MINOT, N.D. – It's "Senior Weekend" for the Beaver softball team, and despite the wintry weather this week Minot State will get to celebrate in the friendly, and warm, confines of the Air-Supported Dome on the MSU campus.

The Beavers will honor seniors Leo Watson and Jaycie Rostad this weekend as Minot State takes on Winona State and Upper Iowa inside "The Bubble" in NSIC doubleheader action on Saturday and Sunday.

First pitch on Saturday has been pushed back to 3 p.m. against the visiting Warriors (30-11 overall, 13-3 NSIC), who come in having just been ranked at No. 10 in the first NCAA Central Region poll released earlier this week.

Sunday, first pitch is scheduled for noon against the Peacocks (14-21, 6-11) with a "Senior Day" ceremony honoring Watson and Rostad slated for 11:30 a.m.

Minot State (23-17, 10-8) will be challenged both days as the Beavers have beaten Winona State once in the last 15 meetings, while Upper Iowa swept last season's meetings to snap a seven-game Beaver win streak.

Both days will be key for Minot State in its playoff chase, as well, as the Beavers sit in seventh in the NSIC standings with 10 games left, six following this weekend which all are on the road.

Taking care of business at home will go a long way towards punching a postseason ticket for the Beavers who are smack dab in the middle of the NSIC pack both offensively and pitching with the No. 8 batting average as a team at .294 and the No. 8 pitching ERA at 4.26.

As for the Warriors, pitching has been the biggest key as Winona State is third in the league with a 2.93 ERA and is led by sophomore right-hander Abby Smith who is fourth in the NSIC in ERA (2.03) and opponent's batting average (.239).

As for the Beavers, their pitching staff has been led by freshman Calley Olson, who has a 10-2 record and a 3.79 ERA, and sophomore Reegan Floyd, who is 8-9 with a 4.09 ERA and 76 strikeouts, which ranks her seventh in the NSIC.

At the plate themselves, Gabi Dawyduk (.341) leads the way as one of four Minot State players hitting over .300, a group that includes Paige Kellogg who is hitting .338 with 2 home runs and 20 RBIs, Watson, who is batting .337, and Izzy Penner, who is hitting .313. Brooklyn Morrison also has been a big contributor as she shares the team lead with 2 home runs and has a team-best 29 RBIs.

Offensively, the Warriors are also a tough team as their .301 team batting average is sixth in the NSIC and their 34 home runs ranks fourth.

As for the Peacocks, they are a solid offensive team as their .297 batting average is one spot better than the Beavers. Upper Iowa also has 9 home runs, just like Minot State, and an NSIC-best 66 stolen bases, five more than Minot State.

Junior infielder Laila Pelds leads the way offensive for Upper Iowa as she is fifth in the NSIC with a .402 batting average, and she is second on the team with 2 home runs and 21 RBIs.

Where Upper Iowa has struggled is in the circle as the team is 15^th in ERA at 5.72 and 11^th in opposing batting average at .316.