FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State (12-7) will head to the west coast for the second-straight week, as the Bison are slated to play four games in Eugene and two in Corvallis in the Oregon/Oregon State Invite.
 
NDSU will open up the trip with games against Portland State (11-7) and RV/No. 24 Oregon State (19-3) on Friday in Eugene. The first game is set to begin at 11 a.m./1 p.m. CT with the second coming at 1:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one. The Bison will then take on No. 11/14 Oregon (16-3) in a doubleheader in Eugene on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m./1 p.m. CT. The weekend will close out with rematches against Portland State and Oregon State on Sunday, with the games set to begin at 11 a.m./1 p.m. CT in Corvallis.
 
TICKETS AND PARKING: For Friday and Sunday's events at Jane Sanders Stadium on the campus of Oregon, all seating in the main seating bowl is reserved. General admission seating is located in the outfield bleachers. Parking is available around the venue on campus & city streets. Reserved seating is available beginning at $10 and General Admission Tickets for each day are $7. Tickets can be bought in advance at goducks.com.
 
For Sunday's doubleheader at Kelly Field on the campus of Oregon State, all seating is general admission. Tickets for the doubleheader are $6 for adults and $4 for youth and seniors. Tickets can be purchased in advance at osubeavers.com.
 
COVERAGE: All four games on Friday and Saturday will be streamed live on the Pac 12 Plus network and will be available on the Oregon Live Stream-2 channel. Sunday's game against Oregon State will also be streamed live on the Pac 12 Plus network and will be available on the Oregon State Live Stream-2 channel. All six events will also have live statistics. Links to all streams and stats will be available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
THE SERIES (PSU): NDSU and Portland State will meet for the sixth and seventh time in series history, all at neutral sites. The Vikings claimed the first two meetings in 2006 (3-4 and 0-8; 5), but NDSU has won in 2010 (2-1), 2014 (11-3; 6) and 2019 (2-1).
 
THE SERIES (OSU): The Bison are slated to play Oregon State for the second and third time in a two week span. The two teams have met three times before, with OSU winning 3-1 on Sunday in Riverside. Prior to that, the two teams last met in February of 2015, splitting games at the San Diego State Campbell/Cartier Classic. NDSU won 4-2 in the first meeting OSU won 5-6 two days later.
 
THE SERIES (UO): Saturday's games will be the fourth and fifth meetings between NDSU and the Ducks. The Bison have fallen in the three previous meetings, including once in 2007 (1-6) and twice in the NCAA Eugene Regional in 2015 (3-4 and 1-6).
 
A FIRST REGULAR SEASON VENTURE TO OREGON: North Dakota State softball has made two previous trips to the state of Oregon, with both coming in the postseason. The Bison made their first trip in 2003, playing in the NCAA DII College World Series hosted in Salem, while the second trip came in 2015 at the NCAA Eugene Regional. The Bison were 2-2 in both, alternating wins and losses for a 4-4 record overall.
 
EXTRA BASES: The Bison are 11th in the NCAA in total extra-base hits (63). NDSU's 3.32 extra-base hits per game also ranks 12th in the NCAA. Both numbers lead the Summit League with SDSU's 40 and 2.5 the next closest. On the season, the Bison have 48 doubles, four triples and 11 home runs. The 63 extra-base hits in 19 games are well past halfway to last season's total of 82 in 45 games.
 
GIVE ME TWO: NDSU ranks first in the NCAA in doubles and doubles per game. The Bison have 48 doubles on the year, six more than Boise State, who have 42 in 20 games. NDSU's 2.53 doubles per game ranks first, with Illinois (2.36) the next closest. Individually, Avery Wysong has 10 doubles on the season, which is second in the nation. Molly Gates is 15th in the national rankings, sitting on eight doubles. Both players also rank in the top 25 in the NCAA in doubles per game, averaging .53 and .44, respectively.
 
OTHER NOTABLE NCAA RANKINGS: Aside from leading the NCAA in doubles and doubles per game, NDSU also ranks 11th in scoring, averaging 7.37 runs per game. The Bison are also 17th in walks (76) and 26th in on base percentage (.407). Individually, Cameryn Maykut ranks 13th in RBIs (25) and 17th in RBIs per game (1.32). Nicole Licea ranks 15th in walks per game (.89) In the circle, Paige Vargas ranks 30th in the NCAA in strikeouts with 70 on the season.
 
FANTASTIC FEBRUARY: The Bison had one of the best months of February in the program's 18th seasons in Division I, flipping the script from the 2021 campaign. NDSU was 10-4 this February after going 4-10 the season prior. The .714 win percentage was the fourth best in the D1 era, behind only the 2008 (.800), 2015 (.786) and 2007 (.750) seasons. It is NDSU's best February in the last seven seasons.
 
LIFE ON THE ROAD: The Bison will play the first eight weekends on the road or at neutral sites to begin the 2022 season, including the first two conference series. North Dakota State is slated to play 37 games (originally scheduled to play 38) away from home before opening up the home schedule on April 9 with a Summit League doubleheader against Kansas City. During the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Bison are slated to fly over 15,000 miles between the six weekend invitationals, playing in the pacific time zone three times, eastern time zone twice and mountain time zone once.
 
GATES HIT TOP 5 WITH 14-GAME HIT STREAK: Gates recorded a 14-game hit streak to begin the season, which tied for the fifth longest hitting streak in NDSU's Division 1 era and the longest streak for an NDSU player to begin the season. The 14-game streak by the sophomore also tied the longest by a non-senior Bison, matching a 14-game streak by Logan Moreland as a junior in 2015.
 
LICEA REACHES BASE 10-STRAIGHT PLATE APPEARANCES: Senior infielder Nicole Licea hit a new milestone in Albuquerque, as the Corona, California native reached base safely in 10-straight plate appearances over three games. Licea had five hits, four walks and a hit by pitch during the span. She also drove in two runs and scored four more as a result of reaching safely in 10-straight at bats.
 
RUDD MATCHES SINGLE GAME HR RECORD: Reanna Rudd hit her second and third home runs of the season against Buffalo in New Mexico in back-to-back plate appearances. Rudd became the 18th different Bison to hit two homers in a game. It has been done 30 times overall by a Bison, including 21 times in the Division 1 era.
 
VARGAS, SCHULZ RECORD FIRST SHUTOUTS OF SEASON: Paige Vargas and Mac Schultz each contributed to shutouts in Georgia. Vargas tossed a five-inning shutout against UT Martin before Schulz went 5.2 innings and Vargas recorded the final four outs in the finale at Georgia Southern. It's the first combined shutout since 2019. The Bison had just three shutouts in all of 2021.
 
BURINGA SNAGS FIRST SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Emilee Buringa was named the Summit League Softball Player of the Week on February 21. Buringa hit .636 (7-for-11), with a home run, a double, seven RBIs, and five runs scored. Buringa is the only Bison to earn Summit League softball honors this season and the first Bison to earn player of the week honors since Maddie Hansen won on April 8, 2019.
 
GOING GOING GONE: In the NDSU's win against Utah State to close out the opening weekend, the Bison hit three home runs, the most in a game since April 27, 2019 when NDSU had three against Omaha. The first was a grand slam from senior Cameryn Maykut in the second inning. Then in the sixth, Reanna Rudd and Emilee Buringa each hit their first collegiate home run.
 
BISON PICKED RUNNERS UP IN SUMMIT: North Dakota State was picked to finish in a tie as the runners up in The Summit League in 2022 in a preseason poll of the league's eight head coaches. The Bison have won two of the last three regular season crowns and six of the last seven league tournament titles. NDSU had one first-place vote and finished tied for second on 38 points with Kansas City. South Dakota State was a unanimous first-place selection. Omaha, South Dakota, North Dakota, Western Illinois and St. Thomas rounded out the poll.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH: North Dakota State junior right-handed pitcher Lainey Lyle and senior catcher Avery Wysong were among the Summit League preseason players to watch. Lyle, a 2021 All-Summit League Second Team selection, made 14 appearances last season with a 3.18 ERA. The Middleton, Idaho native tossed a no hitter against South Dakota and recorded six wins in 19.1 innings pitched. Wysong, also a 2021 All-Summit League Second Team selection, started 39 games last year, hitting .278 with a team high eight doubles and eight home runs. She also led the Bison with 27 RBIs.
 
WHO'S BACK: North Dakota State returns 14 of 21 players from last season, including eight of the 12 regular starters from a squad that finished third in the Summit League regular season. The Bison return four of their top seven bats from last season, including sophomore Emilee Buringa, who led the team with a .348 batting average. Senior Avery Wysong, who led the Bison in doubles, home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage, also returns and provides consistency behind the plate for an experienced pitching staff that includes the return of Lainey Lyle (3.18 era, 79.1 IP) and Paige Vargas (3.84 era, 100.1 IP), who have run the circle a majority of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
 
NEW FACES: NDSU welcomed four new comers to the team this season, including three true freshman and a transfer. Carley Goetschius, originally from Sioux Falls, S.D., transferred to the Bison from Northern Illinois. Goetschius played three seasons with NIU and enters 2022 with a .282 career batting average with seven doubles and nine home runs. Faith Daehlin, from Lakeville, Minn., and Chloe Woldruff, from Lispon, Iowa, join the Bison as freshman and will contribute in the field and at the plate. Savy Williams, from McKinney, Texas, is the final freshman and joins the pitching staff.
 
GRABLE, KOEHN JOIN STAFF: North Dakota State added two new staff members heading into this season with Kayti Grable joining the staff as an assistant coach and former Bison Sam Koehn as a graduate assistant. Grable joins the Bison after her most recent stop as an assistant coach with Valparaiso, where she spent three seasons. Koehn remains in Fargo and joins the staff after wrapping up her three-year career with the Bison, starting 122 of 123 games played at third base.
 
EXTRA INNINGS: NDSU is 13-5 in extra innings since 2017 and the Bison have a 41-31 record in extras since beginning Division I play in 2005 including three 12-inning games against Colorado State in 2006 (W, 3-2); Kansas City in 2012 (L, 4-6) and Georgia Tech in 2017 (W, 8-6). The Bison are 7-2 in games that go at least 11 innings in the Division I era.
 
GRAND SLAMS: The Bison have hit 13 grand slams in the Division I era, including one Cameryn Maykut against Utah State earlier this season. Fellow current Bison Avery Wysong hit a grand slam last season at Kansas City. Former Bison Melissa Chmielewski holds the lead for NDSU with four grand slams from 2007-10. Maritza Lopez-Portillo and Vanessa Anderson are the only other Bison with multiple grand slams in their career. NDSU has just one grand slam at home, Alyssa Reina against Fort Wayne on April 9, 2016. The Bison have three on the road and nine in neutral site games.
 
WIN STREAKS: The Bison have strung together win streaks of at least five games on 35 occasions since beginning Division I play in 2005, including one this season. North Dakota State had a 20-game win streak during the 2019 season that stands as the program's division I era record. NDSU has reached 10-game win streaks six times (2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019), with the streaks in 2013 (15 games) and 2019 being the longest. Over the program's history, the Bison have eight win streaks of at least 15 games and four that reached 20, including the program record of 27 wins in April of 2000 when the Bison went on to claim the NCAA DII National Championship.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: North Dakota State historically plays The Summit League's toughest non-conference schedule in preparation for league play. The Bison have another tough schedule lined up in 2022 that includes six tournaments, three hosted by Power 5 programs, and seven games against NCAA Tournament teams from last season.
 
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.
 
NO-HITTERS: North Dakota State pitchers have thrown 31 no-hitters including 14 against Division I opponents with Lainey Lyle's April 10 no-no last season being the first since 2019 when KK Leddy blanked South Dakota State 5-0. There have been eight perfect games by NDSU pitchers with the last one in 2015 by Krista Menke at Purdue Fort Wayne. There have been six no-hitters pitched against NDSU in Division I play since 2005. Illinois State's Morgan Day struck out 16 and walked one in the last no-hitter against North Dakota State in the championship game of the Middle Tennessee State University Invitational on March 14, 2021.
 
SERIES SWEEPS: Since beginning Summit League play in 2008, NDSU has swept 39 three-game series including 26 away from Fargo. The Bison have been swept only three times in league play with all three coming on the road against Purdue Fort Wayne (2010), Kansas City (2011) and South Dakota State (four games, 2021).
 
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.
 
VICTORY MILESTONES: North Dakota State is approaching several milestone victories in the 2022 season. The Bison are six wins from the program's 1200th victory. The Bison are averaging over 34 wins a year in the Division I era, which could also see Bison head coach Darren Mueller approach the 700-win milestone. He entered 2022 at 670 and currently sits at 680. The Bison are also just seven wins in Summit League play away from 200. NDSU began league play in 2008, and are averaging nearly 15 league wins in the 13 seasons when league play was competed.
 
TOURNEY TOWN: North Dakota State has hosted the Summit League softball tournament nine times since becoming eligible for the NCAA Division I postseason in 2009. Western Illinois (2009, 2011) and Kansas City (2012) are the only other teams to have hosted the tournament over those 12 seasons. NDSU has won seven of the nine tournaments held in Fargo. Fort Wayne in 2013 and South Dakota State in 2021 are the only teams to have won the tournament in Fargo.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: North Dakota State has advanced to NCAA regional play 10 of the past 12 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.