The South Dakota softball team is preparing for a demanding stretch of four games in four days, beginning with a series against North Dakota from April 18 to April 20, followed by a home game against Drake on April 21.
This busy schedule is part of a larger run of seven games over nine days for the Coyotes. The team will return to Summit League play facing North Dakota at Albrecht Field in Grand Forks before heading back to Vermillion for their final non-conference matchup of the season.
In their most recent outing, South Dakota fell to Iowa State by an 8-0 margin. Kiya Johnson recorded both hits for the Coyotes during that contest. Junior Brooke Carey leads the team’s offense with a .374 batting average and ranks among the top ten hitters in the Summit League. Sara Iburg has driven in a team-high 20 runs and leads with five home runs this season.
Pitcher Madison Evans has been reliable on the mound, leading both her team and the Summit League in innings pitched (120.2), strikeouts (113), and complete games (11). Additional pitching options include Peyton Paulsen and Campbell German, who have made multiple starts throughout the year.
North Dakota enters its first home conference series with an overall record of 24-16 but has struggled recently within league play. Key players include Jaedyn Valdez (.376 batting average) and Camryn Lasota (.307), while pitcher Tegan Livesay holds a team-best earned run average of 2.86 across more than ninety innings pitched.
Drake University, South Dakota’s opponent on April 21, comes into its Missouri Valley Conference series holding a record similar to South Dakota’s at 10-30 overall. The Bulldogs are led offensively by Tatum Aragon (.330 batting average) and Pearson Hall (six home runs).
Historically, South Dakota leads its all-time series against North Dakota but trails Drake after eleven meetings between the two programs. Tuesday’s game will mark their first-ever meeting at Nygaard Field in Vermillion.
