BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The University of Sioux Falls Softball Team (21-22), will make its seventh straight appearance in the NSIC Postseason Tournament which will open on Thursday, May 13 in Rochester, Minn.
 
The Cougars had a 15-14 mark in the NSIC this season and will be seeded ninth and face eighth seeded Minot State (22-20)  in the opening round at 10 am on Thursday at Field A. The Cougars will play MiSU, which was 15-13 in league play, for the third straight time in the postseason tournament. In 2019, the Cougars recorded a 9-7 win over MiSU in eight innings in the opening round. The streak of seven straight appearances does not include 2020 when the CoVID-19 pandemic canceled the season after 19 games.
 
In an announcement from the league, the 2021 NSIC Softball Tournament bracket includes the top 10 teams in the final regular season standings. Those squads will participate in the double-elimination tournament, which will be held May 13-15 at RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minnesota.
 
USF Head Coach Shannon Pivovar, who has directed USF to back-to-back tournament appearances, is proud of her team for making it to the postseason.
 
"Going into the tournament next week, I think we need to be better at in-game adjustments. The conference tournament is a great time to go out and give it your all," said Pivovar. "I'm proud of our kids for getting there - and now it is survive and advance."

Day one match-ups are listed below:

Time	Field	Teams
Thursday, May 13, 2021
10 a.m.	Field A	(8) Minot State vs. (9) Sioux Falls
10 a.m.	Field B	(7) SMSU vs. (10) Northern State
12 p.m.	Field A	(4) Minnesota Duluth vs. (5) Concordia-St. Paul
12 p.m.	Field B	(3) Winona State vs. (6) St. Cloud State
2 p.m.	Field A	(1) Augustana vs. Lower Seed of game 1&2 winner
2 p.m.	Field B	(2) Minnesota State vs. Higher Seed of game 1&2 winner

 
The winner of the NSIC Softball Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament.  The 42-team NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC). Automatic bids are awarded to the tournament champions from each conference with the final three spots awarded on an at-large basis. In all, six teams will advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament. 

Breaking down USF Softball in 2021
 
Over the past 16 games, the Cougars have gone 9-7 in league play. It is a year that includes 21 wins with a victory over No. 1 ranked Augustana, 2-1, at Sherman Park and also a win against then No. 11 ranked Winona State. USF totaled 15 league wins which is the most since 2018 (15).
 
Over that stretch, USF has out-hit opponents, .325-to-283 and own a 95-to-49 scoring edge as well as a 137-to-111 hit margin. USF has 21 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 92 RBI with a .461 slugging and .405 OBP. The Cougars have 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts and have fielded at a sterling .985 percentage with just six errors while doling out 104 assists.
 
USF has been led by Shayla Running who has a .400 average in that stretch with 14 hits in 35 at bats and a .563 slugging mark. Damaris Cuevas, who finished the regular season with the second best mark in USF DII history at .433, hit .375 with 10 RBI and a .563 slugging mark. Also for USF, Kennedy Thomas has a .370 mark with a .413 slugging percentage and 17 hits. Kylan Straight has hit .347 with a .411 OBP. Also Kaitlyn Van Der Zwaag (.297) and Cassie Van Beek (.273) have a team-high three home runs and Van Beek's 14 RBI lead USF. In the circle, USF was led by Van Der Zwaag with a 5-2 record in eight starts and 10 appearances. She had a .302 earned run average with 37 strikeouts to 11 walks. Hanna Cress was 4-4 in eight starts and 10 appearances with 18 strikeouts.
 
Overall USF is hitting .275 this season with a .380 slugging and .350 OBP. They have 19 home runs and 173 RBI with 187 runs scored (157 for opponents). Cuevas leads USF with a .436 average in 34 starts with 44 hits, which is tied with Kylan Straight for the team high. Running is hitting .324 with 33 hits while Straight has a .317 average and 12 RBI. At .261, Van Der Zwaag has a team-high six home runs and a team-best 32 RBI. Cassie Van Beek, who is hitting .245, has five home runs with 21 RBI.  In 34 games with 28 starts, Thomas is batting .289 with a nine RBI.
 
In the circle, USF is led by Van Der Zwaag who is 11-9 with a 3.35 earned run average in 26 appearances and 20 starts. She has 10 complete games and two shutouts with an extraordinary 111 strikeouts to 26 walks differential. Cress has the team's best earned run average at 3.23 and is 10-11 overall. She has made 20 starts, 28 appearances and has 12 complete games with 99 strikeouts and 33 walks. Thomas has a 3.34 earned run average with seven appearances and six strikeouts.