JACKRABBITS OPEN 2021 AT UNI-DOME

Friday, February 12

Cedar Falls, Iowa

11:15 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Iowa State

Photo by: Courtesy Photo

2/11/2021 9:08:00 AM | Softball

Games 1-5: South Dakota State (0-0) at Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic

When	Friday, Feb. 12 • vs. Iowa State (11:15 a.m.) and vs. Drake (6 p.m.) Saturday, Feb. 13 • vs. Drake (2:45 p.m.) and at Northern Iowa (5 p.m.) Sunday, Feb. 14 • vs. Butler (9 a.m.)
Where	UNI-Dome \| Cedar Falls, iowa
TV	ESPN+ (Friday) Game 1 \| Game 2 \| ESPN3 (Saturday) Game 1 \| Game 2
Radio	None
Live Stats	UNIPanthers.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Iowa State \| Drake \| UNI \| Butler \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State University softball team is scheduled to open the 2021 season with five games this weekend at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Jackrabbits are scheduled to play their season opener at 11:15 a.m. Friday against Iowa State. SDSU also will play Drake twice, followed by games against host Northern Iowa and Butler over a three-day span.

Following is SDSU's full tournament schedule – opponents' 2020 records in parentheses:

11:15 a.m. Friday – vs. Iowa State (11-13 overall)
6 p.m. Friday – vs. Drake (8-16 overall)
2:45 p.m. Saturday – vs. Drake
5 p.m. Saturday – at Northern Iowa (7-14 overall)
9 a.m. Sunday – vs. Butler (15-8 overall)

Each of SDSU's first four games at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN platforms. Friday's games are slated to air on the ESPN+ streaming platform (subscription required), while Saturday's games are set to be broadcast on ESPN3.com.

The Jackrabbits finished with a winning record for the third year in a row during a COVID-shortened 2020 season, compiling a 15-8 overall record. SDSU posted consecutive 37-win seasons in both 2018 and 2019, making postseason appearances in the National Invitational Softball Championship.

UNI-DOME HISTORY: This weekend's games will mark the sixth consecutive year South Dakota State has opened its season at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic. The Jackrabbits have compiled an 8-16 overall record in the event since 2016, including splitting its four games last season.
In the 2020 event, SDSU earned wins over DePaul (4-1) and Northern Iowa (6-1), while falling to Murray State (0-1) and Drake (1-8).

Following is the list of games the Jackrabbits have played at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic in recent years:
2020 (2-2): vs. DePaul (W, 4-1); vs. Murray State (L, 0-1); at Northern Iowa (W, 6-1); vs. Drake (L, 1-8)
2019 (3-2): vs. Saint Louis (W, 6-0); vs. Southeast Missouri State (L, 3-7); vs. Saint Louis (W, 14-0; 5 inn.); vs. Drake (W, 6-4); at Northern Iowa (L, 2-10; 5 inn.)
2018 (2-3): vs. Kansas City (W, 5-3); vs. Southeast Missouri State (L, 1-4); at Northern Iowa (L, 2-5); vs. Drake (L, 2-10); vs. Green Bay (W, 19-12)
2017 (1-4): vs. Montana (L, 5-6); vs. Drake (L, 0-8); vs. Toledo (W, 6-3); at Northern Iowa (L, 2-3); vs. Drake (L, 4-6)
2016 (0-5): vs. Green Bay (L, 7-10); vs. Saint Louis (L, 6-9); at Northern Iowa (L, 4-6); vs. Drake (L, 3-5); at Northern Iowa (L, 2-11)

THE SERIES: The Jackrabbits have faced their three opponents from Iowa regularly during the Division I era, but will be facing Butler for only the second time. Series notes for each opponent are as follows:
vs. Iowa State
• Iowa State leads the all-time series, which began with a 7-4 Jackrabbit victory in 1973, 14-2
• Last Meeting: The Cyclones posted a 7-2 home victory over SDSU in the second round of the National Invitational Softball Championship on May 17, 2019. The Jackrabbits led 2-0 through three innings on an RBI single by Megan Rushing in the second and a solo homer by Ali Herdliska in the third. Iowa State struck for five runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by run-scoring doubles by Kasey Simpson and Sami Williams. Emma Hylen went the distance in the circle for ISU, while Kendra Conard took the loss.
• SDSU's only other victory in the series came in dramatic fashion in the Jackrabbits' 2008 finale, an 8-7 walkoff win at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium on April 30, 2008. Dani Broshar's double to left-center with two outs in the bottom of the seventh scored both Kiley Schwedhelm and Stacey Evans, and came after Iowa State scored six times in the top of the frame to take a 7-6 lead.

vs. Drake
• Drake leads the all-time series, 11-6, since its inception in 2005
• Last Meeting: In the 2020 Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic finale for both teams, Drake raced out to a 4-0 lead through two innings and cruised to an 8-1 victory. Emily Valtman capped a three-run opening frame for the Bulldogs with a two-run double. Cylie Halvorson plated the lone Jackrabbit run with an RBI?single in the home half of the third.
• SDSU's last victory against Drake came at the 2019 Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic behind a complete-game effort by Taylor Compton. Ali Herdliska hit a two-run home run in the first inning and added a run-scoring single in the second. Mallory McQuiston delivered a two-run single later in the second inning to give the Jackrabbits an early 5-0 lead.

vs. Northern Iowa
• UNI leads the all-time series, 15-3, with the first meeting taking place in 1983
• Last Meeting: SDSU ended a 10-game losing streak to the Panthers dating back to 2008 with a convincing 6-1 victory at the 2020 Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic.

vs. Butler
• South Dakota State leads, 1-0
• Last Meeting: SDSU defeated Butler, 3-2, in nine innings in a game played March 11, 2020, in Madeira, Florida. It was the second-to-last game SDSU played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After Christina Candiotti hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to give Butler a 2-0 lead, the Jackrabbits tied the game at 2-all in the sixth inning on RBI singles by Kelsey Lenox and Mia Elliott. Chiara Bassi delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the ninth, while Grace Glanzer went the distance in the circle, striking out seven.

FOR OPENERS: The Jackrabbits are 7-9 in Opening Day games during the Division I era, which began with the start of the 2005 season. SDSU has won each of its last three season openers and four of six previous season openers under head coach Krista Wood.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish second in the upcoming Summit League softball race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the league's seven head coaches that was announced Tuesday.

North Dakota State, which has won the last six Summit League championships, claimed the top spot with six first-place votes and 36 points. The Jackrabbits claimed the other first-place vote to finish second with 31 points. South Dakota was third with 25 points, followed by Omaha with 19 points.

Rounding out the preseason poll were Kansas City (16), North Dakota (12) and Western Illinois (8).

The Jackrabbits compiled a 15-8 record in an abbreviated 2020 season that was canceled before the start of league play and return a solid nucleus led by Summit League Players to Watch Grace Glanzer and Cylie Halvorson.

A native of Sioux Falls, Glanzer burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2020, leading the league with 74 strikeouts and a 12-2 record. She finished with a 1.73 earned run average and held opponents to a .215 batting average.

Halvorson, also a Sioux Falls native, paced the Summit League with seven doubles while hitting .406 with 19 runs batted in in 22 games. She notched eight multi-hit games and recorded a .641 slugging percentage in 2020.

Summit League play for the Jackrabbits begins March 27 at Kansas City, with the four-team Summit League Softball Championship scheduled for May 12-15 in Fargo, North Dakota.

SEASON PREVIEW: The South Dakota State University softball team enters the 2021 season poised to take the next step in its continued ascent in the college softball ranks.

"After having our season cut short last year, we come into this season with a feeling of unfinished buinsess," said head coach Krista Wood, who is already the program's winningest coach after compiling 154 victories through her first six seasons with the Jackrabbits. "We have set our goals high, we've been working hard and I'm excited to see what our team can accomplish."

After consecutive berths in National Invitational Softball Championship and back-to-back 37-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, last year's squad was positioning itself to dethrone six-time defending Summit League champion North Dakota State, compiling a league-best 15 wins against eight losses before the remainder of the 2020 campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With most of those same key players returning and aided by an infusion of talented newcomers, the 2021 Jackrabbit lineup is far from being set in stone.

"Making a starting lineup is going to be really tough because we're deep and we're talented," Wood said. "Our pitchers have all improved and, offensively, we have everything — we have power, we have speed and we're very versatile. Everybody has learned two positions, not just because of COVID, but if you can hit we want to be able to find you a spot in the lineup."

With the physical tools in place, Wood said the team has also focused on sharpening the mental side of the game in order to take the next step.

"We've really been working on culture a lot, establishing a championship mindset, and just being able to embrace pressure situations and grow and learn from failure so we can be better the next time around."

Following is a further look at the 2021 Jackrabbits by position group:

Infield
The Jackrabbits return their entire starting infield, led by sophomore first baseman and Summit League Player to Watch Cylie Halvorson. The Sioux Falls native led the Jackrabbits in batting during the 2020 season, hitting at a .406 (26-for-64) clip with two home runs, a team-high seven doubles and 19 runs batted in.

Across the diamond, a number of players could patrol the third base position. Allison Yoder started ateam-high 14 games at the hot corner last season, but could see more action behind the plate in 2021.Yoder was a solid contributor both in the field and at the plate in 2020, batting .328 (20-for-61) with three homers and 11 RBIs.

Fellow Iowan Mia Elliott saw action at both corner infield spots last season and ranked second on the squad with a .352 batting average during her first collegiate season with two home runs and 12 runs batted in.

Newcomers Tori Tollefson and Cheyanne Masterson also are in the mix for playing time at third base.

Up the middle, Lindsey Culver is a leading candidate to start at either shortstop or second base in 2021. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native started 22 games at shortstop a year ago, while fellow returner Chiara Bassi started 20 games at second base in 2020. Culver hit .245 and ranked second on the team with four home runs last season, while Bassi provided some clutch hits and fielded .959.

Newcomer Rozelyn Carrillo also is in the discussion for a starting spot in the infield.

Besides Yoder, junior Hannah Loving will get some work behind the plate, while Kelsey Lenox, who also has seen action at catcher during her Jackrabbit career, will likely get the majority of her at-bats as the designated player. Lenox led the team with seven home runs and 23 runs batted in a year ago, to go along with a .305 batting average.

Junior Callie Wethor also could see action at designated player.

Outfield
Leading the contingent of Jackrabbit outfielders is junior Peyton Daugherty, who is back for her third year as a starter. The native of Ankeny, Iowa, is penciled in as the starter in right field and hit out of the leadoff spot in all 23 games last season. She has been successful on 26-of-27 stolen base attempts over the previous two seasons, including a perfect 12-for-12 in 2020.

In left field, returners Caelyn Christiancy and Allison Beaudry are likely to share time. Beaudrey earned a start in 12 games last season, batting .273 with a home run and eight RBIs. Christiancy, meanwhile, drove in seven runs with a .196 batting average in 16 starts.

One of the most improved players on the team, Jocelyn Carrillo — Rozelyn's older sister — has an early edge for the center field position. Jocelyn Carrillo batted .267 in limited
action last season.

Fellow newcomers Millie Mueller and Emma Osmundson also will vie for playing time in the outfield, along with sophomore Olivia Pfeifer. In 2020, Pfeifer started 16 games and posted a .271 batting average (13-for-48) and tied for second on the team with 13 runs scored.

Pitching
The team's depth carries over to the pitching staff, where six hurlers are positioning themselves for time in the circle.

"We've never had a pitching staff like we have right now," said Wood, who has seen her team's earned run average drop by more than half from 6.03 her first season in 2015 to 2.90 last year.

Grace Glanzer established herself as the team's ace during her first collegiate season in 2020. The Sioux Falls native ranked fourth among Division I pitchers for victories after compiling a 12-2 record. She struck out 74 batters in 89 innings en route to one shutout and a complete-game effort in 11 of her 13 starts. Glanzer also held the opposition to a .215 batting average.

Senior Kendra Conard, who started six games in 2020, is looking to return to form after going 18-7 with a 2.87 ERA in 2019.

Other returning pitchers include senior Olivia Douglas (two relief appearances in 2020), junior Emma Hardin (five relief appearances) and sophomore Morgan DeMarais (five appearances with four starts). DeMarais provided one of the most memorable highlights of the 2020 season as she pitched a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts against Merrimack on the team's trip to Florida last March.

The pitching staff will be further bolstered by newcomer and Wayne, Nebraska, native Tori Kniesche, who Wood describes as the hardest thrower on the team.

COACH WOOD: Krista Wood begins her seventh season as head coach at South Dakota State in 2021.

Already the program's winningest coach with a 154-143 record after being hired to lead the program in August of 2014, Wood boasts a 424-297 overall career record after eight successful seasons at Wayne State College.

She has coached five NFCA All-Midwest Region selections (the first four in SDSU's Division I era) and 18 All-Summit League selections in her time at SDSU, including the 2016 Summit League Freshman of the Year (Ali Herdliska) and 2018 Player of the Year (Brittney Morse). Herdliska is the only Jackrabbit to earn All-Summit League honors four times in her career, and twice picked up an NFCA All-Midwest Region nod.

The Jackrabbits have won 20 or more games four times under coach Wood, and prior to the cancellation of the 2020 Summit League Championships had reached the league's year-end tournament in each of her first five seasons, including a championship series run in 2018.

SDSU won 37 games in back-to-back 2018 and 2019 seasons, earning berths in the National Invitational Softball Championship both seasons. Wood was named the Summit League's Coach of the Year in 2018 while guiding her team to a program-record .673 winning percentage, breaking the 35-win mark for the second time in history.

Her 2020 squad won 15 games and posted a Summit League-best.652 winning percentage before COVID-19 precautions ended the NCAA's Division I softball season nationwide.

Wood put together a 270-154 mark at Wayne State, turning the Wildcat program into a winner after inheriting a 10-win squad when she was hired before the 2007 season. She brought WSC to three consecutive NCAA Division II National Tournaments between 2009-11, including a 2010 NCAA Central Region crown. The Wildcats won a school-record 43 games during that season and claimed the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament championship.

Wood coached internationally during the summer of 2009, leading a United States team (sponsored by USA Athletes International) at the Oldenzaal Invitational in Holland.

A native of Missouri Valley, Iowa, Wood spent two seasons as an assistant coach at St. Cloud State University after a stellar playing career at Nebraska-Omaha from 1999-2003. She helped the Mavericks to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2001 as a sophomore and finished her career as the all-time winningest pitcher in Maverick softball history with 106 wins and 530 career strikeouts. She was named to the school's athletic hall of fame in 2020.

In the 2001 national championship game, Wood tossed a two-hit shutout with five strikeouts in a 4-0 win over Lewis University. She also ranks second in career shutouts at UNO with 43, and earned numerous honors as a player at UNO, earning First Team All-NCC honors three times, while also collecting three All-NCC Academic Team awards. She earned NFCA All- Region First Team honors in 2002 and a Second Team All-Region selection in 2001. Wood also earned North Central Conference Freshman of the Year in 2000.

Wood also coached at the high school level, serving as the pitching coach at Omaha Gross High School in the fall of 2003 and at state-qualifying Omaha Westside High School in 2004.

Wood earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education K-12 with an endorsement in coaching from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2004 and received a master's degree in sport management in 2006 from St. Cloud State University.

THE ROSTER: The 2021 SDSU softball roster features 24 players from six different states and one foreign country. Of the 24 players, eight are from South Dakota, four hail from Iowa and California and three are Nebraska natives. Two players call Minnesota and Missouri home. The international player hails from Italy.

By class, three are seniors, six are juniors, five are sophomores and 10 are freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue tournament play by traveling to the Tracy Beard Invitational Feb. 19-21 in Frisco, Texas. SDSU is scheduled to play six games over three days, including matchups against nationally ranked Texas and Oklahoma State.

The schedule is as follows:
Friday, Feb. 19
• vs. Kansas, 3:30 p.m.
• vs. Tarleton State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20
• vs. Tarleton State, 10 a.m.
• vs. Texas, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 21
• vs. Oklahoma State, 10 a.m.
• vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 12:30 p.m.

-GoJacks.com-