University of South Dakota Athletics

It is Opening Day 2018 and the Coyotes are in sunny Tempe, Arizona, ready to compete in the biggest kickoff tournament in the country, the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State. There are 28 teams competing in the event which will take place on five fields at two different sites. South Dakota opens at 12:30 p.m. (CT) against Boise State at ASU's Farrington Stadium. USD will travel across town to the Tempe Sports Complex for its other five games including today's 5:45 p.m. (CT) dual with San Jose State.
 
All six South Dakota opponents won at least 20 games and half topped 30. Each finished in the top 150 of last year's RPI rankings with four finishing in the top 100. San Jose State and Notre Dame are 2017 NCAA tournament participants. The Coyotes conclude with Big Ten foes Purdue and Northwestern.
 
There is plenty of intrigue surrounding the 2018 USD squad as we enter opening weekend. The Coyotes return six of their top seven hitters from a potent lineup that includes three all-Summit League performers. But that leaves many openings with a roster filled with 15 newcomers competing to take them. Six of them are pitchers set to made their Division I debuts. The rest will provide USD with depth both offensively and defensively not seen in recent memory.

Homecoming
In addition to head coach Robert Wagner returning to Arizona State where he won two national titles, the Coyotes' 2018 roster has eight new players all hailing from Arizona. In addition, freshmen Dylan Underwood and Breanna Alvarez grew up in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas, and sophomore Erica Limon is from Riverside, California, which rests five hours to the west.

Meet the competition
Boise State (33-20, 12-12 Mountain West; 2017 RPI: 87)
The Broncos are coming off one of their best seasons since the program was started in 2009. Boise State competed in the inaugural NISC – the softball version of the NIT. It was the program's first postseason appearance. Back are six starters to the lineup including preseason All-American shortstop Rebekah Cervantes, a junior who hit .432 last year with nine home runs, 50 RBIs and 46 runs scored. Ace pitcher Christina Washington has graduated. Kelsey Broadus pitched 70 innings as a freshman last year. She was 7-2 with 88 strikeouts and a 2.99 ERA.
 
San Jose State (37-19, 16-8 Mountain West; 2017 RPI: 53)
Defending Mountain West champion San Jose State earned its first postseason win last year, a 3-0 decision against Cal State Fullerton in the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA tournament. The Spartans top-three hitters are back, including Cassidy Clark who hit .371 with two homers and 26 RBIs as a freshman last year. San Jose State lost its top two pitchers and three of its four from last year. Sophomore Kacie Gresenz is back after logging 37 innings in 2017.
 
UC Davis (22-32, 7-13 Big West; 2017 RPI: 136)
UC Davis, with former Coyote head coach Amy Klyse on staff, returns four position starters and three pitchers from last year's squad. The Aggies' top four hitters are gone, but back is senior Ashley Lotoszynski, an honorable mention all-Big West pick who hit .259 with five homers and 30 RBIs last season. Nearly half the team is new and Lotoszynski is its only senior. Sophomore pitcher Katie Kibby returns as the ace following a 15-9 record in 32 appearances and 29 starts last season.
 
Notre Dame (34-23, 13-11 ACC; 2017 RPI: 39)
The Fighting Irish return all but two hitters to a lineup that posted 34 wins and went 1-2 in an NCAA Regional last season. Ali Wester is an all-region outfielder who hit a team-high .398 with a team-best 46 runs scored. All-region shortstop Morgan Reed is also back after hitting .369 with nine home runs and a team-leading 59 RBIs. Notre Dame lost its ace, but senior southpaw Katie Beriont was 12-6 with a 3.97 ERA as the No. 2 last season.
 
Purdue (20-36, 9-14 Big Ten; 2017 RPI: 140)
All-Big Ten first baseman Mallory Baker returns as the top hitter to a lineup that hit .261 with just 13 home runs last season. Baker hit .350 and led the team with 29 RBIs. Outfielder Maya Hughes also returns after hitting .335. Baker and Hughes combined to steal 30 bases. Junior Maddie Damon is the lone pitcher back for the Boilermakers. She started 21 games last season and finished with an 8-11 record with 120 innings of work. She struck out 59 and carried a 3.98 ERA.
 
Northwestern (25-29, 10-13 Big Ten; 2017 RPI: 65)
The Wildcats return all but three position players to a team that had a rare miss in making the NCAA tournament last season. Leading the way is three-time all-Big Ten honoree Sabrina Rabin, a center fielder who hit .354 and stole 27 bags last season. All-Big Ten shortstop Marissa Panko is another speedster who hit .329 with 14 steals. The Wildcats hit .259 with 14 home runs, but stole 89 bases on 103 attempts. All four pitchers return including junior Kaley Winegarner, who was 10-6 last year with a 2.85 ERA.

Kajikawa Classic
Thursday (Feb. 8)
USD vs. Boise State – 12:30 p.m. (CT) | Farrington Stadium | Live Stats
USD vs. San Jose State – 5:45 p.m. (CT) | TSC Field 3 | Live Stats | Live Stream (FloPro)
 
Friday (Feb. 9)
USD vs. UC Davis – 6 p.m. (CT) | TSC Field 3 | Live Stats | Live Stream (FloPro)
 
Saturday (Feb. 10)
USD vs. Notre Dame – 12:30 p.m. (CT) | TSC Field 4 | Live Stats | Live Stream (FloPro)
USD vs. Purdue – 6:15 p.m. (CT) | TSC Field 3 | Live Stats | Live Stream (FloPro)
 
Sunday (Feb. 11)
USD vs. Northwestern – 10 a.m. (CT) | TSC Field 4 | Live Stats | Live Stream (FloPro)