SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Softball Team (14-15, 8-7 NSIC) will open a 10-game home stand as the Cougars play NSIC doubleheaders on April 22 against No. 1 Augustana (27-3, 15-1 NSIC) as well as against U-Mary on April 24 and Minot State on April 25 with all the games at Sherman Park.  
 
The games against AU will be held at 2/4 pm on Thursday afternoon. On Saturday, USF will welcome U-Mary (4-23, 3-11 NSIC) at 1/3 pm. Then on Sunday, the Cougars host Minot State at noon and 2 pm. Click here for live stats and live video links for the Cougars home games. Follow along via live tweets - @usf_athletics 

USF's homestand will conclude the regular season home schedule for USF, which will also host Minnesota Duluth on May 1 and St. Cloud State on May 2 in NSIC Softball doubleheaders.   

Last weekend, USF took 2-of-3 games in NSIC play with the victories a 14-2 decision at Northern State and a 14-0 win over MSU Moorhead. They lost one game due to cancellation which was forced by winter conditions at MSU Moorhead.

Breaking Down Opponents 
Augustana, which is coming off a sweep of U-Mary and Minot State, owns a 13-game winning streak and sit 27-3 overall and 15-1 in league games. Mary Pardo, who was the NSIC Player of the Week, leads the offense with 13 home runs (1^st in the NSIC) and 32 RBI while hitting .356 with a .833 slugging mark and .492 OBP. Kendall Cornick leads the team and NSIC in hitting at .484 with 27 RBI and 45 hits while owning a .774 slugging and .542 OBP as well as 24 steals. As a team, the Vikings are hitting .330 (5^th, NSIC) with 41 home runs (1^st, NSIC) and 215 runs scored (1^st, NSIC). They have a .565 slugging and .415 OBP. In the circle, Amber Elliott (14-1, 2.12 era, 89.1 innings, 88 strikeouts, 10 complete games) and Ashley Mickschl (13-2, 14 complete games, 2.16 era, 97.1 innings, 64 strikeouts) lead the Vikings. With a 2.80 era, Augustana is second in the league.
 
Mary, which is 4-23 overall and 3-11 in league play, have lost two straight after falling to Augustana, 10-0 and 7-1 on April 18.  The last wins by UMary came from a home sweep of Wayne State College, 9-8, and 10-5. Mariah Sanchez leads the team with a .329 average, 28 hits, four RBI and .412 slugging and OBP marks. Eryn De Jonge is hitting .329 with 10 RBI, 24 hits, .342 slugging and .355 OBP. Overall, U-Mary is hitting .249 with nine home runs and a .332 slugging plus .316 OBP. Rachel Laetsch leads the team with three home runs. Alissa Alvarado (2-7, 7.17 era, 70.1 innings, 44 strikeouts) and Brooke Harder (2-5, 8.76 era, 37 innings, 21 strikeouts) lead the U-Mary pitching staff, which has a combined 9.02 era in 162.2 innings with 99 strikeouts against 90 walks.
 
Minot State, which is 14-14 and 7-7 in the league, have won two straight games with 13-3 and 8-1 win over Wayne State at home on April 18. They are scheduled to play Northern State today in Minot and SMSU on April 24 before arriving in Sioux Falls on Sunday. Jamie Odlum leads the team with a .416 batting average and has a home run and 13 RBI along with a .571 slugging and .521 OBP Isis Cabral is hitting .402 with two home runs and 15 RBI and has a .634 slugging and .474 OBP. Jazmin Karunungan is at .381 with six RBI, .381 slugging and .400 OBP as well as 13 steals. As a team they are hitting .301 (8^th, NSIC) with a .413 slugging and .378 OBP. MiSU has seven home runs, six triples and 98 stolen bases. In the circle, MiSU is led by Trinity Valentine (8-6, 3.42 era, 92 innings, 14 starts, eight complete games and 81 strikeouts) and Zoya Robbins (2-3, 9.64 era, 37.1 innings, 19 strikeouts) as MiSU owns a 5.19 era with 124 strikeouts.
 

Series Notes – Augustana, Mary and Minot State
 
Augustana won the last matchup with the Cougars, 4-2, on April 16, 2019 at Augustana. The Vikings leads the all-time series, 11-2. USF's last win against AU was a 4-3 decision on April 25, 2018 at Sherman Park. In the first-ever meeting as NSIC members, the Cougars took a 9-0 decision at Sherman Park. Augustana has won nine of the last 10 matchups.
 
USF owns an 8-4 lead over U-Mary, which won the last matchup, 4-3, on April 20, 2019 in Bismarck, N.D. USF has won 7-of-10 games in the series with a 3-1 home mark and 8-4 conference record. Prior to the nine-inning extra inning, USF had won six straight dating to a 11-3 win by Mary in Bismarck, 11-3. USF's last win over u-Mary was a 3-0 decision in the first game of a double-header on April 20, 2019.  Mary won the first-ever game on March 30, 2013, 6-1, and then USF bounced back for a 16-8 decision in the second game on that date.
 
In the last matchup, USF took a 9-7 decision vs Minot State on May 2, 2019 at the NSIC Softball Championships in Rochester, Minn. The Cougars have won four straight and lead the all-time series, 8-6. The Cougars sit 3-2 at home and 6-6 in conference play. In addition, USF has won 7-of-10 games. MiSU's last win was a 5-1 decision on April 14, 2017.
 
Quick Look at USF 

USF finished 3-3 at the Missouri Western HyVee Classic, which had several schedule adjustments due to weather, as the season opened in February. USF opened by splitting two games at Central Missouri by taking a 7-6 win but falling, 6-1. After moving to Emporia, Kan., the Cougars dropped a 7-4 decision to Central Oklahoma but rebounded with a 5-3 win over Emporia State. With a four-run explosion in the first inning plus a stellar effort in the circle from Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag, USF turned back Emporia State, 5-3. Van Der Zwaag threw a complete-game two-hitter. With her 81 pitches to 26 batters, Van Der Zwaag allow just one earned run, two hits, and did not walk a hitter while registering two strikeouts. She registered her third complete game of the season and lowered her earned run average to 3.28. Prior to those games, USF dropped two games to Missouri Western (7-3, 3-0). At the Washburn Invitational, USF, led by all-tourney standout Kylan Straight, was 3-3 with wins over Missouri-St. Louis, 3-1; Pittsburg State, 6-0 and Central Missouri, 3-1. In NSIC play, USF has gone 6-6 with a 4-2 road mark. In the NSIC opener, USF split a pair with SMSU as they lost 3-1 and took a 5-3 decision. On the first road trip, USF swept Minnesota Crookston, 5-4 (eight innings), and 8-1 before dropping two at Bemidji State, 6-3, 5-3 (8 innings). The Cougars also defeated Wayne State, 8-6 and 5-2, at Wayne, Neb. Then, USF had a 1-1 mark against then No. 11 Winona State before falling twice in closely contested games against Upper Iowa, 3-2 and 1-0. Last weekend, the Cougars won 2-of-3 with a 7-2 loss to Northern State followed by a 14-2 win and then a 14-0 win over MSU Moorhead in a trio of road games north. In earning its second straight road win, the Cougars scored 14 runs for a second straight day as seniors Emmie Uitts and Mika Rodriguez led the way. Uitts hit a pair of three-run doubles and Rodriguez had five RBI and three hits in the MSUM win. In the past two games, USF scored 28 runs on 27 hits in playing a combined 10 innings. That production is the best two-game run this season and in USF DII history. In fact, the 14 runs scored on Saturday afternoon at NSU and Sunday at MSUM is the most by a team since April 2 2019 (14-4 over Wayne State).

In a review of the season so far, USF has gone 14-15 including 8-7 in the NSIC, and hit .262, which ranks 12^th in the NSIC. However, in the past three games, USF has jumped its average 18 points (.244 to .262). The Cougars have hit 10 home runs and recorded 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts. USF has a team .338 OBP, which is 10^th in the league, and a .353 slugging mark (12^th NSIC).  On defense, USF ranks sixth in the NSIC with a .967 percentage. They have 25 errors, 570 putouts, 172 assists, and 10 double plays, which is tied for the league lead. On the mound, USF is sixth in the NSIC with a 3.43 earned run average with 92 earned runs allowed in 190 innings. USF has 169 strikeouts (6.32 per seven innings) which is fourth in the NSIC.  USF is averaging 6.23 strikeouts, which is 6^th in the league, to 1.45 walks per seven innings. The walks per seven innings is second best in the league.

The USF offense is led by freshman C/DP Damaris Cuevas who ranks third in the NSIC and 44^th in NCAA DII in batting average at .458. In 27 games with 24 starts, Cuevas has a home run and 14 RBI with 33 hits in 72 at bats. She has a .611 slugging percentage and .506 OBP, totals which are the best on the team. Cuevas, who has 10 multi-hit and five multi-RBI games, has had a 10-game hitting streak this year. She has had three hits in a game three times. On April 17 in the 14-2 win over NSU, she had her career-best with four RBI.
 
The player with the most torrid pace at the plate of late is senior shortstop Mika Rodriguez, who has jumped her average to .250. Over the past three games, she is 8-of-10 for an .800 batting average and has eight RBI and five runs scored. A senior shortstop, Rodriguez had a 1.300 slugging mark plus and .800 OBP while fielding 1.000 with six putouts and three assists. During the run of three games, Rodriguez had a personal best of five RBI in a 14-0 win over MSUM. She had three hits twice and added three RBI as USF stopped Northern State's seven game winning streak in a 14-2 G2 win on Saturday. She also hit her third HR of the season and 16 of her career. Extending it out over nine games, Rodriguez is hitting .417 and jumped her average overall 107 points. In that nine-game stretch, Rodriguez has 10 hits in 24 at bats with three doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored. She has a .792 slugging mark and .517 OBP.
 
Also on fire at the dish are Kennedy Thomas and Emmie Uitts. Thomas is 11-of-30 with two doubles, four RBI, .433 slugging mark and .387 OBP in the past nine games. She has jumped her average to .275 with 14 hits in 51 at bats with five RBI. And, she has done some solid work in the circle with three appearances, six innings and just one earned run with four strikeouts. As for Uitts, the senior catcher is batting .385 with five hits in 13 at bats over the past nine games. She has four doubles among her five hits and six RBI while generating a .692 slugging mark and .429 OBP. And, Uitts, who is now hitting .281 on the season with a .438 slugging and .324 OBP, has a 1.000 fielding mark this year with 79 put outs, three assists and no errors.

Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag is batting .253 with 21 hits in 83 at bats. She has a .361 OBP and owns five multi-hit games this year and 11 in her career with nine career multi-RBI games. In a 9-6 win over Winona State, she had two hits including a three-run home run which was the game-winning hit. Over the past nine games in the circle, Van Der Zwaag has figured in eight decisions, including five straight before game two of the Upper Iowa series on April 11. In that marathon stretch in the circle, she has a 5-3 record with eight appearances, seven starts, three complete games and a shutout. She recorded 32 strikeouts against seven walks. She has made each of the last three starts for USF, working 13 1/3 innings with two wins and 10 strikeouts. She is 8-7 with a 3.33 era, and 83 strikeouts and 17 walks.  This year, she has eight complete games in 11 starts and 15 appearances. Van Der Zwaag is 15-14 in her career with 202.2 innings and 53 appearances with 26 starts. 

Over the last nine games, Kylan Straight is hitting .393 and pushed her average to .313 on the season. In her recent stretch, Straight has tied Kennedy Thomas for a team-high with 11 hits. Straight has seven runs, four RBI, .429 slugging and .419 OBP with four stolen bases. Named to the Washburn Invitational All-Tournament Team, she has made 28 starts in 29 games with 30 hits in 96 at bats and scored 13 runs while putting together a .344 slugging mark and .330 OBP. She has seven steals on the season. She has seven multi-hit games this year and three multi RBI games while owning 54 career hits. Twenty-three times this season, Straight, who owns a six-game hitting streak, has at least one hit in a game.  

Senior Frankie Mickelson is hitting .217 with 18 hits (two last weekend), 22 total bases, .270 on-base percentage and .265 slugging mark. With seven RBI this season, Mickelson is now sixth all-time at USF with 71. She also ranks fifth in games played at USF with 182. She also sits fifth in career starts by a USF player with 175. Mickelson is also sixth all-time with 142 hits and two away from fifth, Kerrigan Hoshaw at 144, 2016-19. A senior center fielder, Mickelson ranks eighth in career home runs at USF with 14 and is two away from Sydney Nieveen, 16, 2017-20 and four away from Danielle Walker, 18, 2015-16.  She has 29 career steals and has 222 putouts, which places her second all-time among outfielders (Megan Peterson, 226, 2014-17), with 17 assists on defense. In addition, Mickelson has 30 multi-hit games as well as 18 multi-RBI games. In her past nine games, Mickelson is hitting .333 with six hits in 18 at bats and has four RBI.

Freshman infielder Shayla Running ranks fourth on USF with a .282 batting average with 23 starts in 26 games. She has 20 hits with 11 runs scored and a double with four RBI, 21 total bases. .296 slugging and .320 OBP. A year ago, she led USF with a .431 average and had nine RBI with a .569 slugging mark. She had 25 hits in 58 at bats and is now 45-of-129 for .348 career average. She has 13 multi-hit games in her career with four this season. She had a season-best three hits against Minnesota Crookston on April 2, 2021, which tied her career-best against Missouri Western on Feb. 23, 2020.

Freshman Hanna Cress is 6-7 with a 3.23 earned run average with 18 appearances and 12 starts. She has a team-high seven complete games with 38 earned run in 82.1 innings. She has a team-best 81 strikeouts, which ranks fifth in the NSIC, against 22 walks. On April 2-3, Cress finished 2-1 with a 1.62 earned run average in four appearances while starting two games. She had two complete games and totaled 31 strikeouts across 17.1 innings and allowed just four earned runs. Against Minnesota Crookston (USF sweep) Cress won both ends of DH and in a start in game two had 15 strikeouts in a game which was the most by a USF player since 18 by Amanda Walters against Valley City College (ND) since Feb. 25, 2014 and is the most by a USF player in NSIC league play in school history. In her career, she is 11-10 with 26 appearances and 21 starts with nine complete games and a save. In her career, she has 124 career strikeouts. 

Head Coach Shannon Pivovar
Pivovar, who has a 49-53 career record at USF with a 21-24 mark in NSIC play, is in her third year at USF. She was a standout student-athlete at Missouri Western State in St. Joseph, Mo. With the Griffons softball team, she was a four-year starter in the middle infield, earning All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) honors three times, and added All-North Central Region honors in 2008. She also helped lead Missouri Western to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. Named the 2010 Missouri Western Female Athlete of the Year, Pivovar, who had a career average of .306 and a .455 slugging mark, ranks in the top-10 in nine career categories at MWSU, including; assists (3^rd, 387), at bats (5^th, 692), games played (6^th, 226), starts (6^th, 224), hits (7^th, 212), doubles (6^th, 40), home runs (10^th, 21), total bases (10^th, 315) and runs batted in (8^th, 124). She also ranks in the top-10 in three season categories, including doubles (4^th, 18, and 2008); RBIs (10^th, 43, and 2009) and assists (6^th, 136, and 2009). Pivovar also excelled in the classroom, earning All-MIAA academic honors three times, finishing her Griffon career with a 3.80 grade point average. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management, with a minor in business.