GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota softball is back in action on Tuesday for the first of six games scheduled to be played over the next seven days in the Lone Star State. The Hawks trip over to Commerce for a midweek tilt with East Texas A&M at 4 p.m. from the John Cain Family Softball Complex. The action can be seen on ESPN+ and live stats for the contest are available at www.FightingHawks.com.
vs. East Texas A&M (2-8) | Season Stats
Feb. 18 | 4 p.m.
Series History: First Meeting
Lions are 2-8 on the season with wins over South Dakota and Texas Southern…Of ETAMU's eight losses, four have come to Power 4/5 opponents as the Lions dropped two games each to Rutgers and Iowa at home…Emma Rodrigues leads the Lions with a dozen hits (.400), three runs scored, three RBI and two home runs…Four other Lions have two RBI on the season…ETAMU is averaging two runs per game and allowing just over six…Kate Houser and Maddie Muller have earned the wins for the Lions in the circle…Houser leads with 18 strikeouts and 22.0 IP…Julia Sanchez follows with 16 strikeouts…
TAKEDOWN IN TEMPE
North Dakota's win over Arizona State was the first victory over a Power 4 opponent since the Hawks took down Michigan State 9-5 on February 24, 2019, at the GCU Purple Classic in Phoenix. Two days prior to that win, the Hawks beat the Spartans 6-5. The victory was also the program's first road win over a Power 4 foe since edging Iowa State 1-0 in Ames on Valentines Day 2016, nine years ago to the day that UND knocked off the Sun Devils. Additionally, the Hawks' run-rule win over ASU is the program's first such result over a Power 4 foe in program history.
JUMPSTART!
North Dakota's start to the 2025 season has been a long time coming for 11th year head coach Jordan Stevens. After dropping its first two games of the season, the Hawks rallied with wins over Northern Iowa (3-0) and Drake (9-7) to sit at .500 for the first time since February 25, 2022.
The next day, the Fighting Hawks closed out the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic with a 6-4, eight-inning win over Drake to move a game above .500 for the first time since starting the 2020 season at 3-2.
UND's 22 runs through five games are the most since scoring 30 to begin the 2018 campaign. The team's 48 hits through five games are the most in its Division I Era and are the most since 2000 when that year's squad also registered four dozen hits through the season's first five games.
KEEP IT GOING
A win in East Texas on Tuesday would push the Hawks' record to 6-5 which would be the program's best 11-game start to a season since 2017.
DRIVEN TO THE PEAK
On February 10, North Dakota softball senior left-handed pitcher Makaela Carr was named the Kwik Star Summit League Softball Peak Pitcher of the Week. Carr is the first Fighting Hawk since Adrianna Dilal in 2021 to earn the league's weekly pitching honor.
The Smithville, Missouri native appeared in three of UND's five games over the weekend with two starts and finished with a 1-1 record and a save at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic. In 15.0 innings pitched, Carr struck out 17 and allowed just three earned runs. She went the distance in both starts which included a gritty eight-inning, seven-strikeout effort against Drake to pick up her first win of the season.
Against Northern Iowa, Carr's second appearance of the season, she faced one over the minimum as she worked a scoreless seventh inning to cap off a combined three-hit shutout and earn her first save of the season against the host Panthers. The day prior, Carr tossed 6.0 innings against UNI scattering seven hits, one walk and a single run, while striking out nine.
ARMED AND READY
Carr ranks third in the Summit League in innings pitched (23.1) and ranks second in strikeouts (22). She carries a 2-2 record in a team-leading six appearances.
Nelson paces the staff in relief appearances with five. Armstrong's 1.75 ERA in eight innings over three appearances leads the team. As a staff, the Hawks rank 55th in DI in strikeouts per seven at 6.13.
North Dakota returned all 358.1 innings pitched from last season. Albrecht led the Hawks with 165.0 IP, appearing in 32 games with 29 starts as a junior. Senior Makaela Carr tossed 95.2 IP across 25 appearances of which 14 were in a starting role as a junior. Junior Camryn Lasota started 13 games and appeared in eight others totaling 82.2 IP in her sophomore season. Emily Marr, a freshman last spring and Katelyn Strauss, in her junior season, combined for 11 relief outings and 15 IP in 2024.
A trio of first-year arms joined the UND pitching staff this season in Unity Nelson, Ginger Savelkoul and Tehya Armstrong.
WALK IT OFF, TAYA
Taya Hopfauf hammered an eighth inning pitch in the opening weekend finale against Drake into right field for a ground-rule double to break a 4-4 tie and give North Dakota its third-straight win. It was Hopfauf's lone at bat of the day.
FEELING FRESH
It was a weekend of firsts at the plate for a trio of Fighting Hawks during opening weekend. True freshmen Quincie Chunestudey, Makenna Alexander and Alaina Foreman all made their UND debuts and in the process registered their first career hits. Chunestudey started all five games and ended the weekend with the third-highest average (.429) and was one of five Hawks with six hits. Alexander played in four games with three starts, hit .444 and stole two bases. Foreman saw action in three games making a pair of starts with two hits, two runs and an RBI.
Tehya Armstrong made her first career start against Northern Iowa tossing two innings allowing one hit and two walks, while striking out two. Unity Nelson appeared in two games in relief and totaled 2.2 innings with two strikeouts, while dispersing three hits and four walks.
NO SUGAR JOTEN IT
Joten is beginning the trend that she was on last season as she has already walked a trio of times to go along with two HBP. She's one of four Hawks to successfully swipe a bag this season. Joten has crossed home a team-leading seven times this season.
She not only found her way on the basepaths but became familiar with moving around the basepaths in 2024. Katie Joten's junior year saw her lead the Fighting Hawks in walks (25), HBP (14) and stolen bases (13) and score the second most runs (19). She ranked second in the SL in HBP, third in walks and was one of five SL players with 13 or more stolen bags. Additionally, Joten led the league in defensive assists (126). She is the lone Hawk to return in 2025 that saw action in all 56 games a season ago.
SWING ON 'EM
While only two Hawks carry a hit streak into Tuesday's action, Katelyn Neumayer has recorded a hit in eight of ten UND games with three multi-hit games and a team-leading 12 base knocks. Joten follows with 11 hits and Callie Honig has recorded ten. Brooklyn Morris leads the Hawks with four extra base hits, all of which have been doubles.
RECORDING RIBBIES
Dumlao, Neumayer and Honig have produced multiple multi-RBI games this season. Honig leads with two three-RBI games and Joren is responsible for the lone four-RBI game by a Hawk in 2025.
DO IT WITH TWO
Timely hitting has been a factor in North Dakota's success through two weekends of play. Of the 22 runs plated by the Fighting Hawks during the opening weekend, 13 crossed with two outs. In five games in the desert, UND plated 18 runs. Of the 18, half were produced with two outs. In ten games, North Dakota has scored 55% of its runs with two outs.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
74- The number of hits recorded by the Hawks in ten games this season. The mark is the third most in the Summit League and a top 90 total nationally.
73- Strikeouts needed by Albrecht to become just the fourth pitcher in program history with 400 punchouts
55- Percentage of UND runs in 2025 that have crossed with two outs
22- The number of strikeouts by Makaela Carr which ranks second among all Summit League arms
19- The number of hits needed by Katie Joten to reach 100 for her career
12- 20+ win seasons in UND Softball history of which four have come in the program's DI era
5- Walks + HBP recorded by Joten in 2025 which leads the team; she led UND with 39 in 2024, the second highest combined mark in the SL
4- The number of 10+ hit games by the Hawks in 2025
4- The number of doubles by Brooklyn Morris this season; a top 40 mark nationally
4- The number of runners caught stealing by UND catcher Taya Hopfauf this season which rates as the 11th most nationally
THAT WAS CLOSE
No stranger to tight games, just under half (27) of UND's 56 games in 2024 were decided by two or fewer runs. Of the Hawks' 42 losses, 13 were decided by a single run, while another five were decided by just two runs. On the winning side, North Dakota claimed eight one-run victories among 14 wins in 2024.
Jump forwarded to the young 2025 season and two of the Hawks' defeats have come by just a single run, while three of UND's five victories have been decided by two runs.
POLL POSITION
North Dakota softball was tabbed to finish tied for sixth by the Summit League head coaches. The Fighting Hawks received 13 total points as did their in-state neighbors to the south. Poll spots three through seven were decided by just eight points, while Omaha, 2024 champ and preseason favorite this year, received 35 points and five first-place votes with South Dakota State receiving 32 points and the remaining two first-place nods. Last season, the Hawks finished sixth in the league standings with a 6-12 record.
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN
Seniors Jackie Albrecht and Angie Dumlao were named North Dakota's "Pitcher to Watch" and "Player to Watch", respectively. Both players received recognition at the conclusion of the 2024 regular season as Albrecht was named to the All-Summit League second team as a pitcher, while Dumlao was selected as an All-Summit League honorable mention as an infielder.
Jackie Albrecht | North Dakota | RHP | Senior | Barrington, Ill.
*2024 All-Summit League Second Team selection (P)…One of six pitchers last spring to boast sub-3.00 ERA (2.93)…One of four league pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA in league play…Third among Summit League arms in starts (29) and innings pitched (165.0) and fourth in complete games (15), strikeouts (131) and opponent batting average (.233)…Hit just three batters in 738 batters faced (league-low among arms with 90.0+ IP)… 83 strikeouts from becoming program's fourth pitcher with 400 career strikeouts…
Angie Dumlao | North Dakota | INF | Senior | Downey, Calif.
*2024 All-Summit League Honorable Mention selection (INF)…Held a top 15 batting average among Summit League hitters (.288)…Led UND with eight multi-hit games…One of four Hawks with three or more multi-RBI games…Led Hawks with .646 OPS…Ranked second on the team with a .320 slugging percentage and 36 hits…Fourth on the team with a dozen RBI…
STEVENS AT THE HELM
Head coach Jordan Stevens coaches into year 11 at North Dakota after arriving to Grand Forks following a four-year stint at Valparaiso. In ten seasons guiding the Hawks, Stevens and UND have totaled a program-best 169 victories. He has accounted for 25% of the program's dozen 20+ win campaigns which includes a single-season program record 26 wins in 2018 and just the second three-season stretch of 20+ victories. There have been 19 seasons of at least 17 wins in North Dakota softball history with Stevens responsible for nearly a third of those.
ROAD HAWKS
North Dakota will play its first 37 games of the schedule away from Grand Forks. Harsh temperatures usually prevent the Hawks from opening up any sooner than in the month of April. An April 2 matchup with Mayville State, the first official action scheduled for the brand new Albrecht Field, will be the earliest, barring weather (!), that UND has played in Grand Forks since 2018 when the Hawks hosted Montana in a three-game Big Sky series on March 30-31. The Hawks are unbeaten at home with a 7-0 record in the month of March since the program's inaugural season of 1977.
TOP 25 TUSSLES
While mid-major programs blanket the Hawks' schedule this season, there is no shortage of Power 4 opposition or nationally ranked foes. North Dakota has matched up against two teams ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association DI preseason Top 25 in No. 25 Washington and No. 20 Oregon. Additionally, the Hawks will meet preseason SL favorite Omaha and Grand Canyon who are both currently receiving votes and did so to start the season. North Dakota will also battle Power 4 foes in Rutgers, Minnesota and Pittsburg playing the Scarlet Knights and Golden Gophers twice.
BRAND NEW DIGS
Officially opened on September 21, 2024, Albrecht Field, the new crown jewel of UND Softball, will allow UND to host games on campus for the first time in program history, features over 500 spectator seats, a special party deck in left field, an LED videoboard and is pet friendly. Large dugouts, a dual-purpose batting cage/bullpen and a state-of-the-art turf playing surface are just a few of the new amenities that UND softball student athletes will enjoy. The stadium is located across the street from the Frederick D. Pollard Athletic Center and soon-to-be completed Nodak Insurance Company Sports Performance Center, which features new locker rooms, weight room and sports medicine area for the softball program.
For more information on North Dakota Softball, follow on social media @UNDsoftball or visit FightingHawks.com.
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