Friday, February 19
Lake Charles, La.
4 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
vs
Memphis
Bison Open Season Friday at McNeese State's Cowgirl Classic
2/16/2021 10:14:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK: The North Dakota State softball team is scheduled to open the 2021 season with five games at McNeese State's Cowgirl Classic this week. The Bison open with Memphis at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, and will also face McNeese State, Louisiana Tech and Boise State. All games will be played at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond in Lake Charles, La. Live stats and live video (by subscription) will be available on McNeeseSports.com. Here is the NDSU schedule:
Friday, Feb. 19
North Dakota State (0-0) vs. Memphis (0-4), 4 p.m.
North Dakota State at McNeese State (2-2), 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20
North Dakota State vs. Louisiana Tech (1-1), 12 p.m.
North Dakota State vs. Boise State (2-3), 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 21
North Dakota State vs. Memphis, 11 a.m.
THE SERIES: NDSU has a 5-0 lead in the series with Memphis dating back to 2006. The teams haven't met since 2013 with the Bison winning 4-0 and 4-1 that year at LSU. ... This will be the first meeting between NDSU and McNeese State. ... NDSU and Louisiana Tech are tied 1-1 after splitting last year in Huntsville, Texas, where the Bison lost 2-0 before a 6-3 win the next day. ... NDSU is 0-2 against Boise State with a pair of losses in 2012 at Arizona State and 2018 at UC Riverside.
BISON PICKED TO WIN SUMMIT: North Dakota State was picked to win The Summit League in a preseason poll of the league's seven head coaches. The Bison have won the last two regular season crowns and six straight league tournament titles. NDSU had six first-place votes followed by South Dakota State, South Dakota, Omaha, Kansas City, North Dakota and Western Illinois.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: North Dakota State junior right-handed pitcher Paige Vargas and senior infielder Montana DeCamp were among the Summit League preseason players to watch. Vargas, the league's 2019 Freshman of the Year, made 17 appearances last season with a 3.94 ERA was second in the league with 74.2 innings. DeCamp, a two-time All-Summit League first team pick, started all 23 games last year hitting .286 with one home run, five RBIs and a team-high 14 runs scored.
WHO'S BACK: North Dakota State returns 17 of 18 players from last year's COVID-19 shortened season. The Bison lost their last five games of the season to finish 7-16 overall. The Bison had the top fielding team in The Summit League last year with a .965 fielding percentage, a league-low 23 errors and league-high 12 double plays. NDSU hit .257 as a team and had a 4.12 team ERA through 23 games. Designated player Cara Beatty was second in the league with a .393 batting average.
FIELD OF THE YEAR: Tharaldson Park, the on-campus home softball stadium for North Dakota State, was named the NCAA Division I winner of the 2020 Netting Professionals NFCA Field of the Year award, which recognizes the top fields/stadiums in the nation for their flawless grounds maintenance and exceptional playing surfaces. Tharaldson Park was dedicated in 2018 after a $2 million renovation including installation of a FieldTurf playing surface and seating for 735 spectators.
SUMMIT TOURNEY RETURNS TO FARGO: The Summit League Softball Championship presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare is slated to return to Fargo for the ninth time in program history. NDSU will host the league championship May 12-15 at Tharaldson Park. The winner of the six-team tournament will earn the league's automatic qualifier for an NCAA Division I regional.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: North Dakota State has advanced to NCAA regional play 10 of the past 11 seasons as the Summit League tournament champion. NDSU qualified for its first NCAA Division I tournament in 2009, the school's first year of Division I postseason eligibility, and the Bison swept through the Norman Regional that year to advance to Super Regional play at Arizona State. NDSU made seven NCAA Division II postseason appearances from 1998-2004 including a national championship in 2000.
Friday, Feb. 19
North Dakota State (0-0) vs. Memphis (0-4), 4 p.m.
North Dakota State at McNeese State (2-2), 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20
North Dakota State vs. Louisiana Tech (1-1), 12 p.m.
North Dakota State vs. Boise State (2-3), 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 21
North Dakota State vs. Memphis, 11 a.m.
THE SERIES: NDSU has a 5-0 lead in the series with Memphis dating back to 2006. The teams haven't met since 2013 with the Bison winning 4-0 and 4-1 that year at LSU. ... This will be the first meeting between NDSU and McNeese State. ... NDSU and Louisiana Tech are tied 1-1 after splitting last year in Huntsville, Texas, where the Bison lost 2-0 before a 6-3 win the next day. ... NDSU is 0-2 against Boise State with a pair of losses in 2012 at Arizona State and 2018 at UC Riverside.
BISON PICKED TO WIN SUMMIT: North Dakota State was picked to win The Summit League in a preseason poll of the league's seven head coaches. The Bison have won the last two regular season crowns and six straight league tournament titles. NDSU had six first-place votes followed by South Dakota State, South Dakota, Omaha, Kansas City, North Dakota and Western Illinois.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: North Dakota State junior right-handed pitcher Paige Vargas and senior infielder Montana DeCamp were among the Summit League preseason players to watch. Vargas, the league's 2019 Freshman of the Year, made 17 appearances last season with a 3.94 ERA was second in the league with 74.2 innings. DeCamp, a two-time All-Summit League first team pick, started all 23 games last year hitting .286 with one home run, five RBIs and a team-high 14 runs scored.
WHO'S BACK: North Dakota State returns 17 of 18 players from last year's COVID-19 shortened season. The Bison lost their last five games of the season to finish 7-16 overall. The Bison had the top fielding team in The Summit League last year with a .965 fielding percentage, a league-low 23 errors and league-high 12 double plays. NDSU hit .257 as a team and had a 4.12 team ERA through 23 games. Designated player Cara Beatty was second in the league with a .393 batting average.
FIELD OF THE YEAR: Tharaldson Park, the on-campus home softball stadium for North Dakota State, was named the NCAA Division I winner of the 2020 Netting Professionals NFCA Field of the Year award, which recognizes the top fields/stadiums in the nation for their flawless grounds maintenance and exceptional playing surfaces. Tharaldson Park was dedicated in 2018 after a $2 million renovation including installation of a FieldTurf playing surface and seating for 735 spectators.
SUMMIT TOURNEY RETURNS TO FARGO: The Summit League Softball Championship presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare is slated to return to Fargo for the ninth time in program history. NDSU will host the league championship May 12-15 at Tharaldson Park. The winner of the six-team tournament will earn the league's automatic qualifier for an NCAA Division I regional.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: North Dakota State has advanced to NCAA regional play 10 of the past 11 seasons as the Summit League tournament champion. NDSU qualified for its first NCAA Division I tournament in 2009, the school's first year of Division I postseason eligibility, and the Bison swept through the Norman Regional that year to advance to Super Regional play at Arizona State. NDSU made seven NCAA Division II postseason appearances from 1998-2004 including a national championship in 2000.
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