MINOT, N.D. – The feel of springtime is in the air so it's only fitting that the Beaver softball team hits the diamond this weekend.

Minot State welcomes Dakota Wesleyan, Minnesota State Moorhead, North Dakota State College of Science, Providence, and Valley City State to "The Bubble" on the MSU campus this weekend for the annual 2024 Bubble Invite softball tournament with a dozen games stretching from 2 p.m. on Friday through Sunday's 2:45 p.m. finale.

"We're always excited," Minot State's new head coach said looking ahead to opening day. "Obviously, the first game is huge; just see where you're at, see another uniform in front of you, and at the end of the day we just want to go out there and put the pieces together we've been working on in practice.

"It looks like the ladies have made a lot of really good adjustments," Rodriguez added. "Now it's just time to see if it's going to carry over, like I said, when we play another team."

The first team Minot State faces will be Valley City State at 2 p.m. on Friday to open up the weekend's action. The Vikings then play NDSCS at 4:30 p.m., then the Beavers and Wildcats clash at 7 p.m. on Friday night to wrap up day one's action.

Games resume Saturday at 10 a.m. with Minnesota State Moorhead and Dakota Wesleyan playing in the first of five contests on the day, with Minot State taking on Providence (Mont.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday to close out the day.

Sunday starts at 8 a.m. with NDSCS and Dakota Wesleyan playing, and Minot State meets NSIC rival MSU Moorhead at 2:45 p.m. to finish a day filled with four games.

And while the action will provide the Beavers a chance to test their talents against someone other than their teammates, it will also be a big weekend for their new head coach, Rodriguez, who downplayed the impact of his first career game.

"I'm not too worried about it," Rodriguez said. "I just want to get the first one out of the way, see where we're at; I know we have a great team, and at the end we've worked really hard and I'm confident in the way that we've prepared.

"I'm happy with what I've seen with the program and so I think that first game is really just our time to go out there, settle in and play softball."

Coach Rodriguez and the Beavers have plenty of reason to feel confident and comfortable heading into a new season as the majority of the roster returns after a 30-23 season that saw Minot State advance into the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals.

The Beavers return sophomore infielder Paige Kellogg who led the offense with a .339 batting average, who shared the team lead with four home runs, and was second in RBIs with 24.

Also back is senior pitcher and designated player Gabi Dawyduk, who hit .318, and senior infielder Brooklyn Morrison, who led the team in RBIs with 36 and also had four home runs.

Leading the way in the circle among five veteran pitchers will be junior Reegan Floyd who threw her first collegiate no-hitter last season as she racked up 11 wins and struck out 102 opposing batters.

Also back is sophomore Calley Olson who was 11-3 for the Beavers in her collegiate debut.

"You look all across the roster and I'd say all of them are key returners," Rodriguez said. "I think we're really lucky in the piece that everyone can start at any given time and I feel very confident in the depth at every position; that no matter who we run out there, it's going to be a winning lineup."

That includes the addition of newcomers Haleigh Lematta, a transfer from Concordia College who also is on Minot State's women's wrestling team, and true freshmen Maizy Whitlock, a first baseman from Ridgefield, Washington, and Taylor Eatherton, an outfielder from Laveen, Arizona.

"My only ask of my team has been to make my life hard in writing a lineup and they've really done that for me," Minot State's coach said.
So what will be the key to victory?

"I think this team is really going to be just a really well-rounded ballclub," Rodriguez said. "I think we're going to play great defense, they've shown a lot of athleticism, the ability to make adjustments on the fly and make really great plays.

"The bats have come a long way since we've taken over; … I think our offense is going to give us plenty and the defense is going to support the staff.

"So I'm really excited to watch a well-rounded ballclub this year."

A ballclub picked to finish 10^th in the very competitive NSIC, which would mean a return trip to the NSIC Tournament in May in Sioux Falls. Coach Rodriguez and the Beavers expect to be playing in the postseason and to make an impact at the NSIC Tournament.

"The expectation is to make it to the conference tournament and compete really well there," Minot State's coach said. "This program has a history of being really good and playing at a national level and that's something that we want to get to again."