New Mexico Lobo Classic (all times mountain)
Friday, Feb. 28
11:30 a.m. vs. Northern Colorado | Live Stats
2 p.m. vs. La Salle | Live Stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 29
10:30 a.m. vs. Northern Colorado | Live Stats
6 p.m. vs. New Mexico | Live Stats | Live Video
 
Sunday, March 1
1 p.m. vs. New Mexico | Live Stats | Live Video
 
South Dakota softball travels to the state of New Mexico for the first time to compete in the New Mexico Lobo Classic in Albuquerque. Opponents include Northern Colorado, whom USD bested last year in Phoenix, and 2016 foe La Salle. The Coyotes are 1-1 all-time against New Mexico, including a win in Las Vegas in 2018.
 
The Coyotes have spent the past two weekends in the other Sunshine State, going 4-1 in Madeira Beach last weekend and 6-5 overall in Florida. USD evened its record at 8-8 overall.
 
Junior shortstop Lauren Eamiguel is the reigning Summit League Player of the Week after going 10-for-14 (.714) including a double, triple and walk-off single. The two-time all-Summit performer is hitting .365 overall.
 
Rivaling Eamiguel's performance last week was teammate Jordyn Pender, who went 7-for-11 (.636) at the dish with a grand slam home run and a team-leading 10 RBIs. She also drew four walks. Pender is tied atop the Summit League with a .432 average. Her 16 RBIs rank third.
 
Sarah Lisko has won four of her last five starts in the circle. All four wins were complete-game efforts and she allowed just one run in three of them. Lisko has pitched in all but five games this season and her 2.64 ERA ranks third in the Summit. Alexis Devers is coming off her best week of the season. She allowed two earned runs in 11 innings in winning both her starts and totaled 14 strikeouts on the trip.


 
Here is a closer look at the week four opponents:
 
Northern Colorado (3-12 this year | 14-39 last year | picked 6^th in Big Sky)
Coach Ben Garcia enters his second year in Greeley with 13 newcomers, all but two of which are freshmen. That young group is already forming the core of the Bear program. First-year pitchers have combined for 10 starts this season while sophomores Maggie Thurston and Taylor Puga have taken the other five. Offensively, freshman right fielder Lauren Strathearn, who has been hitting in the nine spot, has a team-high .378 average (14-for-37) with four stolen bases. Reyna Caudillo is hitting .343 (12-for-35) and has also pitched 11 innings. Shortstop Mady Young, one of five upperclassmen, has a team-high six doubles to go with a .341 average.
 
La Salle (0-4 this year | 12-33 last year | picked 9^th in Atlantic 10)
La Salle returns almost everyone from last year, but five freshmen were in coach Brooke Darreff's opening day lineup and only newcomers have thrown pitches through four games. Kelly Toomey, who pitched 12 innings for UNC Wilmington as a freshman last year, made two starts and totaled 14 innings last weekend in South Carolina. She will help fill the void left by sophomore Cailey Joyce, who led the team both offensively and in the circle last year, but will miss 2020 due to injury. Senior shortstop Emily Conaway hit .275 last year with six home runs and 28 RBIs. Freshman Lex Ortman had a team-high four hits last weekend while junior Ashley Mendenhall laced three doubles. The Explorers faced Maine, Tennessee Tech, USC-Upstate and Virginia last week in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
New Mexico (6-8 this year | 12-41 last year | picked 9^th in Mountain West)
New Mexico alumna Paula Congleton begins her second season at the helm of the Lobos. Her squad already boasts an early-season split with both Stanford and Grand Canyon, and a home tournament in which the team went 4-1. Recent losses were to California plus nationally-ranked Arizona State and Missouri. Senior Kiana Spencer was 6-18 in the circle last year, but is 4-1 in six starts and seven appearances this season. Freshman Brianna Sanchez has pitched in nine of 14 games and has a team-low ERA of 4.71. Offensively, the team is led by all-Mountain West shortstop Cameryn O'Grady, who hit .348 with six home runs last year and is batting .368 with 10 RBIs this year. Junior center fielder Andrea Howard has five homers already to go with a .282 average.