NDSU Softball Hosts IPFW on April 9-10

Saturday, April 9

Fargo, N.D.

2 p.m.

North Dakota State

IPFW

Photo by: Cory Erickson

NDSU Softball Hosts IPFW on April 9-10

4/6/2016 11:31:00 AM | Softball

NDSU Softball Release (4-4-16).pdf

North Dakota State (21-12, 3-0 SL) is scheduled to host IPFW (10-26, 1-5 SL) in a three-game Summit League series on April 9-10 at the Ellig Sports Complex ... NDSU and the Mastodons play a doubleheader at noon Saturday April 9 ... The teams close out the series with an 11 a.m. single-game Sunday, April 10 ... The Bison doubleheader at Wisconsin on April 5 was postponed with a makeup date to be announced ... The Mastodons are 2-4 on the road this season ... NDSU was 11-1 at home in 2015 and have compiled a 156-31 home record since 1999.

Ticket Information
Tickets for North Dakota State softball games are $8 for adults and $5 for youth 17-and-under ... NDSU students with a valid college ID are admitted free ... Tickets are available at the Ellig Sports Complex on game day ... Gates at the Ellig Sports Complex will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch each day ... For more information, call 1-888-231-NDSU (6378).

The Series
This will be the 39th meeting between North Dakota State and IPFW ... The Bison lead the series 26-12 ... NDSU won all three meetings against the Mastodons in Fort Wayne last season.

Quickly Around the Horn
North Dakota State was 48th in the NCAA RPI rankings on April 4 ... North Dakota State co-head coach Jamie Trachsel picked up career win No. 200 with the 4-1 victory at Iowa State (3-26-16) ... NDSU senior second baseman Cheyenne Garcia ranks in the top 25 among NCAA active career leaders, 5th in doubles (55), 12th in runs scored (172), 19th in total bases (365) and 21st in at bats (627) ... North Dakota State sophomore right-hander Jacquelyn Sertic threw her first career no-hitter in the five-inning 18-0 win over DePaul (3-6-16) ... Sertic faced 16 batters with four strikeouts and one walk ... It was the 30th no-hitter in program history ... Sertic struck out a career-high 12 batters in the 8-0 win over Cleveland State (2-28-16) ... NDSU has several players listed in the top 25 in the NCAA statistics (April 4) -- Cheyenne Garcia is 10th in doubles (0.42 avg.), Jacquelyn Sertic is 15th in wins (13) and Jackie Stifter is 13th in hit by pitch (0.39 avg.) ... North Dakota State first baseman Jackie Stifter has been hit by pitch 11 times this season, which breaks the school's single-season record of 10 set by Jenina Ortega in 2014 ... Stifter is 2nd all-time at NDSU in times hit by pitch with 21 and trails Lynnae Foshag (24/2004-07) by three HBP ... NDSU has won nine of its last 28 meetings with nationally-ranked opponents, last win 2-1 at then No. 2-ranked Alabama (3-5-16) .. Jacquelyn Sertic was the winning pitcher, Zoe Stavrou had the game-winning hit against the Tide ... North Dakota State is 1-3 this season against nationally-ranked opponents and stand 10-56 overall ... The last grand slam for NDSU was hit by left fielder Maritza Lopez-Portillo, who connected in the 7-6 nine inning loss at Hawai'i (3-12-16) ... It was the second grand slam this season for Lopez-Portillo, who also smacked on against Kent State (2-27-16) ... Shortstop Logan Moreland leads North Dakota State with a .393 batting average ... Moreland has 12 multi-hit games ... Moreland hit a home run in four straight games (Iowa State G2, IUPUI G1, IUPUI G2, IUPUI G3) ... Second baseman Cheyenne Garcia and Moreland each have six multi-RBI games this season ... NDSU has 12 players with one or more RBI this season including Alyssa Reina and Garcia each with a team-high 24 ... Fourteen Bison have scored one or more runs this season led by Katie Shoultz and Moreland both with 27 ... The Bison are 1-2 in extra innings this season and 43-30 in extra innings under head coach Darren Mueller since 2002 ... North Dakota State is 56-50 in extra innings overall ... Collectively, the Bison are batting .305 with a 2.96 earned run average and are fielding at .968 ... NDSU opponents are batting .242 with a 4.68 ERA and are fielding at .947 ... The Bison are averaging 5.67 runs scored per game, while opponents are averaging 3.43 ... The big inning is the fourth for North Dakota State with 38 runs scored.

Sertic, Stifter, Moreland Receive Summit League Honors
North Dakota State senior shortstop Logan Moreland was named Summit League Player of the Week on April 4, while sophomore right-hander Jacquelyn Sertic was named Pitcher of the Week ... First baseman Jackie Stifter was named Summit League Player of the Week on Feb. 29 ... Sertic has been named College Sports Madness.com Summit League Player of the Week twice this season ... It was the first weekly honor for Stifter and Moreland, while Sertic has earned her fifth award this season.

Garcia, Lopez-Portillo, Moreland, Reina, Stifter Take Aim at NDSU Career Charts
On the NDSU career charts, senior second baseman Cheyenne Garcia is 4th in doubles (55); 6th in slugging percentage (.582), home runs (27) and sacrifice flies (7); 7th in runs scored (172) and RBI (150); tied for 7th in triples (9) and total bases (365), 8th in double plays turned (23) and 9th in stolen bases (57) ... Senior left fielder Maritza Lopez-Portillo is 3rd in times hit by pitch (15) and tied for 4th in sacrifice flies (8) ... Senior shortstop Logan Moreland is tied for 7th in stolen bases (58), 8th in batting average (.365), tied for 9th in runs scored (147) and 10th in double plays turned (19) ... Junior catcher Alyssa Reina is 7th in slugging percentage (.557), fielding percentage (.991) and putouts (888), tied for 7th in home runs (25) and 9th in fielding chances (959) ... Senior first baseman Jackie Stifter is 2nd in times hit by pitch (21) and tied for 7th in sacrifice flies (6).

NDSU Preseason Favorite in Summit League Coaches Poll
The North Dakota State softball team has been selected 2016's preseason favorite in The Summit League among a vote of the league's head coaches. The Bison received five-of-seven first-place votes for 35 points in the poll ... NDSU, coached by four-time Coaching Staff of the Year Darren Mueller and Jamie Trachsel, are coming off a 45-win season and a second-place finish in the Eugene Regional in the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season ranked No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and 25th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll ... The Bison have won the past four regular season league titles along with claiming six of the past seven tournament championships ... North Dakota State brings back a league-high five All-Summit League performers from a season ago ... The Bison high-powered offense remains mostly intact, retaining 84.2% (303-of-360) of their runs scored.

Garcia Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
North Dakota State second baseman Cheyenne Garcia is one of 30 softball candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award ... From the list of 30 candidates, a national committee will select 10 finalists in March ... Garcia, a senior from Vista, Calif. (Rancho Buena Vista H.S.), was named the 2015 Summit League Player of the Year ... Garcia was selected to the 2015 NFCA All-Midwest Region and all-Summit League first teams ... She maintains a 3.448 grade point average majoring in human development and family science ... Garcia is a three-time selection to the Summit League winter/spring honor roll, a two-time Summit League Distinguished Scholar and named to the Commissioner's List in 2015 ... She has taken an active role in her hometown and campus community including volunteering at Rosewood on Broadway Nursing Home and Special Olympic Hockey locally, and Adopt A Child program at Christmas with her family ... The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 Women's College World Series®.

Seven Bison Named to College Sports Madness.com Preseason All-Summit League Softball Teams
North Dakota State placed seven players on the College Sports Madness.com Preseason All-Summit League team led by Player of the Year choice in second baseman Cheyenne Garcia, shortstop Logan Moreland, catcher Alyssa Reina and left fielder Maritza Lopez-Portillo ... Second team selections were pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic and first baseman Jackie Stifter, while pitcher KK Leddy was selected Freshman of the Year ... The Bison were also ranked No. 44 in the College Sports Madness.com Preseason Softball Rankings.

The Mueller/Trachsel File
Head coaches for North Dakota State are Darren Mueller (15th season, 22nd overall) and Jamie Trachsel (6th season, 14th overall) ... Mueller has compiled a 524-279 record (.652) including 147-34 (.812) vs. Summit League competition (including tournament) ... Trachsel has compiled a 203-106 record (.657) including a 101-23 (.815) vs. Summit League competition including tournament ... Mueller recorded win No. 500 vs. IUPUI (5-9-15) in the Summit League tournament ... Trachsel earned win No. 200 at Iowa State (3-26-16) ... The Bison have had nine straight 30-plus win seasons and reached 40 wins for the first time since 2004 last season ... North Dakota State has won six Summit League tournament championships (2009-10-11-12, 2014-15) to advance to NCAA regional play ... The Bison won the NCAA Norman Regional in 2009 and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional at Arizona State ... NDSU has won five Summit League regular season crowns (2008, 2012-13-14-15) ... Rounding out the Bison staff are pitching coach Brynne Dordel and graduate assistant manager Kendall Grimm ... Mueller became the program's all-time winningest coach with the 4-1 victory at Western Illinois (4-16-11) ... The NDSU coaching staff earned the 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Summit League Coaching Staff of the Year honors ... The NDSU staff earned 2009 and 2015 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year award ... Mueller was named the 2006 and 2007 Division I Independent Coach of the Year.

Former Bison Krista Menke to Pitch in Italy
Former North Dakota State University all-region performer Krista Menke will pitch for the ASD Thunders Castellana of the Italian League ... Menke leaves April 13 with league play scheduled to run May through July (September playoffs pending) ... Menke, a 5-foot-11 righthander from Friend, Neb., played for DSS Haarlem in the Netherlands last summer. Menke compiled a 1-4 record and 2.49 earned run average for DSS Haarlem with 50 strikeouts and six walks in 39.1 innings pitched. She is the third NDSU softball player to compete professionally overseas, and joins former all-region pitcher and teammate Whitney Johnson (Netherlands) and former All-American catcher Shelly Rhein (Italy).

Ex-NDSU Shortstop Nicole Rivera Member of Gold Medal USA Women's Baseball Pan Am Team
Former North Dakota State University softball shortstop Nicole Rivera was a member of the gold medal winning USA Women's Baseball team at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games held July 10-26 ... Rivera, who started 225 career games for the Bison from 2008-11, was a two-time all-Summit League performer for North Dakota State including first team honors in 2010 ... The Lakeside, Calif. native was a valuable member of three Summit League tournament championship teams including the 2009 unit that went on to win the NCAA Norman Regional and advance to the NCAA Tempe Super Regional.

Against the Nationally-Ranked
North Dakota State has won nine of its last 28 meetings with nationally-ranked opponents ... With the dramatic 1-0 win in 11 innings over 9th/10th-ranked Oklahoma at the 2009 NCAA Norman Regional, North Dakota State softball recorded its first win over a nationally-ranked team since beginning the transition to Division I in 2005 ... NDSU is currently 10-56 overall ... By year,
2005 (0-5) -- Lost at #21 Iowa 2-0, Lost at #25 Nebraska 7-0, Lost at #25 Nebraska 8-0, Lost at #20 Missouri 9-1, Lost at #20 Missouri 8-0;
2006 (0-5) -- Lost at #10 Oklahoma 9-0, Lost at #10 Oklahoma 7-2, Lost at #24 North Carolina 5-1, Lost at #6 Cal 10-1, Lost at #16 Nebraska 8-0;
2007 (0-1) -- Lost to #25 Oregon 6-1;
2008 (0-1) -- Lost at #9 Stanford 7-0;
2009 (1-5) -- Lost at #11 Arizona 10-0, Lost at #11 Arizona 9-2, Lost at #11 Arizona 12-0, Won at #9/10 Oklahoma 1-0 (11), Lost at #9/10 Arizona State, 3-0, Lost at #9/10 Arizona State 11-0;
2010 (0-4) -- Lost vs. #6 Arizona 6-0, Lost at #21 Texas A&M 4-0, Lost at #21 Texas A&M 5-2, Lost at #1 Washington, 3-0;
2011 (0-10) -- Lost at #1/2 UCLA 7-0, Lost at #1/2 UCLA 15-2 (5), Lost at #2/4 Georgia 14-4 (5), Lost at #16/17 Stanford 12-0 (5), Lost vs. #24 Kentucky 5-4 (8), Lost at #2/3 Florida 18-0 (5), Lost at #2/3 Florida (9-0), Lost at #13/17 Missouri 4-3, Lost at #13/17 Missouri 11-2 (5), Lost at #1 Arizona State 10-1 (5);
2012 (1-6) -- Lost at #2 Alabama 9-4, Lost at #2 Alabama 3-2, Lost at #5 Arizona State 10-2 (5), Lost at #21 Texas A&M 6-0, Lost at #15 Baylor 1-0 (8), Lost at #15 Arizona 11-0 (5), Won vs. #13 Hawai'i 9-7;
2013 (2-5) — Lost vs. #1 Alabama 10-0 (5), Lost at #10 LSU 9-0 (5), Lost at #23 Georgia 4-1, Won at #23 Georgia 3-0, Lost at #12 UCLA 7-1, Won at #20 Nebraska 13-0, Lost at #20 Nebraska 11-0 (5);
2014 (2-6)— Lost at #12 Florida State 4-1, Lost at #12 Florida State 9-0 (5), Lost at #12 Florida State 5-0, Won at #22 Stanford 4-0, Lost at #18 Missouri 11-2 (5), Won vs. #21 Auburn 5-2, Lost at #14 Minnesota 4-1, Lost vs. #21 Auburn 1-0;
2015 (3-5) -- Won 6-5 vs. #17 Washington, lost at #11 Tennessee 14-3 (5), #10/12 lost 8-0 (5) at Minnesota, Won 5-4 at #10/12 Minnesota, Won 7-3 at #21 South Alabama, Lost 7-6 (8) at #21 South Alabama; Lost at #1 Oregon 4-3; Lost at #1 Oregon 6-1.
2016 (1-3) -- Lost at #2 Alabama 15-2 (5); Won at #2 Alabama 2-1; Lost vs. #22 Baylor 4-2; Lost vs. #22 Baylor 8-5.