BRANSON & ROLLA, MISSOURI  --  Missouri S&T Miner Softball has six games ahead this week, starting with two games at the Branson Spring Recess on Thursday before returning home for conference doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday against Maryville and Missouri-St. Louis.

About the Vikings
Augustana is ranked #8 in the country in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, dropping one spot from last week. That slide is likely to continue after Augustana split a doubleheader with the Drury Panthers yesterday, losing game two 2-0. Their pitching staff has found success in strikeouts this season, ranking 24th in Division II for strikeouts per seven innings with 7.02. Graduate student Lexi Lander leads the team in strikeouts per seven innings, recording 7.5 so far this season. Fellow graduate student and pitcher Grace Glanzer holds the lowest ERA on the team, posting a 1.23 earned run average in nine appearances. Desi Cuevas leads the team in batting average, hitting .421, and ranks 10th in Division II for home runs per game, with six in 18 games.

About the Beavers
Minot State struggled at the Washburn Invitational last month, going 0-6 in Topeka. However, they have bounced back since, winning three of their last four games, including a 3-1 victory over then-#20 McKendree University yesterday. They are set to play a doubleheader against Evangel today before taking on Washburn and Missouri S&T tomorrow. Currently, only three Beavers are batting above .300, with Anna LaCount leading the team at .475. Starting pitching has been split among Jasmine Blizzard, Reegan Floyd, and Kierra Fournier, all of whom have started multiple games. Blizzard has recorded the best ERA so far at 1.63, while Floyd leads the team in strikeouts with 47.

About the Saints
Like the Miners, the Saints are .500 in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play this season, splitting both of their series last weekend. Maryville is 10-15 this year and will face Missouri Southern today at noon in their only competition ahead of Saturday's doubleheader in Rolla. Maryville's defense has been a highlight this season, ranking second in the conference in fielding percentage and leading the GLVC in putouts. Emily Corona has been a key contributor to the Saints' success, ranking seventh in NCAA Division II for triples with five and placing in the conference's top ten for slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, and more.

About the Tritons
Missouri-St. Louis has lost its first four conference games, including an eight-inning loss to Southwest Baptist over the weekend. The Tritons are 7-10 and are set to play the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Saturday before heading south to face Missouri S&T. UMSL is one of six GLVC teams batting above .300 this season, posting a .304 average over 17 games. Courtney Settles and Jamie Widule rank in the top ten in the GLVC for batting average, placing third and tenth, respectively, with averages of .472 and .415. However, pitching has been UMSL's greatest struggle, as they have the fourth-highest ERA allowed in the conference at 5.31.

About the Miners
The Miners are 4-15 this season but split their first GLVC doubleheader, placing them in the middle of the conference standings at this point in the season. Freshman pitcher Mia Miller (Waterloo, IL/) had another strong outing in S&T's win over Drury on Sunday, recording four strikeouts and pitching 6.1 innings. Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) also had standout performances at the plate in the Drury doubleheader, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs. Anderson is not the only Miner excelling at the plate, as Taylor Nelson's (Jefferson City, MO/Phillips Exeter Academy) four home runs are tied for the third-most in the GLVC this season.

What's Next
S&T will be on the road for GLVC doubleheaders against Illinois Springfield and McKendree next weekend.

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