North Dakota (24-16, 1-5 Summit) vs. South Dakota (10-29-1, 2-7 Summit) | Midco Sports
114th all-time meeting | USD leads series 75-38 | Last meeting, May 8, 2025 | USD 6, UND 5 (F9)
 
North Dakota (24-16, 1-5 Summit) at Minnesota (14-27, 6-9 Big Ten) | Big Ten Network Plus
4th all-time meeting | Minnesota leads series 3-0 | Last meeting, April 27, 2025 | Minn 8, UND 0 (F5)
 
Grand Forks, N.D. (Albrecht Field) | April 18-20
Watch: Midco Sports / Summit League Network
 
Minneapolis, Minn. (Jane Sage Cowles Stadium)
Watch: Big Ten Network Plus
Full Game Notes to all games are here
 
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The North Dakota softball team will play four games over the next four days, starting with a three-game home series against South Dakota from Saturday through Monday, followed by a non-conference matchup against Minnesota on Tuesday. Coverage can be found on Midco Sports this weekend and Big Ten Network Plus on Tuesday.

It is the 114th meeting all-time between UND and USD, with the Coyotes leading the all-time series 75-38. The Hawks have dropped two consecutive games to South Dakota, falling last season in the Summit League Tournament semifinals by a score of 6-5 in nine innings.

This is a key matchup in terms of making the Summit League Tournament, as the Coyotes sit in sixth place with a 2-7 conference record and UND is in seventh with a 1-5 record. Prior to squaring off in the Summit League Tournament last season, UND dropped 2-of-3 games in the series in Vermillion during the regular season.

NoDak will square off against the Gophers for the fourth time in program history, dropping the previous three meetings. The two squads faced off last season for a two-game series in Minneapolis, where North Dakota lost 5-3 and 8-0.

Last Time Out
The Hawks are coming off a 13-0 win in five innings over Crown College on Tuesday evening at Albrecht Field. Makenna Alexander had a career-high three hits and five RBIs in the game, smashing her first career grand slam in the bottom of the third inning to blow things wide open. Olivia Dick knocked her first career home run in that contest, while Tyler Price went 2-for-2 with a walk out of the leadoff spot, earning her first career hit in the contest.

Scouting the Coyotes
South Dakota comes into this game with a 10-29-1 record, riding a five-game losing streak. The Coyotes fell to Iowa State on Tuesday, 8-0 in Ames. In conference play, USD has lost four games in a row, most recently getting swept by North Dakota State last weekend.

SoDak is led offensively by Brooke Carey (.374 BA, two homers, 17 RBIs) and Sara Iburg (.294 BA, five home runs). In the circle, the Yotes are led by Madison Evans, who has tossed 11 complete games and has chucked 120.2 innings. She owns a 6-13 record with a 4.64 ERA.

Scouting the Gophers
The Gophers own a 14-27 record overall and a 6-9 slate in Big Ten play. Minnesota has lost three-straight games, dropping a three-game set in Seattle against Washington last weekend. They are set to take on #6/#4 Nebraska this weekend at home.

Minnesota is led by Maggie Werner at the plate as she is hitting .340 at the plate with five homeruns and 15 RBIs. In the circle, the Gophers most reliable arm has been Sydney Schwartz who has appeared in 26 contests with a 10-11 record and nine complete games. She owns a 3.03 ERA.

Pregame Notes

• UND is 23-4 this season when scoring at least three runs
• The Hawks are 8-1 in one-run games
• At home this season UND has outscored its opponents 30-0 in three games
• The Hawks sit three games away from breaking the all-time wins record in a season
• UND is 17-1 when scoring first and is 17-0 when recording more hits than its opponents

For more information on North Dakota Softball, follow on social media @UNDsoftball or visit FightingHawks.com.