Minot, ND – The plane landed in Orlando, Florida on Saturday with Minot State's softball team on board, ready for a week of NCAA Division II softball at The Spring Games.Hosted in Winter Haven, Florida, The Spring Games extravaganza is known as the world's largest college softball event, having grown from forty Division III teams in 2008 to now hosting over 508 teams play 2,500 games at ballparks in central Florida.
While some students might be enjoying spring break at the beach, the Beavers get to soak up the sun and play on real clay on some of Florida's most famous softball fields. Minot State will play nine games throughout the week.
MSU The Spring Games Schedule:
| Monday 12:15 PM (ET) |
Saint Thomas Aquinas College |
| Monday 4:45 PM (ET) |
Post University |
| Tuesday 10:00 AM (ET) |
Saint Michael's College |
| Tuesday 12:15 PM (ET) |
Wayne State University |
| Thursday 9:00 AM (ET) |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania |
| Thursday 1:30 PM (ET) |
University of New Haven |
| Friday 9:00 AM (ET) |
Purdue University Northwest |
| Friday 11:15 AM (ET) |
Saint Anselm College |
| Saturday 9:15 AM (ET) |
Dominican College |
Taking her talents to the east coast and leading the Beavers' pitching staff is
Trinity Valentine, who has pitched 40.1 innings so far this season and kept her ERA at an impressive 1.56. Valentine has also scooped up 43 stirkeouts on opponents who have stepped into the box against her this season, aiding in her current 6-2 record on the mound for MSU.
Reegan Floyd,
Zoya Robbins,
Jasmine Blizzard and
Gabi Dawyduk will all see spend some time in the circle for Minot State as well to round out the staff.
Leading the defense behind MSU's pitching is
Lenora Watson and
Jamie Odlum, both of which remain at a 1.000 fielding percentage heading into this week of nonstop play.
Alina Gonzalez has been a brick wall behind the plate for the Beavers while picking runners off left and right, having already 55 putouts this season.
Abbey Kelley, the freshman from Arizona, has made an impact for MSU in her rookie year of DII play and is a key player to watch over the next nine games the Beavers play down in Florida.
Odlum leads the team in the box as well, having collected 23 hits this season, including seven doubles and three triples from the Senior. The speedy lefty slapper,
Maggie Mercer, has played a huge part in Minot State's offensive success so far this season, sitting at a .500 batting average and getting on base more than half of the time with an on-base percentage of .553. Mercer has also swiped bases from her opponents' catchers six times this year, making her fifth in the team for bases stolen. Center fielder
Jazmin Karunungan currently leads the team with a 9-9 record on her stolen-base attempts, while
Kiera Shwaluk is tied for stolen bases but has attempted to steal two more times than Karunungan, having an SB-A record of 9-11.
Heading into this week of softball between teams from all over the nation, the Beavers are looking good with a 12-3 record in their first games played up in the Midwest. While the field and weather conditions may be different down in Florida than what MSU softball is used to up in North Dakota, the seams on the ball are still red and the ball will still hit the bat regardless. It'll be a great week of diverse play with great competition amongst all teams as Minot State hopes to continue adding onto their current four-game win streak.
All games can be streamed online from The Spring Games' streaming company, Softball, and can be accessed through TheSpringGames.com.
