TOPEKA, Kan. – The Beavers are back in action this weekend on the road in Kansas where Minot State takes on four NCAA Division II foes at the Washburn Invitational.
Minot State (5-3 overall) opens play on Friday at 10 a.m. renewing a rivalry with Emporia State (Kan.), before the Beavers take on Pittsburg State (Kan.) for just the second time ever at noon on Friday.
The Beavers return to the diamond on Saturday at noon to play Central Missouri for the first time since 2015, then wrap up the weekend against the host Washburn in a first-ever meeting at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Minot State is off to a good start to its first season under new head coach Sal Rodriguez with the Beavers winning 5-of-6 at home, while each of the team's three losses being close contests, making for a potential bright future for Minot State.
Offensively,
Taryn Bennett and
Abby Lohse have led the way as Bennett is hitting a team-high .421 with a Beaver-best 8 RBIs, while Lohse is batting .391 with 6 HRs and both of Minot State's home runs this season.
But the key to early success for the Beavers might be a balanced and deep pitching staff as
Gabi Dawyduk,
Reegan Floyd,
Calley Olson, and
Kierra Fournier each have a win, have combined to strike out 35 opposing batters, and are allowing just a 2.11 ERA.
The Beavers and Emporia State have met three times with the Beavers holding just one win against the Hornets, but that was a memorable one, a 1-0 victory back in May 2013, the first-ever NCAA Tournament win for the Beavers.
This year's Hornets team is 9-6 and has been playing almost every team in the NSIC with a 6-5 record against the league that includes wins over Southwest Minnesota State, Wayne State, Mary, and Sioux Falls, and losses to Concordia, St. Paul, Minnesota Duluth, and Minnesota State, Mankato.
As for Pittsburg State, the Gorillas come into the weekend with a 9-1 record including wins over No. 16 Oklahoma Christian (5-4) and No. 22 Oklahoma Baptist (6-4).
The second meeting between the two teams, Pittsburg State bested Minot State 10-9 in a tournament in Kansas back in 2018.
Saturday, Minot State takes on Central Missouri in the teams' second-ever meeting, but first in nearly a decade as Central Missouri last beat the Beavers 5-3 in 10 innings in a tournament in Florida in 2015.
This season, the Jennies are off to a 3-4 overall start.
The Beavers then wrap up the weekend with a first-ever meeting with Washburn, the host school. The Ichabods come into the tournament 9-3 with four of those victories thanks to the 8-run mercy rule. That includes a 12-1 win over NSIC foe Wayne State.
