FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State softball will play its first games of 2023 on U.S. soil this weekend as the Bison head to Auburn, Alabama to face Brown and Auburn in the Plainsman Invitational. The Bison will play both programs on Saturday and then again in a doubleheader on Sunday, after the originally scheduled weekend was adjusted due to travel adjustments for the Bison with the winter storm across the region.
 
Game Coverage
Select games from the Plainsman Invitational will have live streaming and radio coverage. Live stats will also be provided. Links will be available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
A Look Back at Last Week
After a tough start to the campaign on the opening weekend in Mexico, the Bison responded with a 3-1 week during the second weekend in Puerto Vallarta, picking up strong wins against Sacramento State, Southern Illinois and Cal State Fullerton, who was receiving votes in the national polls.
 
The Bison started out with a 4-1 win over Sacramento State in the opening game of the weekend, as Paige Vargas tossed a gem and Emilee Buringa hit a two-run homer. NDSU then started strong against Southern Illinois in a 5-3 victory. Following a loss to #8/11 Tennessee, the Bison then upset Cal State Fullerton, who was coming off consecutive wins against Ole Miss and Tennessee. After an early run in the first from the Titans, Vargas shut down Cal State Fullerton's offense and Carley Goetschius scored twice, including the winning run on an RBI hit from Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage in the third.
 
The Series (Brown)
North Dakota State will take on Brown University for the first time on the softball diamond. The two athletic departments have met just once all-time in head-to-head competition, with Volleyball winning 3-1 at Brown in 2006.
 
The Series (Auburn)
The Bison will face Auburn for the seventh and eighth times in series history, dating back to a 2014 meeting at the Plainsman Invitational. NDSU is 1-5 in the series against Auburn, taking a 5-2 win at the NCAA Minneapolis Regional, which also came in 2014. The Bison are 0-3 against the Tigers at Auburn, with the most recent match ups coming in 2019 when the Bison fell on back-to-back days to the #21 Tigers in the Auburn Tiger Invitational.
 
A Return to the Plainsman
The Bison will make their second trip to the Plainsman Invitational in program history, having also competed at the event in 2014. During the first trip, the Bison went 3-1 with victories over Morehead State (10-3), Tennessee Tech (13-0; 5) and Notre Dame (4-1). The lone loss came to Auburn.
 
Sweet Home Alabama
The Bison have made five trips to Alabama in the program's history, beginning with the Easton Bama Bash in 2012. NDSU has played in four invitationals, as well as a doubleheader at South Alabama in 2015. Overall, the Bison are 14-7 in Alabama, having at least a 50 percent win record in every trip. Against unranked foes in "The Heart of Dixie", NDSU is 13-1 all-time. In the D1 era, the .667 win percentage is the second best win percentage of any state that the Bison have played early season tournaments/invitationals in, behind only Maryland (9-1, .875).
 
Against Rhode Island Teams
While the Bison have never faced Brown, NDSU has gone head-to-head with a pair of Rhode Island teams. NDSU swept Bryant 3-0 and 4-0 when both programs were in Division II in the West Florida Spring Fling in 2002. In 2008, the Bison had their only ever D1 meeting against a team from Rhode Island, defeating Providence 7-2 at the Santa Clara Bronco Stampede in California.
 
Senior Leading By Example
Despite seven of the first 10 games coming against teams ranked or receiving votes, senior Carley Goetschius has started year two with the Bison on a blistering pace. Goetschius has 13 hits, including three doubles and a home run along with three walks, reaching base in 50 percent of her plate appearances. Getting on base, along with her performance at the plate, Goetschius has accounted for 12 of NDSU's 24 runs this season
 
Vargas Off to Strong Start, In Top 10 for Several Bison Career Categories
Paige Vargas has had a strong start to 2023, posting a 1.63 era with three wins in seven appearances and four starts. Vargas has limited opponents to .168 at the plate with 31 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. Vargas has a walks and hits per innings pitched ration of just .90 and pitched a pair of complete game, one run allowed, victories last week against Sacramento State and Cal State Fullerton.
 
Vargas surpassed 100 career appearances during week one in Mexico and is 10th on the all-time list at 105 appearances, 82 career starts, 527.0 innings pitched, 60 complete games and is also tied for 10th with 16 complete game shutouts. The senior surpassed 400 career strikeouts in Mexico and is eighth all-time in strikeouts at 414 and ninth with 5.50 strikeouts per game.
 
One-Two Punch
Over the first two weeks of the season, Carley Goetschius and Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage have provided a big spark at the top of the lineup. Hitting back-to-back in all 10 games, the duo has combined for 23 of NDSU's 56 hits on the season. Goetschius is hitting .448 with three doubles and a home run, and has also reached on three walks, with a .500 on-base percentage. Aguilar-Beaucage is hitting .370 with three doubles and a .414 obp.
 
New Bison Making Key Contributions
The 2023 season has seen five newcomers regularly in the batting lineup for the Bison, including four true freshmen. Transfer Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage has made the biggest splash, starting every game at shortstop, hitting .370 with three doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored. Freshman Bella Dean is splitting time at first base and also seeing time in the designated player spot, hitting .385 with a .467 on-base percentage, second on the team. Fellow true freshman Ella Claus, Zoe King and Ava Chavarria have all made seven starts, with Claus recording a triple and a .333 obp, while King is at a .300 obp.
 
Moore Hits Career Highs Against Oregon
Senior catcher Kaylee Moore had a career day against the Ducks last week, recording three hits, including two doubles. Moore's three hits came against three different Ducks pitchers and she also added an RBI and her spot in the lineup scored a run. It was Moore's first career three-hit game and was also the first two-double game as well.
 
Shutouts
After nine shutouts in 2022, the Bison picked up a shutout in game one of 2023. Senior Paige Vargas tossed five scoreless innings before turning over the circle to freshman Piper Reed, who pitched two scoreless innings in her collegiate debut, as the duo combined for a shutout.
 
Life on the Road
The Bison are slated to play 36 games away from home, before the home opener against South Dakota in Summit League play on April 7. During the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Bison are slated to travel over 12,000 miles over the course of five trips in non-conference play.