NDSU Heads to Twin Cities to Face Tommies

Sunday, April 23

St. Paul, Minn.

12 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

St. Thomas

Photo by: Mercede Odegaard

NDSU Heads to Twin Cities to Face Tommies

4/20/2023 12:39:00 PM | Softball

NDSU Notes

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State will make its first-ever trip to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on St. Thomas, as the teams meet for just the second time since the Tommies joined the Summit League ahead of last season. The three-game series is set for a doubleheader on Saturday 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 Tommies 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 3-2 record all time against St. Thomas, with two of the three victories coming in Fargo last season in the first Division I matchup between the two schools. The Bison played St. Thomas twice before in the 1990's, as the teams split games in early-season invitationals. St. Thomas won in 1992 in Fargo, with the Bison winning in Sioux Falls in 1996.

Goetschius Pacing Bison, Summit League at Plate
Carley Goetschius leads the Bison and the Summit League this season, hitting .405 with 13 doubles. She also leads the Summit League with 49 hits, .661 slg%, 1.103 ops, and the toughest to strike out at just one per 17.3 at bats (5.7%). Goetschius has also batted in and/or scored 56 of NDSU's 157 (35.7%) runs this season. The senior ranks 19th nationally in doubles, 55th in batting average, 66th in hits and 81st in toughest to strike out.

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 (1.002) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.22), second in wins (12) and shutouts (4), and third in strikeouts (116) and batting average against (.190).

Dean, Goetschius Lead League in Home Runs
Freshman Bella Dean and senior Carley Goetschius sit atop the Summit League in home runs in league play. They have four each, doubling eight that have two in league play. Dean hit two at Kansas City and two more at Western Illinois. Goetschius also had a pair at Kansas City and added one at Western Illinois and at South Dakota State.

Lyle Finding Groove in Circle
Lainey Lyle has not allowed an earned run in league play this season and in five appearances overall, spanning 26.2 innings. In the Summit League, the senior has tossed a pair of complete game shutouts against Western Illinois and South Dakota and she is one of just two pitchers without an earned run against.

Bison Producing at the Plate
NDSU enters the week leading the Summit League in multiple offensive categories. The Bison are atop the league in batting average, hitting .261 as a team. NDSU is also leading the league in slugging at .389.

Dean Making Run at Freshman Honors
Bella Dean has made a splash in recent weeks, earning an everyday spot in the lineup. Dean has six home runs in the last six weeks, including four in Summit League play, the top freshman for both in the league. In league play, Dean is also the top freshman in slugging percentage (.686) and runs batted in (14).

Vargas Climbing NDSU Career Charts
Paige Vargas is seventh on the all-time NDSU list at 122 appearances and 95 career starts. Last week she moved into seventh in innings pitched with 611.1. She is eighth with 20 career shutouts and is ninth with 58 wins. The senior is seventh all-time in strikeouts, sitting one shy of 500 at 499. She is ninth with 5.71 strikeouts per game and is fifth with five career saves.

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.

Aguilar-Beaucage Sets Career High Streaks
Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage became the 21st Bison in the Division I era to have a hit streak of at least 10 games earlier this season. It was a career high mark for the junior transfer, who also set a personal best mark of 14 games reaching base safely.

Lyle Tosses Back-to-Back Shutouts, Sets New Personal Mark
Lainey Lyle pitched a pair of gems in league play earlier this season. 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 reached 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings, a new career high. Her previous best was a 15.1 inning stretch in 2021.