Jacks host Bluejays, travel to UND this week

GAMES 42-46: South Dakota State (29-12, 7-4) vs. Creighton (17-19), at North Dakota (19-30, 4-8)

When	Tuesday, April 23 \| 2 & 4 p.m.	Saturday, April 27 \| noon & 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28 \| 11 a.m.
Where	Jackrabbit Softball Stadium \| Brookings, S.D.	Apollo Sports Complex \| Grand Forks, N.D.
Live Video/Television	Jackrabbit All-Access	UNDInsider \| Midco Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com	FightingHawks.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #GRIT

Weekly Outlook
South Dakota State takes a break from league action for a midweek doubleheader against Creighton, hosting the Bluejays at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium on Tuesday with a 2 p.m. first start. Tuesday is also Staff Appreciation Day, where softball student-athletes have chosen one faculty member who has made a difference in their lives to recognize on game day.

From there, the Jackrabbits head for Grand Forks, North Dakota to play a three-game set against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. SDSU and UND face off in a noon doubleheader Saturday before an 11 a.m. start in the series finale Sunday.

The Jackrabbits are 21-16-1 all-time against Creighton with a 5-2-1 mark in Brookings. Since Krista Wood's arrival in 2015, SDSU holds a 5-4 record against the Bluejays, including a win and a loss earlier this season in a neutral site matchup in Kansas City.

This marks the first season SDSU and UND are Summit League opponents, though the teams have met frequently as nonleague foes at the Division I level after numerous bouts in the Division II/NCC era. SDSU is 52-29 in the series with UND with an 8-8 record in Grand Forks. The teams split a series in Brookings last season.

Recapping the Weekend
After losing four of six in a two-week span, the Jackrabbits rebounded with a sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne at home last weekend. South Dakota State claimed 10-5 and 5-2 wins in a doubleheader Saturday before closing the series with a 6-4 victory Sunday.

SDSU's offense hit .292/.474/.528 over the three-game series, blasting three home runs, hitting two triples and four doubles while scoring 21 total runs. Additionally, the Jacks were patient throughout a trio of slow-paced games, working 24 total walks as a team (with five individuals drawing at least three free passes).

Yanney Ponce (.600) led the team with a 6-of-10 effort at the plate, driving in eight runs with a pair of triples and a double. She slugged 1.100 for the weekend and had the game-winning RBIs in the first two games of the series.

Mallory McQuistan hit .500 on the weekend (3-of-6) with five runs batted in and a trio of walks, while Megan Rushing (.429), Ali Herdliska (.333) and Lyndsey Crist (.333) were above the .300 mark as well. Rushing had the go-ahead double in game three of the series and worked four walks, Herdliska hit a home run and a double alongside three walks and Lyndsey Crist hit two home runs in the second game of the weekend. Herdliska and Crist each had two RBIs, as Crist joined Rushing and Baily Janssen with four walks.

The Jackrabbit pitching staff had a 4.00 ERA for the weekend, allowing 12 earned runs over 21 total innings. SDSU walked only nine batters and struck out 13 Mastodons.

Taylor Compton had a win and a save over 7.2 innings in a pair of appearances, posting a 2.74 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP for the weekend with three strikeouts. Kendra Conard started two games and earned the win in game one, while Emma Hardin (1-0, one save) made two appearances, threw 5.1 total innings and struck out five. Hardin did not allow a run and had a 0.938 WHIP for the series.

Scouting the Jackrabbits
South Dakota State sits at 29-12 on the season, matching last year's record through 41 games in its best start at the Division I level, and one game ahead of the 1996 team's (which finished with a program-record 43 wins) mark through the same amount of games.

The Jacks reached the 20-win mark on March 16, marking the earliest they've done it (date-wise) in program history. SDSU has now won 25 games in back-to-back seasons for just the fourth time in school history.

The Jacks are one win away from reaching the 30-win plateau in back-to-back years for the first time at the Division I level, and only the second time in school history.

The Jackrabbit offense is hitting .282/.388/.451 on the year with 238 total runs, outscoring opponents by 2.2 runs per game. The Jacks have 109 extra base hits and have worked 172 walks, 15 away from the school record for total free passes in a year (187, set last year).

Ali Herdliska leads the Jackrabbits with a slash line of .377/.529/.737, pacing the Summit League in on-base and slugging percentages while posting a 1.266 OPS. The senior has a team-high 43 hits in 114 at-bats, racking up 11 home runs, six doubles and a triple with 37 walks. She has driven in 36 and scored 26 runs.

Yanney Ponce has been hot in Summit League play, raising her season average to .328 in the last three weeks to sit second in team hits (41). She is hitting a team-best .405 in 12 Summit League games with four doubles, two triples, a home run and 13 runs batted in. For the year, Ponce has six doubles, four triples and two home runs, driving in 29 while working 10 walks.

Baily Janssen (.288) is 30-of-104 with three doubles, 13 RBIs and 10 walks, Lyndsey Crist (.286, 20 walks) has eight home runs, five doubles, two triples and 26 runs batted in and Mallory McQuistan (.283) has seven doubles and 20 RBIs with 15 walks. Julia Andersen leads the team with 11 doubles, posting a .267 average on the season with 35 hits and 27 RBIs.

The Jackrabbit pitching staff has a 3.28 combined ERA over 271.1 total innings, allowing 145 runs (127 earned) on the season with 129 strikeouts.

Kendra Conard (11-2) has tossed six complete games in 14 starts (17 appearances), striking out 33 with 23 earned runs allowed. She has a 1.24 WHIP on the season and has allowed only one home run (as part of eight extra-base hits allowed).

Morgan DeMarais (6-3, 1.45 WHIP) has made 15 appearances with nine starts in her freshman campaign. She has tossed 64 total innings with 29 strikeouts, walking only eight batters.

Taylor Compton (7-4, five saves) has transitioned into a relief role this season, holding opponents to a .237 batting average against over 22 appearances (eight starts). Compton's 1.35 WHIP is second-best among Jackrabbits, as she has tossed 79.2 innings with a team-best 39 strikeouts.

Jacks Honored by Summit League
South Dakota State's Julia Andersen and Kendra Conard swept Summit League's Player and Pitcher of the Week awards for the week of March 11.

Andersen led the Jacks with 13 hits over 10 games, racking up a pair of triples and four home runs. She accounted for 22 of South Dakota State's 55 total runs for the week, driving in 14 and scoring eight. She had a team-best four multi-hit and five multi-RBI contests. Additionally, the outfielder had nine putouts and one assist in the field and swiped two bases.

Conard went 4-0 in the circle last week, posting a 1.05 ERA over 20 total innings. She tossed one complete game and allowed just three runs while walking only two batters. The sophomore threw all seven innings in a 1-0 win over Western Michigan, scattering four hits without a walk while rolling up 16 ground outs for the Jackrabbit defense.

These are the first weekly honors for both Jackrabbits, and the first of the season for South Dakota State.

Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton (17-19) is coming off a series win against Butler and has won five of its last six contests.

The Bluejays are hitting .268 as a team with 173 total runs, scoring 4.8 per contest while allowing 4.6 on average.

Ashley Cantu (.368, four doubles, 39 hits, 25 walks) and Kiara Mills (.318, seven home runs, three doubles, 23 RBIs) lead the Bluejay attack.

In the circle, Laura Roecker (8-8, 3.01 ERA) and Logan Black (3-7, 3.63) have thrown a majority of innings for the staff that has a 3.65 combined ERA with 197 strikeouts in 230.1 total innings.

Scouting the Fighting Hawks
North Dakota (19-30, 4-8 Summit League) has dropped six straight games after being swept by South Dakota and Western Illinois over the last two weeks. The Fighting Hawks are sixth in the Summit League standings with two weeks left in the regular season, currently holding the final spot to make the tournament.

Kayleen Schneider (.353), Angel Love (.298) and Deja Miller (.286) are the top offensive threats for UND, as Love has hit 12 doubles, two home runs and driven in 20 while Miller (four doubles, five triples) and Schneider (11 doubles) each have 42 hits. The Fighting Hawks are hitting .252 as a team and scoring 3.9 runs per contest.

UND's pitching staff has 5.38 ERA in 324.1 total innings with 196 strikeouts. Jannay Jones (8-12, 3.81 ERA), Emily Rosas (6-7, 4.59 ERA) and Nikki Pica (5.91 ERA, 5-11) have each made 24 or more appearances. Jones has thrown 127.2 innings and struck out 83 and Pica has 62 strikeouts in 109.2 total innings.

Walk This Way
South Dakota State has shown patience at the plate all season, working 172 total walks through 41 games at a rate of 4.2 per contest.

SDSU started strong with 32 total walks in its season-opening weekend, and in the Purdue Fort Wayne series had 24 walks over three games.

On Feb. 9 against Drake, the Jacks worked 10 free passes against Drake to match the second-most in a game for South Dakota State. The record of 11 walks has occurred four times in SDSU's history.

The Jacks' walk total is already only 15 shy of the school's team season record mark (187), set last year.

Jackrabbit Quick Hits

A look at the Jackrabbit offense has provided the clearest picture of SDSU's outcome throughout the season, as the Jacks are 23-1 while matching or out-hitting opponents, and 6-11 when trailing in hits. Additionally, when the Jacks strike first, SDSU is 21-6 and 8-6 in games when opponents score first.
SDSU swiped seven bags in a 9-7 win over Colgate (Feb. 15), tying the school's Division I single-game record. It was the sixth occurrence of the record and first since the 2014 season. SDSU has stolen two or more bags in eight games this year.
Julia Andersen became the school's all-time leader in doubles (currently with 40) on March 16, breaking a tie with previous record-holder Shelly Brandel, who originally set the record between 1995-98. Ali Herdliska is second all-time with 36 two-baggers.
Ali Herdliska became the school's all-time leader in career home runs with her solo shot in the first inning against Colgate (Feb. 16). She broke a tie with Devan Larsen after drawing even with the top spot on Feb. 15. She now has 43 career bombs (second-most in Summit League history). Lyndsey Crist is fourth at SDSU with 22.
Taylor Compton took a no-hitter late into the sixth inning of the season opener against Saint Louis, striking out six in the performance and going 5.2 frames before allowing a hit.
The Jackrabbits' offense has scored five or more runs in 26 of 41 contests this season, and has broken the 10-run barrier six times.
SDSU has held opponents to three or fewer runs in 21 games, and one or fewer 14 times with six shutouts. The Jacks have allowed five or more in only 14 games.
South Dakota State's 293 team hits has included 100 extra base hits, with 60 doubles, nine triples and 31 home runs.
Taylor Compton became the school's all-time saves leader (seven) on April 20, 2019, breaking a tie with 2018 graduate Madison Hope.
Ali Herdliska has 117 career walks to sit first in the Jackrabbit record books, and second in Summit League history (one shy of Missy Nowak's record between 1993-95 with DePaul). Lyndsey Crist is second in SDSU history with 82 free passes.

Triple Crown Chaser
Jackrabbit senior Ali Herdliska broke the school's career home run, runs batted in and total base records during SDSU's stay in Jacksonville, Florida (Feb. 15-17). Additionally, she already held the program's career walks record and is closing in on doubles and runs scored.

Should Herdliska match her season average in hits from the last two seasons (54 in both), she would end up with 210 total hits as a Jackrabbit, placing her fifth in SDSU history. She is currently sixth on the list.

A look at the latest Jackrabbit records to watch is on page five of the game notes.

2018 Season Recap
South Dakota State 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.

SDSU hit .322 as a team last season and set new school records for doubles (94), runs batted in (324) and runs scored (356).

In the circle, the Jackrabbits put together a 3.89 team ERA with 194 strikeouts over 352.2 total innings.

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.

Jacks Tabbed Second in Summit League Poll
The Jackrabbit softball program earned three first-place votes and sat second in the 2019 Summit League Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Feb. 1 by the league office.

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).

Andersen, Compton Named to League Watch Lists
Julia Andersen and Taylor Compton were announced as a Player and Pitcher to Watch, respectively, by The Summit League for the 2019 season, announced in February alongside the coaches' poll.

A 2018 NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team performer, Andersen is back after starting all 55 games for the Jackrabbits a year ago. 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.

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.

Smarty Jacks
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 (who was also named to the Academic All-Summit League team in 2017 and 2018), 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.

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

Wood holds a 105-118 record at South Dakota State and a 375-272 mark in her 13th season of overall head coaching experience. She won her 100th game at SDSU during the 2018 National Invitational Softball Championship last year and is 38 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.

Jeff Lewis in his second season as volunteer assistant coach for the Jackrabbit softball program, joining them in the fall of 2018. He is a member of the USA Junior Men's National Fastpitch Softball team, competing in the WBSC in 2016 and 2018 and received an invitation to try out for the USA Men's National Fastpitch Softball team in January 2019.

Six Sign NLIs with Jackrabbit Softball
South Dakota State softball coach Krista Wood announced six signees to the Jackrabbit softball program as part of November's national signing day: Jocelyn Carrillo (Palmdale, California), Lindsey Culver (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Mia Elliot (Des Moines, Iowa), Grace Glanzer (Sioux Falls), Cyle Halvorson (Sioux Falls) and Isabel Martinez (Oak Lawn, Illinois).

All six additions will enroll at SDSU for the 2019-20 school year as incoming freshman and be eligible to play immediately for the Jacks.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Julia Andersen

Taylor Compton

Kendra Conard

Lyndsey Crist

Morgan DeMarais

Olivia Douglas

Emma Hardin

Ali Herdliska

Madison Hope

Baily Janssen

Devan Larsen

Mallory McQuistan

Erin Mullen

Abbey Murphy

Yanney Ponce

Megan Rushing

Danielle Steffo

Kerigan Torres

Completed Event: Softball versus Augustana on October 5, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Softball versus Minnesota Crookston on September 28, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Softball versus Sioux Falls / Morningside on September 21, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Softball versus SMSU on September 14, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Softball versus #3 South Dakota on May 9, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3 , 8 Inn.

Completed Event: Softball versus #1 Omaha on May 9, 2025 , Loss , 6, to, 8 , 9 Inn.

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