NDSU Travels to SDSU for Top-Two Clash

Sunday, April 16

Brookings, S.D.

3 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

South Dakota State

Photo by: Mercede Odegaard

NDSU Travels to SDSU for Top-Two Clash

4/13/2023 10:05:00 AM | Softball

NDSU Notes

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State heads back to South Dakota this weekend, as the Bison get set for a battle of the top two teams in the Summit League, as they take on South Dakota State. The three-game series is set for a double header on Saturday, beginning at noon, with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. to wrap up the weekend.

Game Coverage
All three games are set to be streamed live on Jackrabbits All-Access. The games will also have live stats provided. Links are provided on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.

The Series
North Dakota State holds a 76-53 record all time against South Dakota State, including a 44-15 record in the Division I era. However, the Bison have lost seven straight to SDSU with three losses last season and four in 2021. Prior to COVID, which wiped out the 2020 league schedule, NDSU had gone 25-2 against the Jackrabbits from 2012 to 2019, including a span of 19-straight wins, the longest in the series for either team.

A Look Back at Last Week
NDSU picked up it's third-consecutive series victory to begin the Summit League season, as the Bison took two of three from South Dakota. After falling in game one of the series for the second-straight weekend, NDSU picked up a shutout win and a 5-4 victory on Saturday.

Bison Producing at the Plate
NDSU enters the week leading the Summit League in several offensive categories. The Bison are atop the league in batting average, hitting .268 as a team. NDSU is also leading the league in slugging at .399. With the numbers at the plate so strong, NDSU has converted base runners into runs, leading the league with 4.28 runs per game.

Lyle Tosses Back-to-Back Shutouts, Sets New Personal Mark
Lainey Lyle pitched a pair of gems in league play the last two weeks. Lyle led NDSU to a 1-0 win at Western Illinois before shutting out South Dakota in a 2-0 win. With back-to-back shutouts, Lyle is at 16.1 consecutive scoreless innings, a new career high. Her previous best was a 15.1 inning stretch in 2021. Lyle has also not allowed an earned run in league play and has not given up an earned run in her last four appearances, spanning 23 innings.

Aguilar-Beaucage Extends Reached Base Streak
Junior transfer Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage enters the series with South Dakota State riding a 12-game reached base streak, the longest of her career. In the middle of the streak, Aguilar-Beaucage had a 10-game hit streak, also a career best and the 32nd overall for NDSU in the Division I era.

Life on the Road
After moving the first home series to Sioux Falls due to snow, the Bison are now slated to play 42 games away from home before hosting North Dakota on April 29. NDSU was originally scheduled to play 36 away from home to start the season. The latest start to the home schedule in program history is April 28 in 2009 and 2018.

Dean Among League Leaders in Home Runs
Freshman Bella Dean has made a splash in recent weeks, hitting six home runs over the last five weekends. She is tied with Rozelyn Carrillo (SDSU) and Aleesia Sainz (USD) for the most home runs. Dean has four home runs in league play, which leads the league ahead of teammate Carley Goetschius in second.

Vargas Among League Leaders in Circle
Paige Vargas ranks in the top three in nearly every major pitching category in the Summit League. Entering the week, Vargas leads the league in WHIP (.94) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.70), second in wins (12) and shutouts (4), and third in strikeouts (100) and batting average against (.188).

Goetschius Pacing Bison, Summit League at Plate
Carley Goetschius leads the Bison and the Summit League this season, hitting .398 with 12 doubles. She also leads the Summit League with 45 hits, 17 extra-base hits, 29 runs, 30 RBI, .637 slg% and the toughest to strike out at just one per 22.6 at bats (4.4%). Goetschius has also drove in and/or scored 54 of NDSU's 154 (35%) runs this season. The senior ranks 20th nationally in doubles and 38th in toughest to strike out.

Rudd Picking Up Where She Left Off
Reanna Rudd made her return to the lineup at Western Illinois, going 3-for-4 with a double and a run in the series finale. Last week against South Dakota, Rudd went on to drive in the winning runs in both victories. She had an RBI double in the fourth inning of game two and a RBI single in the fifth inning of game three. Rudd had a nine-game hit streak snapped when she left the Purdue game early due to injury.

Bison Stolen Base Streak Reaches 18
NDSU had a safely stolen base streak snapped last weekend in South Dakota. The Bison had stolen bases safely in 18-straight attempts. Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage led the way during the stretch, that spanned over 10 games, as she had a streak of six-straight games with a stolen base and seven overall. NDSU is 30-for-40 on the season.

Shutouts
The Bison have picked up eight shutouts this season, including a pair of shutouts against power 5 programs, and a shutout in each of the three Summit League series. Paige Vargas leads the Bison with four solo shutouts this season, including a pair of one hitters (at Mississippi State, at Kansas City), as well as shutouts against Purdue and Brown. Lainey Lyle has two shutouts in league play. The duo has also teamed up with Piper Reed once each for a pair of combined shutouts as well.

Hitting Streaks
The Bison have had 32 hit streaks of at least 10 games in the Division I era, with the most recent coming from Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage earlier this season, when she recorded a hit in 10-straight games. The Division I era record is 26, set by Logan Moreland during her senior season in 2016. Moreland also leads with the most 10+ streaks, having four in her career. Seven Bison have multiple 10+ streaks overall.

Vargas Climbing NDSU Career Charts
Paige Vargas is seventh on the all-time NDSU list at 120 appearances and 93 career starts. She is eighth with 20 career shutouts and 599.1 innings pitched, and is ninth with 58 wins. The senior surpassed 400 career strikeouts in Mexico and against Auburn, Vargas passed KK Leddy for seventh all-time in strikeouts, now sitting at 483. She is ninth with 5.64 strikeouts per game. She is also fifth with five career saves.

Strength of Schedule
The Bison are known for having one of the tougher schedules in non-conference play, with 2023 no different, as NDSU had 14 games against teams in the current top 100 of the RPI. The Bison picked up four victories, with wins over Mississippi State (46), Cal State Fullerton (48), Southern Illinois (64) and Purdue (100). The Bison also had narrow defeats to Oregon (22), Minnesota (30), Ole Miss (32), Maryland (45) and Purdue.