BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Softball heads on the road this weekend to compete in the final two double headers of the regular season. They will close the regular season against fellow Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference members Minnesota State University Moorhead and Northern State University.
Heading into the weekend 19-29 after going 3-1 last weekend against Minot State University and the University of Mary, the Beavers are on the playoff spot hunt this weekend. Sitting at 6-18 in the conference, the team will need to win all four games to have a chance at the No. 10 spot in the conference and make the first round of the NSIC tournament. Along with this, the University of Minnesota Crookston can win no more than one game and MSU Moorhead can win two in their double header with UMC. Additionally, University of Sioux Falls cannot win a game as they would hold the tiebreaker over Bemidji State. Should the Beavers make it in, they'll take on the No. 7 seed in the first round on Apr. 30 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The winner will go on to the next day against the No. 2 seed.
Mariah Stevenson leads the team with a .335 batting average in 48 games with 155 at bats and 52 hits.
Alexa Christenson and
Aimee Christenson follow her with .327 averages and
Molly Houts comes in fourth at .318, rounding out the team's .300 or above averages. On the mound,
Kennedy Joachim leads with a 12-9 record and 3.07 ERA. She has allowed 151 hits and 73 runs with 62 earned runs while walking 36 and striking out 145. Joachim has held opponents to a .268 batting average.
MSU Moorhead sits just one spot above Bemidji State in 12
th with an overall record of 16-35 and conference record of 8-16. Bemidji State must sweep MSUM in order to make playoffs. Last weekend, the Dragons went 2-2 against St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota Duluth, splitting both series by dropping the first games and winning the seconds. Senior pitcher/infielder Eliya Johnson was named the NSIC's Player of the Week for her performances over the weekend.
At the plate, Avery Steffen leads MSUM with a .387 batting average in 168 at bats with 65 hits and 43 runs scored. She leads her team in scoring by 20 runs. On the mound, Teagan Clemmons leads with a 3.91 ERA and 22-17 record. Steffen is also a top performer on the mound going 23-11 with a 4.30 ERA. Only three Dragons have gone errorless on defense this season.
Currently holding the No. 14 spot in the conference, just two wins behind BSU, NSU is 4-20 in the conference and 10-35 overall. With no possibility of playoffs on the horizon, the Wolves will host UMC and BSU to close their season. The Wolves are on a six-game losing streak, grabbing their most-recent wins by sweeping UMary on Apr. 9 in Bismarck, N.D.
Madi Jones leads the Wolves with a .347 batting average in 101 at bats. She's grabbed 35 hits and four home runs with 15 strikeouts. On the mound, NSU's Abby Rux leads the team with a 5.67 ERA and 7-20 record in 33 appearances with 19 complete games and 153 innings pitched. She has allowed 256 hits and 155 runs with 124 earned runs while walking 50 and striking out 99.
For more information on the Bemidji State Softball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversSB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversSB).
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
