ROCHESTER, Minn. – It's tournament time and Minot State looks to be one of those teams no one wants to play.

The Beavers (29-21 overall) roll into the 2023 NSIC Softball Tournament as the No. 7 seed, and while that fact might not seem scary to opponents, Minot State has beaten every team in the tournament field except Minnesota Duluth this spring.

That means every Minot State opponent should be weary as the Beavers plan to continue that upset trend this week in Rochester, Minnesota starting with their opening game Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. against 10^th-seeded Bemidji State (23-25).

While the two did not face off in NSIC play – their doubleheader in early April was canceled because of a winter storm – the Beavers played head-to-head in February in MSU's Bubble Invite 2, a thriller that went extra innings with Abbey Kelley providing the walk-off game winner for Minot State in a 6-5 victory.

Bemidji State comes in hitting .254 on the season, which ranks 14^th in the NSIC, and with 14 home runs, the same number of long balls as Minot State, which is 9^th in the NSIC with its .285 batting average.

In the circle, Minot State is 7^th in ERA at 3.80 and opponent batting average at 2.96, while Bemidji State is No. 10 in ERA at 4.31 and 12^th in batting average as foes hit .316 against the Beavers.

Making their first postseason appearance since the 2017 season, Bemidji State is led by sophomore infielder Mariah Stevenson (.331) and sophomore outfielder Alexa Christenson (.313) on offense, and they have combined for four home runs and 45 RBIs this season. Stevenson was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in Bemidji State's loss to Minot State while Christenson was hitless.

Senior righty Kyla Damerow (12-12) and junior lefty Stella Dolan (10-12) have been the top two arms in the circle as Damerow has a 3.26 ERA and 57 strikeouts, while Dolan has a 4.55 ERA and 92 strikeouts this season. Both threw in the game against Minot State in February with Dolan striking out two in six innings, while Damerow was the hard-luck loser, giving up two unearned runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Minot State's offense has been led by freshman infielder Paige Kellogg, who leads the team with a .333 average and 4 home runs, junior pitcher and designated player Gabi Dawyduk, who is hitting .330, senior shortstop Leo Watson, who is hitting .313 with 20 RBIs, and junior third baseman Brooklyn Morrison, who is hitting .272 with team-highs of 4 home runs and 36 RBIs.

In the circle, sophomore righty Reegan Floyd (10-10) leads the team in ERA (3.46) and strikeouts (98), while freshman righty Calley Olson has made an instant impact leading the team with her 11-3 record. Olson also is No. 2 on the Minot State roster in ERA (3.89) and Ks (53).

The first of two games Wednesday, the winner advances to meet Minnesota Duluth at 2 p.m. in a winner's bracket matchup. The Bulldogs (36-11) are the only team Minot State has not yet beaten in the tournament field as Minnesota Duluth won 2-0 and 11-0 against the Beavers.

The loser of Wednesday morning's game heads to a loser-out game at 4 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined.

Play continues in the double-elimination tournament with games Thursday and Friday, and the NSIC Championship game is slated for noon on Saturday.