University of South Dakota Athletics

Phase two of South Dakota's softball season begins Saturday when the Coyotes open Summit League play with a three-game series against Western Illinois at McKee Stadium in Macomb, Illinois.
Games 1-2: Saturday at noon | Watch | Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday at 11 a.m. | Watch | Live Stats
 
Here's what to know ahead of Saturday's first pitch:
 
1. You will need a Twitter account to watch the games.
Western Illinois, in conjunction with its broadcasting and journalism department, is webcasting this weekend's series between the Coyotes and Leathernecks on Twitter. Go to @WIUSoftball on Twitter to view the live webcast.
 
2. The Series
This is the Coyotes' fourth-ever trip to Macomb. South Dakota won 13 of the first 14 games of this series from 2012-16. Since then, Western Illinois has taken six of seven including all three games of a series played in Vermillion last season. The Coyotes blasted nine home runs and scored 19 times, but it wasn't nearly enough. The Leathernecks hit .459 (50-for-109) during the series and totaled 32 runs. The last game was a 20-12 affair in frigid conditions in a contest that lasted just shy of three hours.
 
3. The Forecast
These are the first home games of the season for Western Illinois, which has traveled to Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky in recent weeks. Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 52 degrees. There is a chance of rain on Sunday with an expected high of 55 degrees.
 
4. The Matchup (Pitchers)
Any discussion of Western Illinois begins with senior left-handed pitcher Emily Ira, a three-time all-Summit pick and the 2017 Summit League Pitcher of the Year. Ira has won 30 games in Leatherneck purple, but you can make a case that USD has had more success against her than most. Ira is 3-1 in six starts against the Coyotes with a 5.68 ERA. Against all other teams, Ira's career ERA is 3.19. Other options for WIU include Payton Abbott, who won two games against USD a year ago, and Abby Carlin, who also threw against the Coyotes.
 
In the other dugout is a Coyote pitching staff looking for redemption against a lineup that returns seven of the top bats from last year's series. On one side of the coin, USD has tossed six shutouts and held three other foes to just one run. On the other side is eight games in which the staff has surrendered eight runs or more. Statistically speaking, senior Dustie Durham leads the team and ranks second in the Summit with seven wins. Alexis Devers has six wins and leads the squad with 42 strikeouts. Sarah Lisko has entered 15 games in relief and has a 3-1 record with a 4.20 ERA.
 
5. The Matchup (Hitters)
South Dakota leads the Summit with 26 home runs and its .286 team average ranks second. Four Coyotes are hitting over .300 including senior Jamie Holscher who leads the Summit in home runs (7), RBIs (30), and has the third-highest average (.379). Fellow senior Dustie Durham has four homers, 21 RBIs and a .330 average. Sophomore Lauren Eamiguel is batting .368 in the team's last 10 games, and is hitting .325 overall.
 
Jasmine Lara leads the Leathernecks with a .317 average. All but two of her 18 hits have been singles. Hailey Duwa has two homers and nine RBIs to go with a .292 average. Abbott leads the team with 11 RBIs and has two homers and a .255 average. Ashley Minyard and Alyssa Ealy combine for nine of Western Illinois' 12 stolen bases.