph, Mo. USF led 4-0 and added four more runs in the top of the seventh to back the pitching off Breanna Black.

Nebraska-Kearney (7-8) -- Directed by first-year Head Coach Katie (Bolin Ackermann), UNK is 7-8 but has an 11-3 decision over Midwestern State on Feb. 23. Prior to that, UNK had had lost five straight. Nicole Spykstra is hitting .432 with two home runs and 11 RBIs to lead the offense. Kaitlyn Johnson is hitting .417 with four home runs and 12 RBI. Overall UNK has six players hitting over .300 and own a .310 team average. The pitching staff has a 5.45 team ERA. Sarah Handrahan is 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA in four appearances and two game starts. In the all-time series with USF, the Cougars have a 2-1 lead over the Lopers. USF took a 3-0 decision on March 3, 2018 in Joplin, MO. UNK won, 10-4, in St. Cloud, Minn., on Feb. 23, 218. The Cougars won the first-ever meeting with a 7-3 decision on Feb. 12, 2017.

Pittsburg State (5-13) -- Led by third-year Head Coach Ashley Balazs, Pitt State stands 5-13 overall. The Gorillas have won two straight with victories over Cameron, 9-3, and Midwestern State, 9-6, on Feb. 22, 2020. Prior to those wins, they had lost eight straight games. They are led in hitting by Makenzie Goswick, who has a .410 average with 13 RBI and a .419 OBP. Kaity Kukowski has a .302 average in 18 games with 10 RBI and a .448 OBP. As a team PSU is hitting .239 and allowing opponents to hit .363. The team's ERA is 6.84 with Shelby Smith lead the team with a 6.02 ERA with a 1-5 mark in nine appearances and six starts. In the all-time series between the schools, Pittsburg State has a 3-1 advantage. In the most recent matchup, they took a 9-4 decision on March 22, 2019. USF defeated PSU, 6-4, on March 20, 2016. Pitt State won 5-1 on March 1, 2014 and 14-2 on Feb. 28, 2014 in the first-ever meeting of the schools.

Central Missouri (4-0) -- The Jennies are led by 14^th-year Head Coach Susan Anderson who has won 408 games. CMU is led by Lauryn Deer who is hitting .600 with nine hits in 15 at bats and has a .625 OBP. Five hitters are batting better than .400 with Makenzie McAtee hitting .556 and Sydney Wellshear at .538. As a team they are hitting .405 and have a 1.40 team ERA. Paige Petefish has a 2-0 record and a 1.17 ERA with two complete games and 10 strikeouts. In the all-time series, CMU has a 4-0 lead over USF. In the last meeting, they took a 2-1 decision on March 22, 2019 in Emporia, Kan. They also have a 7-4 win over USF on March 18, 2017 in St. Joseph, Mo.; a 6-1 win on March 15, 2015 in Clermont, Fla.; and a 4-3 win on March 15, 2015 in Clermont, Fla.