THIS WEEK: Minot State opens its 2017 home Northern Sun schedule with a pair of games against Minnesota Crookston Thursday at Herb Parker Stadium (2/4 p.m.) and ends the week on the road at Wayne State College Saturday (1/3 p.m.) and Augustana University Sunday (12/2 p.m.)

RECORDS: Minot State comes into the week with a 10-9 overall record and is 2-4 in league play. UMC has a unique record, coming into the week with an 11-16-1 record and a 1-4-1 mark in NSIC games. WSC is currently winless in NSIC games at 0-8 and is 6-26 overall, while AU is 21-9 overall and 6-2 in the NSIC.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's Bill Triplett is in his 10th season as the head coach at Minot State. The former CaptainU National Coach of the Year has guided Minot State to both the NAIA National Tournament and the NCAA Division II National Tournament. He has a 283-159 overall record. Don Stopa is in his third season with UMC and is 26-99-1 overall. Shelli Manson of Wayne State is also in her third season.  She is 67-73 overall. Gretta Melstad is the head coach at AU is 406-188 with the Vikings in 10 seasons and 487-279 overall

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: MSU provides live video – with Leif Bakken serving as the play-by-play announcer – and live stats at msubeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube with all feeds accessible at msubeavers.com/stayconnected.

RANKINGS: None of the teams were ranked in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25 poll.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State lost three one-run games including a nine-inning marathon during a six-game road swing to start the NSIC season. MSU opened with an 8-2 win at rival University of Mary, but settled for a split with a 6-1 loss in game 2. The Beavers lost three straight one-run games including two at SCSU and one at UMD before salvaging a split with the Bulldogs winning 9-6 in the finale Sunday. WSC struggled to a 0-6 week and is 0-8 overall, but faced some of the top teams in the NSIC. The Wildcats were swept by Winona State, Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul, who are a combined 18-6 in league play. AU went 4-2 this past week, sweeping Upper Iowa and CSP after losing twice to Minnesota State.

ALL-TIME AT A GLANCE: The Beavers have a sizeable lead on Minnesota Crookston all time, holing a 16-1 lead dating back to both team's NAIA days. MSU trails both WSC (7-2) and AU (7-3). UMC went 1-5-1 with the rare 5-5 tie with Northern State due to darkness in six straight on the road. UMC was swept by Bemidji State, lost and tied NSU and split with MSU Moorhead.

LAST TIME OUT: Minot State defeated UMC 7-1 in February during the Minot State Dome Invite played in Aberdeen, S.D. Rachel Burdette finished with three hits and three RBIs to pace the Beavers. MSU dropped a pair of NSIC games to both teams early in the season last year, falling 8-0 and 10-6 at AU and 9-2 and 12-2 at WSC in March.

NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Minnesota Crookston earned a rare tie with a 5-5 game against Northern State in Bemidji, Minn., last week as the game was called due to darkness… The Golden Eagles have 11 wins this season already, tying their mark from 2016... Victoria Bayless and Maggie Morales are both batting .344 to lead the team… Bailey Braatz is the team lead in wins (8), strikeouts (42) and ERA (3.21).

NOTING THE WILDCATS: Wayne State College has struggled to start the year, but has played some of the top teams in the NSIC and the region to begin the year… Rachel Shumaker is the team's leader at the plate with a .326 batting average… Katelyn Woken has two home runs and three tripled to go with her team-high 13 RBIs… WSC has only two players hitting better than .300 as the team's average is .246… Nataliah Hopkins has all six wins for the Wildcats in the circle.

NOTING THE VIKINGS: Augustana University's Sarah Kennedy has positioned herself for NSIC and national awards as she is batting an even .500 with nearly 100 at bats (98). She has nine home runs, 14 doubles and 32 RBIs through 29 games… AU is batting .327 as a team with five regulars and one sub all hitting .300 or better… Abby Chandler and Kara McDougall have combined to steal 21 of 24 bases… Lexi Pederson is 11-4 with a 1.36 ERA in 15 appearances.

MILESTONE WEEK: Three different Beavers reached significant milestones over the weekend as Jordan Grant collected her 200th hit and Ashley Hill and Rachel Burdette each recorded their 100th RBI respectively. Grant has 200 hits and has scored 125 runs. Burdette collected hit No. 150 earlier in the year and has 102 RBIs. Hill reached 100 RBIs in just 112 games and has 101 in her career.

LOFTY COMPANY: MSU senior Jordan Grant is 29 in the nation in all divisions in active career stolen bases with 91 in her career. In NCAA Division II only, she is tied for 13th overall. Grant has 91 stolen bases in 103 career attempts and would become the first player in school history to steal 100 bases.

BY THE NUMBERS

.229: Opposing batter's average against Jenn Spencer in 2017. Spencer has a solid 3.47 ERA and is 5-3 with 59.2 innings pitched.

.58: Doubles per game for Tori Zimmermann to lead the team, NSIC and nation. Zimmerman has 11 doubles in her first 19 games for the Beavers.

15: Bases on balls for Lauren Cowden. Cowden has been walked 15 times in 10 games to help bolster her on base percentage to .493.