Softball picked second in preseason poll

SIOUX FALLS – The Jackrabbit softball program earned three first-place votes and sat second in the 2019 Summit League Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Thursday by the league office. Julia Andersen and Taylor Compton were named as a player and pitcher to watch, respectively, by the league.

"We are looking forward to another competitive season of Summit League play," head coach Krista Wood said. "Our team has set lofty goals in 2019, and we know it will take hard work and a dedication to our culture of GRIT: Growth, Resilience, Integrity and Trust, to achieve those standards."

The Jackrabbits received 33 votes in the poll, just one tally behind North Dakota State, who had 34 points and four first-place votes. Western Illinois sat third in the poll with 25 points, while the next four featured South Dakota (19 points), Omaha (14), North Dakota (11) and Purdue Fort Wayne (nine).

SDSU is coming off a historic season that saw the program reach the postseason for the first time in its Division I history, earning an automatic bid to the 2018 National Invitational Softball Championship, where the team reached the championship round and forced a winner-take-all at the regional in Greeley, Colorado. The Jackrabbits finished second in the 2018 Summit League standings and broke the 35-win mark for the second time in history and won all four of their three-game Summit League series' a year ago, splitting a two-game, weather-shortened set with NDSU.

Compton started 20 games last year and posted a 9-8 record, tossing 111.2 total innings with a 4.51 ERA. She threw six perfect innings of relief in the National Invitational Softball Championship to help the Jacks reach the title game.

A 2018 NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team performer, Andersen is back after starting all 55 games for the Jackrabbits a year ago, splitting time between center and right fields. She finished second on the team with a .397 average, tying the school's single-season hits (77) and doubles (19) records en route to being named an All-Summit League First Team pick. The Papillion, Nebraska native drove in 38 and scored 51 runs, passing the previous single-season runs mark to sit behind teammate and outgoing senior Abbey Murphy.

This year's South Dakota State softball program brings a roster of nine seniors, 14 total returners and nine newcomers into the 2019 campaign with high hopes of building on the achievements.

Pitchers
SDSU returns a trio of pitchers for the 2019 season with three rookies joining the group. Tasked with replacing 23-game winner Madison Hope, Olivia Douglas, Taylor Compton and Kendra Conard will look to build on the success of their freshmen seasons while Morgan DeMarais, Jadelyn Johnson and Emma Hardin step into their first campaign wearing the Yellow and Blue.

Douglas appeared in five games and had a 1-1 record, earning her first collegiate victory in a complete-game performance against Kansas City.

Conard went 4-0 last year over 16 relief appearances, throwing 35 innings with a 2.80 ERA.

Hardin (Brookings) was a four-time state champion with the South Dakota Renegades club team and played one season of high school ball with the Brookings Bobcats, hitting .348 in the box while striking out 41 in the circle.

Johnson (Battle Ground, Indiana) was a three-time all-conference performer in high school and closed her career with a 2.11 ERA, 28 wins and 305 strikeouts.

DeMarais (Buffalo, Minnesota) tallied a 57-14 career record in high school, striking out 481 batters alongside a 2.11 ERA in over 500 innings. She was a three-time all-conference and two-time all-second honoree.

Catchers
Mallory McQuistan is back for her senior year as a veteran behind the plate, joining freshmen Kelsey Lenox and Allison Yoder as part of SDSU's battery.

McQuistan started 34 games and appeared in 43 a year ago, splitting starts between catcher (26) and designated player (eight). She hit .255 on the year (24 for 94) with two doubles and six home runs, third-most on the team last year. McQuistan has appeared in 111 career games for the Jackrabbits.

Lenox (Chesterfield, Missouri) was a two-time All-State performer and three-time First Team All-Conference, District and Regional selection. Leonx left her high school as the career leader in home runs (23), doubles (36) and runs batted in (128) after hitting .505 with 11 two-baggers and four round-trippers as a senior.

Yoder (Urbandale, Iowa) was a three-time Second Team All-State pick and a First Team All-Conference, All-CIML and Western Iowa Division honoree. She is her high school's all-time leader in doubles (69), RBIs (194) and extra-base hits (69) after hitting .459 with a .540 on-base mark as a senior. She will also see time in the infield for the Jackrabbits.

Infielders
This year's infield features the most experience of any position group on the Jackrabbits' 2019 roster. Six returners will join a trio of newcomers expected to see time on the dirt. Ali Herdliska, Baily Janssen, Megan Rushing, Erin Mullen, Yanney Ponce and Paige Gerdes are back for the Jackrabbits while Peyton Daugherty, Olivia Pfeifer and Yoder (mentioned above) will put on the Yellow and Blue for the first time in 2019.

A three-time All-Summit League performer and 2018 NFCA All-Midwest Region selection, Herdliska returns for her senior campaign after hitting .320 with six doubles and a team-best 10 home runs last year. From Solon, Iowa, she already set the school record for career walks (80) and is closing in on career records for runs, doubles, home runs and total bases.

Janssen started all 55 games for SDSU at second base last year, hitting .273 with six doubles, one triple and two home runs. She added 10 walks and had 12 multi-hit games. The Missouri Valley, Iowa native has started 121 total games as a Jackrabbit and has 68 career hits, driving in 36.

Rushing came to State last season after two years at Des Moines Area Community College. In her first year as a Jackrabbit, Rushing was named to the All-Summit League Second Team after starting 47 games (50 appearances) and hitting .317 with 12 doubles. She blasted seven home runs with a .618 slugging percentage and walked 18 times as part of a .415 on-base mark.

Mullen split starts between third base and designated hitter last year over 28 appearances, hitting .315 for the Jackrabbits with a pair of doubles and one home run. From Bettendorf, Iowa, she has 74 career starts (108 appearances) with a .263/.335/.352 line.

Ponce started all 55 games at shortstop in 2018 and hit .246 (31 for 126) with nine doubles. Ponce tallied a .928 fielding percentage for the year with 83 putouts and 85 assists in the field. The San Bernardino, California has stared 140 of 142 career appearances and has racked up 17 doubles out of 78 career hits.

Gerdes appeared in 40 games last year after seeing time in 27 games as a freshman. She has six career doubles and two home runs, drawing eight free passes in 89 career at-bats.

Peyton Daugherty (Ankeny, Iowa) left Ankeny High School as the career leader in hits (320) and stolen bases (164) and was a four-time All-State selection. She hit .536 as a senior with 74 hits, 63 runs and a Class 5A-leading 40 stolen bases.

Olivia Pfeifer (Hannibal, Missouri) was four-year All-Conference First Team, All-District First Team and All-Region First Team honoree (2014-17) and three-time All-State performer (2015-17) in high school. She holds the Missouri state career record for consecutive at-bats without a strikeout (118), is second in the state in fielding assists (258), third in singles per game (1.48) and fourth in stolen bases (117).

Outfielders
The final position group features four returners, including two All-Summit League performers, and one freshman for the 2019 season. Andersen, mentioned above as a player to watch, is among the returners patrolling the outfield grass for SDSU.

Lyndsey Crist started 36 games last year in 46 appearances, hitting .264 (28 for 106) with six home runs and a double. Crist drove in 16 and scored 32 runs of her own while working 24 walks (third-most on the team). A 2016 All-Summit League performer, the Lincoln, Nebraska outfielder has 116 career starts, a .259 career average and 62 free passes over the last three years.

Kerigan Torres joined the Jackrabbits for the 2018 season after two years at Des Moines Area Community College. Torres was sidelined much of the season due to injury, but in 14 appeared went 3-for-7 at the plate with an RBI and four runs scored. She will look for an increased role as she returns healthy for 2019.

Allison Beaudry joined Torres in working through injuries last year and is back for the 2019 campaign looking for an increased role as a sophomore. Beaudry appeared in three games last year and drew one walk for a .333 on-base percentage.

Caelyn Christiancy (Lincoln, Nebraska) was a four-year All-City and All-Conference selection at Lincoln Southwest High School, and last season was named All-State Class A First Team by Lincoln Journal Star with All-State Second Team honors from the Omaha World Herald. She hit .453 as a senior with 15 doubles, three home runs and 24 stolen bases while helping her team to a Nebraska Class A State runner-up finish.

Designated Player & Utility
In addition to Yoder splitting time between catcher and the infield, two other Jackrabbits will wear the utility belt in 2019. Kelsey Lenox is listed on the roster at catcher and designated player, while Callie Wethor sits in the designated player role full-time.

Wethor (Brandon, South Dakota) did not play high school softball, but played club ball with the South Dakota Renegades and won four straight State Championships from 2014-17.

A Look In The Dugout
Krista Wood returns for her fifth season as head coach of the Jackrabbits alongside second-year assistant Kristi Villar and rookie assistant Kiki Stokes.

Wood holds a 102-116 record at South Dakota State and a 372-270 mark in 12 seasons of overall head coaching experience. She won her 100^th game at SDSU during the 2018 National Invitational Softball Championship last year and is within 41 victories shy of becoming the winningest coach in Jackrabbit softball history.

Villar came to SDSU in the summer of 2017 after seven years as head coach at Northern State University. In her first season as the primary hitting coach for the Jackrabbits, Villar helped the team reset season records in total bases, runs and doubles while tallying the second-highest totals in home runs, at-bats and wins. All told, Villar helped the Jacks raise their team batting average by sixty points (.322) in her first season at State.

Stokes was hired in August of 2018 after a standout career at Nebraska. The former Husker had a career .350 average, was a two-time All-American (2015, 2016) and holds the school record in runs scored (200). From Olathe, Kansas, Stokes was the No. 6 overall pick by the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch league and led the team to its first NPF Championship in 2017. She recently completed her third season with the professional franchise.

Getting It Done Off The Field
South Dakota State was one of 107 Division I softball programs to earn a spot on the 2018 Easton / National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Academic Teams award list, announced this fall. The rankings recognize the academic prowess of softball teams within the NFCA.

The Jackrabbits had a 2017-18 team grade point average of 3.478 with 17 team members boasting grand point averages above the 3.00 mark, finishing 39th nationally in team GPA. Julia Andersen, Taylor Compton, Lyndsey Crist, Olivia Douglas, Ali Herdliska, Madison Hope, Mallory McQuistan, Erin Mullen, Abbey Murphy, Danielle Steffo and Kerigan Torres earned 3.50 or above GPAs and were honored as NFCA scholar-athletes in the same release. Herdliska, Mullen, Murphy and Steffo are repeat selections from the 2017 team.

SDSU posted a 3.44 team GPA this fall with six student-athletes achieving 4.0 GPAs, nine at or above a 3.7 and 19 with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Schedule Features Familiar Feel
The Jackrabbits will begin their season with a near-mirrored look to last year's schedule, traveling to the UNI Dome Classic (Feb. 8-10) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Osprey/Dolphin Invitational (Feb. 15-17) in Jacksonville, Florida and the Central Arkansas Invitational (Feb. 22-24) in Conway, Arkansas. SDSU will play five games at all three events.

Opponents at the three opening weekend tournaments include: Saint Louis, Southeast Missouri State, Drake and Northern Iowa (UNI Dome Classic), Colgate, North Florida, Jacksonville and the College of Charleston (Osprey/Dolphin Invitational), and Jackson State, Central Arkansas and North Alabama (UCA).

From there, the Jackrabbits will play 10 games over the week-long trip to Clearwater, Florida. The Jacks will play neutral site games against St. John's, Central Michigan, Detroit Mercy, Western Michigan and Providence during the excursion with games against St. Francis, Penn State, Colgate, Army and Central Connecticut State as part of the USF-Under Armour Invitational.

SDSU wraps up tournament play March 15-17 in a three-day event hosted by Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska before Summit League play begins the following weekend, March 23-24, against the Omaha Mavericks.

A brief return to nonleague play sends the Jacks to face Nebraska in a single-game April 2 before a long-awaited home opener against Western Illinois in a three-game set, April 6-7.

The stop at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium is short-lived, however, as SDSU will hit the road for a midweek stop April 10 at Minnesota before another league series, April 13-14 at North Dakota State.

The middle of April will see the Jackrabbits play a seven-game homestand, with doubleheaders against Kansas City (April 17) and Creighton (April 23) sandwiching a league series April 19-20 versus Fort Wayne. The Jackrabbits will celebrate Senior Day on April 20.

SDSU wraps up road play against league newcomer North Dakota, April 27-28, before the final weekend of the regular season pits in-state rivals South Dakota against the Jacks in a SD Corn Showdown Series, with the winner of a three-game set earning a point in the school's yearly competition. That series with the Coyotes is set for May 3-4, with the finale scheduled as Alumni Day for South Dakota State.

The league's top six teams advance to the Summit League Championship, held May 8-11 in Fargo, North Dakota, with the tournament winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Julia Andersen

Allison Beaudry

Caelyn Christiancy

Taylor Compton

Kendra Conard

Lyndsey Crist

Peyton Daugherty

Morgan DeMarais

Olivia Douglas

Paige Gerdes

Emma Hardin

Ali Herdliska

Madison Hope

Baily Janssen

Jadelyn Johnson

Kelsey Lenox

Mallory McQuistan

Erin Mullen

Abbey Murphy

Olivia Pfeifer

Yanney Ponce

Megan Rushing

Danielle Steffo

Kerigan Torres

Callie Wethor

Allison Yoder

Completed Event: Softball versus #1 Omaha on May 8, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 8 , 5 Inn.

Completed Event: Softball versus #4 South Dakota on May 8, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Completed Event: Softball at #2 St. Thomas on May 7, 2026 , Win , 7, to, 5

Completed Event: Softball versus #3 North Dakota State on May 6, 2026 , Win , 14, to, 2 , 5 Inn.

Completed Event: Softball at North Dakota State on May 2, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 15 , 5 Inn.

Completed Event: Softball at North Dakota State on May 1, 2026 , Loss , 4, to, 13 , 5 Inn.

South Dakota State University Athletics