FARGO, N.D. - After last week's home-opening series against St. Thomas was postponed, North Dakota State softball will return to action following a week off, heading to South Dakota to take on the Coyotes in a three-game Summit League series in Vermillion.
 
The Bison will open up the series against South Dakota on Friday, with a 2 p.m. first pitch scheduled for Nygaard Field. NDSU will take on the Coyotes again at 2 p.m. on Saturday, before playing the series finale on Sunday with first pitch slated for noon.
 
Game Coverage
All three games of the series between the Bison and South Dakota will be streamed live on The Summit League Network. A subscription to the Summit League Network, located on the Midco Sports Plus App, will be needed to view all games.
 
All games will also include live statistics. Game coverage links are available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
Series History
NDSU and South Dakota have met 104 times on the softball diamond, the third-most played series in NDSU's history. The Bison lead the all-time series with the Coyotes, 70-34, including a 37-14 record in the Division I era.
 
In Vermillion, the Bison are 29-19 against the Coyotes. However, the Bison have dropped the last four meetings and five of the last six at South Dakota after winning 25 straight from 1996 to 2019.
 
Spring on the Road, the Bison Way
NDSU concluded a stretch of the first 34 scheduled games on the road to begin the season. However, with the postponement of the series with St. Thomas, to later in the season, the road swing continues, looking to grow to 37 at South Dakota this weekend.
 
The Bison traveled to five tournaments, along with midweek games, a non-conference trip at California Baptist and the first Summit League series at Omaha. NDSU concludes the run this week in Alabama. The non-conference swing included 11-day trips to Florida and then to Las Vegas and California and also included non-conference trips to Minneapolis and Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
 
Bison Seeing Double
NDSU has 52 doubles already this season after just 44 doubles in all of 2025. All 13 Bison to have a hit this season have at least one double, with Bella Dean leading with 12, which is 25th nationally and first in the Summit League.
 
Swiping Bags
NDSU leads the Summit League in stolen bases (42) and stolen bases per game (1.24). The Bison led the Summit League in both last season, swiping 43 bags and averaging .86 per contest.
 
Star is Shining Bright
Junior Star Cortez has started every game in center field over the last two seasons, including earning all-league honors in 2025. Her starting streak has reach 84-consecutive games.
 
Cortez picked up in 2026 right where she left off, leading NDSU at the plate. Cortez enters the weekend hitting a team-best .389 with a team high 21 walks, posting a team high 488 on base percentage. Her 21 walks are already a career best for a single season. She also leads the Bison with 26 runs, another career high, and has 10 stolen bases on the campaign.
 
At UC Riverside, Cortez hit her first career home run. She has also added two triples and three doubles, which tie career high marks, and has her on pace to smash her career best in slugging, currently .481. Cortez has recorded five assists and also has 70 putouts. Cortez has 13 career outfield assists including 10 since becoming the every-game starter in center field.
 
Nieto Cementing Place in Left Field
In her first season as an every-game starter in left field, Lileigh Nieto has grown into a consistent producer at the plate and stability in the field. The sophomore has started all 34 games and is hitting .317 on the season, with 33 hits, seven doubles and one home run.
 
The Billings, Montana native has driven in 13 runs and also scored 21. She also has 15 walks on the season, for a .408 on base percentage. On the bases, she has five stolen bases. In the field, Nieto has 56 putouts, one outfield assist at Alabama, and no errors.
 
In spot starts and limited appearances as a freshman, Nieto had just seven hits, one double, five RBI and five runs scored, finishing the year with a .152 average and a .939 fielding percentage.
 
Sophomore Surge for Hanta
Amai Hanta has seen her production at the plate greatly improve in her sophomore season, hitting .367 through 29 games after hitting .246 as a freshman last year in 47 appearances.
 
The Honolulu, Hawaii native has already matched or surpassed her hitting totals from last season, with 33 hits and six doubles this season after 30 and four in 2025. She has also matched four triples, which is a team high, and one home run, slugging .556.
 
On the bases, Hanta leads NDSU with 13 stolen bases this season, after 20 in her freshman campaign.
 
Wihlm Growing Into Key Role In Circle
Entering the season, Madison Wihlm had tossed 68 innings in her career. The junior surpassed that mark in Omaha, throwing 73.1 innings pitched this season.
 
Wihlm has become a steady arm for NDSU, posting six wins already in 2026, entering the year with three. Her era has also dropped almost three runs this season and she has already reached a career best 62 strikeouts after 50 over the first two years.
 
Wihlm has also been key in relief in clutch situations, as she has yet to allow an inherited runner to score, stranding all 12 she has entered with.
 
Dean Saving Best for Last
Bella Dean is on pace to break many of her career marks, leading the Bison in her senior season. Dean is hitting a career best .327 and is three hits shy of her personal best, sitting at 37. She leads the team with 12 doubles, six homers and 30 RBIs. Dean has eight multi-hit games already this season, one shy of her career high on nine as a sophomore. She is also three games shy of her career best multi-RBI games of 11 as a freshman, also sitting at eight.
 
Last Week
The Bison were off last week after the series with St. Thomas was postponed due to winter weather and temperatures.
 
Two weeks ago, North Dakota State dropped both games in a short series at #6 Alabama to wrap up non-conference play. The Bison took the lead in game one, 1-0, before falling to the Crimson Tide 8-1. Alabama took the final game of the series, 13-0.
 
Next Up
The Bison open the home schedule, making up the postponed series with defending co-regular season champions St. Thomas. NDSU will face the Tommies with a three-game series at Tharaldson Park during the midweek, beginning with a single game on Tuesday before a doubleheader on Wednesday.