South Dakota has already surpassed its win total from last year, but have the Coyotes improved enough to contend for a Summit title? The answer to that question starts Saturday when USD hosts eight-time Summit champion North Dakota State in a three-game series at Nygaard Field.
 
It will be the first home games of the season for South Dakota, which enters with a 14-12 record. Saturday's doubleheader starts at noon. Sunday's single game is slated for 11 a.m., but could be pushed back a bit if the forecast makes it conducive to do so.
 
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North Dakota State had a string of six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances snapped by champion South Dakota State last season. Those two teams are expected to contend for the crown again. South Dakota will see them in back-to-back weekends at home start conference play.
 
The Coyotes were picked to finish fifth in the eight-team league, and that is more of a reflection of last year's results. South Dakota started 12-3 through its first three tournaments, but has won two of 11 since.
 
The Bison went 18-13 in non-conference play. Only South Dakota State at 19-7 has a better non-conference mark. The batting order is considerably different this year, but the pitchers are familiar. The staff is headed by veteran Paige Vargas who is 6-1 all-time against USD. Vargas is 10-4 this season with a 2.22 ERA. She has 98 strikeouts in 94 innings of work. Mac Schultz (3-4, 3.55 ERA) and Lainey Lyle (1-3, 4.09 ERA) complement Vargas. Savy Williams (3-4, 3.55 ERA) is a freshman from Texas.
 
The hitters are led by outfielders Emilee Buringa and Dez Cardenas and by Reanna Rudd who have all become every day starters for the Bison this season. Buringa is batting .320 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. Cardenas has a team-best .357 average with 10 doubles and 19 RBIs. Both have stolen five bases. Rudd also has five homers to go with a .264 average. Senior Cameryn Maykut leads the Summit with 37 RBIs.
 
South Dakota has cut its ERA by more than half from last season to under 3.00 and freshmen Clara Edwards and Kynlee Marquez have played a large role in that. Edwards has pitched in 21 of 26 games this season with 14 starts. She is 7-7 with a 2.61 ERA and has 64 strikeouts in 88 innings. Marquez is 4-4 with a 2.06 ERA, third-best in the Summit. She is third on the team in innings with 34. Senior Grace Garcia has pitched in 14 games, started seven, and logged 43 innings.
 
The Coyotes offensively are led by third baseman Aleesia Sainz who leads the Summit with eight homes and has the second-best OPS at 1.164. First baseman Jadyn DeWitte leads the team with a .339 average and enters play on a five-game hitting streak. All-Summit outfielder Courtney Wilson is batting .333 and is 6-for-6 on the base paths.
 
A wildcard for South Dakota has been its defense, which has been inconsistent of late. Opponents have turned extra outs into 32 unearned runs in the team's 12 losses. On the other hand, the Coyotes have turned 13 double plays, thrown out nine would-be base stealers and have eight outfield assists.