MINOT, N.D. – It's that time once again Beaver fans, transition into spring while the winter weather fades away outside and enjoy some Minot State softball inside "The Bubble."

The annual Bubble Invitational softball tournament hits the turf on the Minot State campus this weekend, signaling the start to a new season for the Beavers, and you can feel the excitement.

"Every year we talk about it, it's great to see another uniform," Minot State head coach Sal Rodriguez said. "The ladies have worked really hard; we're excited to go out there and play ball again."

This season's Bubble Invite features five doubleheaders, with the action getting underway at noon on Friday with the University of Mary battling Black Hills State in a pair of games.

Minot State then hosts Montana State Billings in a twinbill slated for 5 p.m. to wrap up day one.

Saturday, Montana State Billings plays a doubleheader against Mary starting at noon, then Minot State wraps up its weekend on the field, hosting a pair of games against Black Hills State starting at 5 p.m.

The Bubble Invitational concludes Sunday morning with a doubleheader between Black Hills State and Montana State Billings, starting at 10 a.m.

And while the Beavers are out to win every game, this opening weekend is also a big opportunity for returners to showcase their skills, and it's a chance for newcomers to break into the lineup.

"There's going to be some reps for a little bit of everyone right away," Coach Rodriguez said. "So I'm excited to see some of the players that maybe haven't gotten so many reps over the past couple of years finally get their chance to show what they've got on the field.

"And then there's going to be some new ladies that'll be able to step into key roles right away, so I'm excited to see who rises to the occasion and who makes the most of their opportunity."

It's a great chance to start setting the stage for who will lead the way for Minot State, which returns a load of players in the field and at the plate, giving the Beavers experience to build upon.

"Defensively, I think we're going to be very similar to where we were," Rodriguez said. "And then offensively, we have a team that's capable of being really dangerous; now it's just a matter of getting those clutch hits in and driving in runs."

Defensively, the Beavers led the NSIC with .971 fielding percentage last season, and committed the fewest errors as a team (45), a strong standard to live up to this time around.

And when it comes to offense, well, Minot State's top five hitters are back, led by senior catcher Anna LaCount, who hit .361 with a team-leading 7 home runs and 28 RBIs.

Senior outfielder Sara Van Wickler hit .342 with 5 homers, 21 RBIs, 6 triples, and stole 9 bases, giving the Beavers an all-around offensive threat, much like senior infielder Taylor Smith, who hit .323 with 6 triples, and had a team-high 13 stolen bases, while senior infielder Paige Kellogg also is back and ready to contribute after hitting .325 last spring and driving in a team-leading 31 runs.

"And then you look at some of the freshmen that can come in and make an impact right away, as well as a transfer like Jesse Henry, who's played NSIC," Minot State's coach added. "She can also step up and be a big-time bat for us there as well."

Henry, a sophomore utility player, hit .248 with 14 RBIs as she started 44 games as a true freshman at Minnesota State Moorhead last season.

While the Beavers look poised to play great defense, and have the offensive pop to put runs on the board, the thing that holds it all together is pitching, and last season, Minot State was fifth-best in the NSIC with a 2.47 ERA.

While senior leaders Reegan Floyd and Jasmine Blizzard may no longer be in the circle, Coach Rodriguez feels the team's younger arms and new recruits are poised to carry on last season's strong performance.

Junior-college transfer Katie Newberry will be the anchor of the staff, Rodriguez said, adding that fellow JC transfer Taylor Kruser and freshman Addie Marcus, from Chandler, Arizona, will also be key in the circle. The Beavers coach adds that returning sophomore infielder and pitcher Sarah Misner also has been throwing strong, so far.

"I think we have a lot of complementary pieces in the circle that give us a little more depth than maybe we've had in the past."

Kruser had 9 wins and 98 strikeouts in two seasons, sharing the workload at the College of Lake County, while Newberry had 20 wins, 5 saves, and 208 strikeouts in her two seasons at Kankakee Community College.

As for Misner, she pitched in 9 games last season with a save and 13 strikeouts, though she did more damage at the plate, hitting .285 with 5 homers and 20 RBIs for Minot State.