FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State softball closes out the season-opening trip to Florida with the second half of an 11-day trip, traveling to Daytona Beach and DeLand.
 
The Bison start the week at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach on Wednesday. NDSU will face the Wildcats at 4 p.m. CT at Sunnyland Park.
 
NDSU then closes the week at the Hatter Classic in DeLand, Florida on February 12-14. On Thursday, the Bison will face host Stetson in a single game at 5 p.m. CT at Patricia Wilson Field. The Bison will then take on Maine at 11 a.m. CT on Friday with a second game against Stetson to follow at 4 p.m. CT. NDSU will close out the trip on Saturday against Maine, with first pitch set for 12 p.m. CT.
 
B-C and Hatter Classic Coverage
The trip to Bethune-Cookman will be streamed live on the Cat Eye Network through YouTube.
 
NDSU's opener against host Stetson will also be streamed live on Hatter Vision. The second game against the Hatters will feature an audio-only broadcast.
 
Wednesday's game at Bethune-Cookman and all four games at the Hatter Classic will include live statistics. Links to video, audio and stats will be available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
Mid-Major Freshman of the Week
Jocelyn McClary was named the D1 Softball Mid-Major Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. McClary posted a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.00 era, tossing 14.2 scoreless innings. It is the third national player of the week for the Bison all-time and the first since Jacquelyn Sertic was named NFCA Pitcher of the Week on March 20, 2018.
 
Summit League Honors Sweep
Jocelyn McClary and senior Bella Dean were named the Summit League Kwik Star Peak Pitcher and Performer of the Week following opening weekend.
 
McClary tossed 14.2 scoreless innings in the circle, including a shutout over 2025 NCAA Tournament team North Florida.
 
Dean hit four home runs, including her third career multi-home run game with two homers in the season opener. Dean finished 9-for-18 with nine RBI, six runs and a 1.278 slugging percentage.
 
It is the fourth Summit League Peak Performer honor for Dean in her career, while McClary earns her first Peak Pitcher accolade. McClary is the first Bison freshman to win a Summit League Weekly accolade since Madison Wihlm in 2024.
 
The most recent NDSU weekly accolade was Rylee Henderson earning Peak Performer on February 24, 2025. It is the first sweep of the awards for the Bison since March 4, 2024 when Dean and Wihlm took the honors.
 
Florida Bound to Open the Year
The Bison are starting the season in Florida for just the second time in the Division I era. North Dakota State's last trip to Florida to open the year was the official start to the Division I era in 2005, going 2-3 at the UCF Tournament in Orlando.
 
NDSU is in their 17th overall trip to the state of Florida since making the first trip in 1996. The Sunshine State has been good to the Bison, holding a 127-42 record including 2026.
 
It will be the second trip to DeLand for the Bison, having made their first trip in March of 2017 to the Stetson Westin Invitational NDSU went 4-1 during the trip in 2017.
 
Series History - Bethune-Cookman
-North Dakota State will meet Bethune-Cookman for the first time on the softball diamond.
 
Series History - Stetson
The Bison will meet Stetson for the second and third times in program history. NDSU won the only previous meeting, defeating the Hatters 3-1 at Stetson in the Stetson Westin Invitational in March of 2017.
 
Series History - Maine
NDSU will face Maine for the third and fourth times in series history. The Bison claimed both meetings with the Black Bears, coming at the GATA Challenge in Statesboro, Georgia in 2022. NDSU won 12-2 in game one and then defeated Maine 8-2 in the second contest the next day.
 
Dean Ties NDSU Record
Senior Bella Dean tied an NDSU record in the season opener, matching Logan Moreland and Vanessa Anderson with three career multi-home run games. Dean hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first and added another in the bottom of the fifth. Her first multi-home run game came in 2024 in Nashville against Georgetown. The second came last season in Mexico against Florida International.
 
McClary Sets Freshman Bison Records
Jocelyn McClary started off the season by claiming an NDSU freshman record, tossing 14.2 scoreless innings to begin her college career. The 14.2 scoreless innings on opening weekend smashes the previous NDSU Division I freshman record for scoreless innings to start a career, which was held by Lainey Lyle at 4.2 in 2020.
 
McClary also became the first Bison pitcher in the Division I era to throw a complete game shutout in their first start for NDSU. In her first start, she struck out six with just one walk allowed at North Florida. She scattered eight hits and tossed a complete-game shutout against the program that won two games in the NCAA Tournament last season and run-ruled Auburn earlier in the week.
 
Boos Homers On First Weekend As Bison
Mya Boos transferred to NDSU as a sophomore this season and immediately made a splash, recording hits in her first two games. The Billings, Montana native had an RBI double in her first game, recording her first collegiate hit. In her second appearance, Boos hit a two-run home run and also scored the winning run earlier in the game following a walk.
 
Star is Shining Bright
Junior Star Cortez started every game in center field last season and has picked up right where she left off after earning all-league honors last year. Cortez started all five games and went 7-for-13 at the plate with two walks, leading NDSU with a .538 avg and a .600 obp. She also scored three runs and had a stolen base over the first weekend and picked up her first outfield assist of the season along with 16 putouts.
 
Nieto Jumps On Opportunity
In limited at bats last season, Lileigh Nieto had just seven hits and three walks in 2025 as a freshman. Over opening weekend, Nieto recorded five hits and two walks, along with a pair of stolen bases.
 
Last Week
North Dakota State opened up the 2026 season with a 3-2 weekend at the River City Leadoff in Jacksonville, Florida. After a comeback bid fell short, 8-6 against Colgate in the opener, NDSU topped co-host Jacksonville 5-2 to close day one on Friday.
 
The Bison swept day two, with a 9-4 win over Colgate, before a shutout of 2025 NCAA Tournament Team North Florida in game two of the day. NDSU fell to North Florida to split the series with the Ospreys, who are receiving votes in the NFCA poll, in the final game of the weekend on Sunday.
 
Next Up
Following the trip to Florida, the Bison will make the short bus trip to Minneapolis for the Gopher Indoor Classic hosted at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Bison will face Long Island and Central Michigan on Friday. NDSU then closes the trip Saturday against Iowa State and host Minnesota.