SDSU READY TO PLAY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS TOURNEY

Week 3: South Dakota State at Michelle Short Memorial Classic
When	Friday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, Feb. 25
Location	Conway, Arkansas (Farris Field)
Stream (Game 3 only vs. UCA)	ESPN+
Tournament Central	UCASports.com
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
South Dakota State	Game Notes

BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State makes a trip to Conway, Arkansas, for a second consecutive season as the Jackrabbits participate in Central Arkansas' Michelle Short Memorial Classic.

The Jacks open play at 1 p.m. on Friday against Purdue followed by a 6 p.m. matchup versus Southern Illinois. SDSU faces host Central Arkansas at 11 a.m. Saturday and then take on Purdue again the game after. The Jackrabbits close out their appearance with a 10 a.m. contest versus Central Arkansas on Sunday.

SDSU played three games in last season's Michelle Short Memorial Classic. The Jackrabbits won a five-inning, 11-0 affair over Mississippi Valley State. SDSU then lost close 8-6 and 7-6 games to Missouri State and Central Arkansas, respectively. Two weeks later, the Jackrabbits defeated UCA 3-0 in Lawrence.

The Jackrabbits own a 5-2 all-time record over the Bears. SDSU has played Purdue once, which was the Jacks' 2019 season finale as they fell 4-1 in the NISC to the Boilermakers. SDSU and SIU have never met.

South Dakota State stands at 5-5 overall heading into this weekend's action. The Jackrabbits went 2-3 in the Tracy Beard College Classic hosted by North Texas last week. The Jacks earned a 2-0 victory over Texas A&M Commerce to begin their apperance, then closed their stay in Denton with a 7-2 win against North Texas. SDSU dropped two games to No. 11 Missouri and fell 9-4 to North Texas.

The Jackrabbits have been bouyed at the plate through 10 games by a trio of mainstays in their lineup. Senior Emma Osmundson, who was The Summit League's Peak Performer of the Week after the first week of play, continues to pace SDSU in hitting. She's batting .419 with team highs in home runs (2), RBIs (11), doubles (6) and slugging percentage (.806). Senior outfielder Lindsey Culver is hitting .387 and went 5-for-8 in her last two games in Denton and is tied with Osmundson with four multi-hit games. Jarecki is batting .379, who went 5-for-11 in her last three games in Texas, has a team-best two stolen bases.

SDSU starting pitchers Shannon Lasey and Tori Kniesche each have two victories this season. Alexa Williams, primarily a reliever, has a team-low 1.50 ERA. Freshman Akayla Barnard threw seven innings and gave up just three hits and no runs last week against Texas A&M Commerce. Barnard also been a staple in the lineup as a designated player as her four triples are stop the national rankings at the Division I level.

South Dakota State faces a grueling two-week schedule ahead. Directly following the Michelle Short Memorial Classic, SDSU travels to Stillwater, Okla., to play the Cowgirls in a doubleheader on Tuesday. The Jacks then play Arkansas in a single game Thursday before competing in the Razorbacks' Wooo Pig Classic next week.

The stretch will be a challenging one for SDSU. Oklahoma State and Arkansas are ranked in multiple national polls. The Cowgirls are ranked as high as fourth while the Razorbacks are up to as high as 14th. Florida Atlantic, which the Jackrabbits are scheduled to play twice in Fayetteville, is receiving votes in national rankings.

The Jackrabbits have favorable numbers among fellow teams at the Division I level. SDSU ranks 11th in walks (42), 24th in doubles (17), 33rd in double plays per game (0.50). Osmundson's double total ranks fifth individually in the country, while catcher Brooke Dumont has thrown out four runners behind the dish which ranks fifth. Kniesche is 17th in strikeouts with a total of 33.

Coverage Information
The lone South Dakota State game that will be streamed at the Michelle Short Memorial Classic will be the Jackrabbits' 11 a.m. Saturday game against Central Arkansas on ESPN+. Live stats for all five games the Jackrabbits play in are available at UCASports.com with links available on the SDSU Athletics' website. For more information about Jackrabbit softball, you can follow the team social media accounts (@GoJacksSB) or visit the team page at GoJacks.com.

-GoJacks.com-

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