Friday, March 5
Oxford, Miss.
9:30 a.m.
North Dakota State
vs
Indiana State
Photo by: Kevin Snyder
Bison Make First Trip to Mississippi for Five Games at Ole Miss Classic
3/4/2021 9:34:00 AM | Softball
THIS WEEK: The North Dakota State softball team makes its first trip to Mississippi this week to play five games in the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford. The Bison (1-4) will play doubleheaders with Indiana State (1-6) and Ole Miss (8-7) before closing out tournament action against Samford (6-5). Live stats for all five games will be available on BisonStats.com and ESPN+ will have live video of the Ole Miss doubleheader. Here is the NDSU schedule:
Friday, March 5
North Dakota State vs. Indiana State, 9:30 a.m.
North Dakota State vs. Indiana State, 12 p.m.
Saturday, March 6
North Dakota State at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
North Dakota State at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. [ESPN+]
Sunday, March 7
North Dakota State vs. Samford, 9:30 a.m.
THE SERIES: North Dakota State is 2-2 all-time against Indiana State dating back to 2005. The Sycamores won the last meeting 4-1 in 2015 at the Tennessee Invitational. ... Ole Miss won the only previous meeting with NDSU by a 1-0 score at the 2017 Cal State Fullerton Easton Invitational. ... Sunday will be the first softball meeting between NDSU and Samford.
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: North Dakota State rallied from a 3-0 deficit to force extra innings and beat Texas Tech 5-4 in the Bison's final game of the Arkansas Razorback Invitational last weekend. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. Left fielder Stephanie Soriano was 2-for-4 including the go-ahead RBI double and eventual game-winning run in the eighth inning. Lainey Lyle pitched all eight innings for the win as the Bison finished the weekend 1-4.
CAMACHO LEADS BISON ATTACK: Senior center fielder Madyson Camacho leads the Bison through five games with a .438 batting average, which ranks fourth among regulars in The Summit League through two weeks of play. Camacho hit her first collegiate home run, a leadoff inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning against Southeast Missouri State. She is one of three Bison players along with shortstop Skylar Padgett and second baseman Ciara Jensen entering the weekend on a four-game hitting streak.
FIRST-TIMERS: Three NDSU players hit their first collegiate home runs at the Arkansas Razorback Invitational last weekend, and all were of the one-run variety. Skylar Padgett jacked a 2-0 pitch in the fifth inning of the first matchup with Texas Tech, Madyson Camacho hit a first-pitch leadoff inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning against Southeast Missouri State, and Ciara Jensen's leadoff sixth-inning blast started NDSU's comeback from a 3-0 deficit to beat Texas Tech.
TRAVEL CANCELLATION: North Dakota State was idle during the first two weeks of the 2021 college softball season. After a scheduled off weekend Feb. 12-14, flight cancellations in the south forced the Bison to miss their Feb. 19-21 trip to McNeese State for the Cowgirl Classic and lose five games against Memphis (two games), McNeese State, Louisiana Tech and Boise State.
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.
NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS: North Dakota State beat at least one nationally ranked opponent in seven straight seasons from 2012 to 2018 with the most recent Top 25 victory coming in 2018 over 10th-ranked LSU by a 1-0 score in nine innings. That is one of five Bison wins over Top 10 opponents including a 2-1 victory at No. 2 Alabama in 2016, the highest-ranked opponent NDSU has beaten. NDSU's first win over a nationally ranked Division I program came in 2009 with an 11-inning 1-0 victory at No. 9/10 Oklahoma en route to the NCAA regional championship.
Friday, March 5
North Dakota State vs. Indiana State, 9:30 a.m.
North Dakota State vs. Indiana State, 12 p.m.
Saturday, March 6
North Dakota State at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. [ESPN+]
North Dakota State at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. [ESPN+]
Sunday, March 7
North Dakota State vs. Samford, 9:30 a.m.
THE SERIES: North Dakota State is 2-2 all-time against Indiana State dating back to 2005. The Sycamores won the last meeting 4-1 in 2015 at the Tennessee Invitational. ... Ole Miss won the only previous meeting with NDSU by a 1-0 score at the 2017 Cal State Fullerton Easton Invitational. ... Sunday will be the first softball meeting between NDSU and Samford.
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: North Dakota State rallied from a 3-0 deficit to force extra innings and beat Texas Tech 5-4 in the Bison's final game of the Arkansas Razorback Invitational last weekend. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. Left fielder Stephanie Soriano was 2-for-4 including the go-ahead RBI double and eventual game-winning run in the eighth inning. Lainey Lyle pitched all eight innings for the win as the Bison finished the weekend 1-4.
CAMACHO LEADS BISON ATTACK: Senior center fielder Madyson Camacho leads the Bison through five games with a .438 batting average, which ranks fourth among regulars in The Summit League through two weeks of play. Camacho hit her first collegiate home run, a leadoff inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning against Southeast Missouri State. She is one of three Bison players along with shortstop Skylar Padgett and second baseman Ciara Jensen entering the weekend on a four-game hitting streak.
FIRST-TIMERS: Three NDSU players hit their first collegiate home runs at the Arkansas Razorback Invitational last weekend, and all were of the one-run variety. Skylar Padgett jacked a 2-0 pitch in the fifth inning of the first matchup with Texas Tech, Madyson Camacho hit a first-pitch leadoff inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning against Southeast Missouri State, and Ciara Jensen's leadoff sixth-inning blast started NDSU's comeback from a 3-0 deficit to beat Texas Tech.
TRAVEL CANCELLATION: North Dakota State was idle during the first two weeks of the 2021 college softball season. After a scheduled off weekend Feb. 12-14, flight cancellations in the south forced the Bison to miss their Feb. 19-21 trip to McNeese State for the Cowgirl Classic and lose five games against Memphis (two games), McNeese State, Louisiana Tech and Boise State.
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.
NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS: North Dakota State beat at least one nationally ranked opponent in seven straight seasons from 2012 to 2018 with the most recent Top 25 victory coming in 2018 over 10th-ranked LSU by a 1-0 score in nine innings. That is one of five Bison wins over Top 10 opponents including a 2-1 victory at No. 2 Alabama in 2016, the highest-ranked opponent NDSU has beaten. NDSU's first win over a nationally ranked Division I program came in 2009 with an 11-inning 1-0 victory at No. 9/10 Oklahoma en route to the NCAA regional championship.
Players Mentioned
DP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballWednesday, November 12
Saturday, April 26
Monday, April 14
Saturday, April 12
