South Dakota softball, back on campus following a four-game set at defending Summit League champion North Dakota State, hosts conference newcomer Kansas City in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday at Nygaard Field. Game ones start at noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday.
 
It's the third of six Summit League series for South Dakota, which stands in third place in the standings at 4-4. The Roos (18-16) enter with a 2-6 mark, but that seems a bit misleading. They've been swept by a 27-4 South Dakota State squad and split four games with NDSU. That means the toughest part of their conference schedule is out of the way and they remain one of two teams in the Summit with an above .500 record on the year. They also boast a win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma State back in March, the program's first against a nationally-ranked foe.
 
Kansas City enters with some of the top performers in the Summit and with the second-ranked offense. Junior center fielder Kloe Hilbrenner is batting a team-high .347 with a Summit-best 27 stolen bases, the third-highest mark in the nation. Sophomore third baseman Ally Vonfeldt is tied for the league lead with 11 home runs and is batting .306. Senior first baseman Lia Lombardini is batting .344 with 33 RBIs, the second-highest mark in the Summit.
 
The Coyotes will counter with a pair of lefties at the top of their lineup. Fifth-year senior center fielder Camille Fowler is hitting .308 with a pair of triples and has scored a team-high 19 times. Junior left fielder Courtney Wilson is batting .470 (16-of-34) with two doubles, a triple and a home run in her last 10 games and has the highest average on the team at .361. Senior second baseman Lauren Wobken, a righty, is hitting .275 and driven in a team-best 22.
 
Pitching wise, the Roos have a 1-2 punch in junior Mia Hoveland and true freshman Camryn Stickel. They boast similar numbers except in the strikeout category where Hoveland is the Summit leader with 133 in 120 innings of work. Both have an ERA around 4.00 and both have given up some long balls, though the Coyotes have hit just three all season.
 
South Dakota's pitching has improved in recent weeks as the onus has shifted more to the offense to generate a little more power and produce more support. Senior Sarah Lisko has a 2.74 ERA in four starts and two complete-game performances in conference play. Redshirt freshman Peyton Maher has started three of the other four games, and Gill Woodward is fresh off her first collegiate victory at North Dakota State.
 
KC and the Summit: South Dakota and Kansas City were Summit League foes before, briefly, until the 2014 campaign when the Roos opted for the WAC. They have returned to the Summit this year. That said, the Coyotes and Roos have played every year since 2009 with the exceptions of 2017 and last year's COVID-shortened campaign. South Dakota has won the last four in the series and seven of nine overall dating back to 2015.
 
Fowler Tracker:
Fowler enters this weekend's series with 235 career hits and 139 career runs scored. Here is where she ranks on the Coyotes' all-time lists:
 
Hits:
2. 242 – Julie MacRunnels (2000-03)
3. 240 – Tiffany Davis (1998-2001)
4. 238 – Katie Dinning (2012-15)
5. 235 – Camille Fowler (2017-pres.)
 
Runs:
3. 145 – Katie Dinning (2012-15)
4. 142 – Julie MacRunnels (2000-03)
5. 140 – Yvon Minogue (2013-16)
6. 139 – Camille Fowler (2017-pres.)