FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State (19-15, 1-2 Summit League) will be back on the road in Summit League action, as the Bison make the trip south to Omaha, Nebraska to take on the Omaha Maverick in a three-game series at Connie Claussen Field.
THE SERIES: North Dakota State and the University of Nebraska at Omaha have met on the softball time 92 times heading into this weekend’s Summit League series. NDSU holds a 28-41 record against the Mavericks, dating back to the first-ever match up on May 11, 1978.
However, since Omaha joined the Summit League in the 2014 season, the Bison hold a 15-7 record against the Mavs. The Bison have picked up two Summit League three-game series sweeps of the Mavericks in 2016 and 2019, with both occurrences coming in Fargo.
TAKING ON THE MAVS IN OMAHA: The Bison are 10-13 all-time against the Mavericks in Omaha and 6-5 in the Summit League era. NDSU has taken 2-of-3 in two series trips in 2014 and 2015. In 2017, the Mavs won the series 2-1 and in 2018 the teams split two games.
LAST TIME VS OMAHA: The Bison met Omaha for three games in late April in Fargo, with the Mavericks taking the series 2-1. The two teams split day one with the Bison taking the first game 3-1 before Omaha won game two 5-3. On Sunday, the Mavs claimed an 8-0 win before the final game would go on to be canceled for weather. The Bison were out hit 22-16 in the series.
Lainey Lyle highlighted the victory for the Bison as she tossed a two-hitter, allowing just one run against. Lyle also picked up seven strikeouts as she held the Mavericks to just an .091 batting average. Omaha’s Kamryn Meyer also had a two-hitter in the series in Sunday’s victory, as she allowed one walk with nine strikeouts.
Emilee Buringa is the top returning hitter from last year’s series, as she hit .400 in two games, going 2-for-5 at the plate with a stolen base and a run scored. Nicole Licea had two RBIs in the series last season and Molly Gates also had an RBI. Avery Wysong was 2-for-7 in three games, with a double and a hit by pitch.
LIFE ON THE ROAD: The Bison are wrapping up a stretch of playing the first eight weekends on the road or at neutral sites to begin the 2022 season, including the first two Summit League weekends. North Dakota State is slated to play 37 games (originally scheduled to play 38) away from home, wrapping up with this weekend’s visit to Omaha, before opening up the home schedule at Tharaldson Park on April 9 with a Summit League doubleheader against Kansas City.
During the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Bison are slated to fly over 15,000 miles between the six weekend invitationals, playing in the pacific time zone three times, eastern time zone twice and mountain time zone once.
GIVE ME TWO: North Dakota State leads the NCAA in doubles, recording 70 doubles on the year in 34 games. Texas (66), Louisiana (62) and Notre Dame (62) are the next closest to the Bison. Avery Wysong and Cameryn Maykut have contributed 12 doubles each on the season, which is fourth in the nation, while Dez Cardenas is tied for 35th in the NCAA with 10.
EXTRA BASES: The Bison are 20th in the NCAA in total extra-base hits (91) on the season, which is 13 more than the next closest Summit League program of South Dakota State (78). North Dakota State has 70 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs. The 91 extra-base hits in 34 games this season has already surpassed last season’s total of 82 in 45 games. In comparison, Summit League programs St. Thomas, North Dakota and Western Illinois have a combined total of 97 extra-base hits this season in 88 games.
OTHER NOTABLE NCAA AND SUMMIT LEAGUE RANKINGS: Aside from leading the NCAA in doubles, NDSU leads the Summit League and also ranks 17th in the NCAA in sacrifice flies (12), 19th in hits (265), 27th in RBIs (182), 30th in runs (194), 43rd in walks (104), 43rd in total bases (394), and 47th in scoring (5.71). The Bison also lead the league in on base percentage (.361), sacrifice bunts (9) and at bats (940).
Individually, Avery Wysong and Cameryn Maykut lead the Summit League and rank fourth nationally with 12 doubles. Maykut also ranks fourth in the NCAA in RBIs (42) and 15th in RBIs per game (1.24), both of which also sit atop the league. She also leads the league in total bases at 61. Maykut and Dez Cardenas lead the league and rank 83rd in the nation in hits with 37 on the campaign. Molly Gates leads the league and ranks 57th overall, averaging .97 runs per game. Emilee Buringa ranks first in the league in runs (32).
In the circle, Paige Vargas is tied fo the league lead in victories with 10. Vargas also leads the league in complete games with 13. She ranks third in the league in strikeouts with 100. Her ERA of 2.40 ranks fourth in the league.
MAYKUT ON PACE FOR HISTORIC SEASON: Senior Cameryn Maykut has drove in 42 RBIs through 34 games this season. The impressive start is currently fourth in the NCAA. Her 42 RBIs are currently more than 12 teams have totaled this season. Maykut is on pace to have 64 RBIs during the regular season, which would be a new Div. 1 era record for the Bison, surpassing 59 by Melissa Chmielewski in 2010.
VARGAS CRACKS TOP 10: Pitcher Paige Vargas has moved into the top 10 in career strikeouts for the Bison with 331. Her 5.47 strikeouts per 7 innings also ranks 10th in Bison history.
VICTORY MILESTONES: North Dakota State picked up victory No. 1200 in the program’s history with a 3-2 win over Maryland at the Capital City Classic on March 18. The Bison are also approaching other milestone victories in the 2022 season. NDSU is averaging over 34 wins a year in the Division I era, which could also see Bison head coach Darren Mueller reach the 700-win milestone. He entered 2022 at 670 and currently sits at 689. The Bison are also just six wins in Summit League play away from 200. NDSU began league play in 2008, and are averaging nearly 15 league wins in the 13 seasons when league play was competed.
VARGAS, SCHULZ PICK UP RECENT SHUTOUTS: Paige Vargas and Mac Schultz have each contributed to shutouts this season. In Georgia, Vargas tossed a five-inning shutout against UT Martin before Schulz went 5.2 innings and Vargas recorded the final four outs in the finale at Georgia Southern. It was the first combined shutout since 2019. Schulz then tossed a five-inning shutout in a win over Portland State in Oregon. In the game against Virginia, Vargas tossed the fourth shutout of the season for NDSU. The Bison had just three shutouts in all of 2021.
FANTASTIC FEBRUARY: The Bison had one of the best months of February in the program’s 18 seasons in Division I, flipping the script from the 2021 campaign. NDSU was 10-4 this February after going 4-10 the season prior. The .714 win percentage was the fourth best in the D1 era, behind only the 2008 (.800), 2015 (.786) and 2007 (.750) seasons. It is NDSU’s best February in the last seven seasons.
RUDD MATCHES SINGLE GAME HR RECORD: Reanna Rudd hit her second and third home runs of the season against Buffalo in New Mexico in back-to-back plate appearances. Rudd became the 18th different Bison to hit two homers in a game. It has been done 30 times overall by a Bison, including 21 times in the Division 1 era.
LICEA REACHES BASE 10-STRAIGHT PLATE APPEARANCES: Senior infielder Nicole Licea hit a new milestone in Albuquerque, as the Corona, California native reached base safely in 10-straight plate appearances over three games. Licea had five hits, four walks and a hit by pitch during the span. She also drove in two runs and scored four more as a result of reaching safely in 10-straight at bats.
BURINGA SNAGS FIRST SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Emilee Buringa was named the Summit League Softball Player of the Week on February 21. Buringa hit .636 (7-for-11), with a home run, a double, seven RBIs, and five runs scored. Buringa is the only Bison to earn Summit League softball honors this season and the first Bison to earn player of the week honors since Maddie Hansen won on April 8, 2019.
GOING GOING GONE: In the NDSU’s win against Utah State to close out the opening weekend, the Bison hit three home runs, the most in a game since April 27, 2019 when NDSU had three against Omaha. The first was a grand slam from senior Cameryn Maykut in the second inning. Then in the sixth, Reanna Rudd and Emilee Buringa each hit their first collegiate home run.
GATES HIT TOP 5 WITH 14-GAME HIT STREAK: Gates recorded a 14-game hit streak to begin the season, which tied for the fifth longest hitting streak in NDSU’s Division 1 era and the longest streak for an NDSU player to begin the season. The 14-game streak by the sophomore also tied the longest by a non-senior Bison, matching a 14-game streak by Logan Moreland as a junior in 2015.
*Ben Dishong, NDSU Athletics
Comments