South Dakota softball takes to the road for the first time in Summit League play this weekend when the Coyotes take on Summit-newcomer St. Thomas for a three-game series in St. Paul, Minnesota. Saturday's doubleheader starts at noon. Game three is 11 a.m. Sunday.
 
Both teams are 3-3 in the Summit League standings through two weekends. The Coyotes split at home against conference favorites North Dakota State (won two of three) and South Dakota State (won one of three). The Tommies, meanwhile, took to the road to Western Illinois (won two of three) and Kansas City (won one of three). These are the first home games of the season for St. Thomas.
 
About St. Thomas
The Tommies were a Division III powerhouse. They won national championships in 2004 and 2005 and took second place in 2006. The program made seven College World Series appearances from 2002-21 and totaled 25 regular season conference titles.
 
This is St. Thomas' first season at the Division I level. The Tommies are under the direction of Jennifer Bagley Trotter, who amassed 676 wins during a long tenure at Missouri Western (Division II). Her team is 8-24 overall with a statement win against No. 22 South Florida right before Summit play. St. Thomas won its first Summit series and is coming off a doubleheader split at Green Bay on Wednesday.
 
This Series
It is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Both teams rely on freshman pitchers. For South Dakota, that's Clara Edwards (10-8, 2.40 ERA, 26 app.), and for the Tommies it's Christina Crawford (4-6, 5.47 ERA, 14 starts). Expect those two to face off in games one and three.
 
The team batting numbers are comparable. Individually, Coyote third baseman Aleesia Sainz continues to lead the Summit in slugging percentage (.708) and home runs (10) and is second in OPS (1.144). Outfielder Rylee Nicholson has hit safely in five in a row. Fellow outfielder Courtney Wilson hit .368 over the first two Summit series and is batting a team-best .327 overall.
 
St. Thomas freshman shortstop Brooke Ellestad leads the Summit and ranks 31^st nationally with a .433 batting average. She leads the Tommies in nearly every offensive category including home runs (6), RBIs (25) and runs scored (24). Senior third baseman Sarah Hudson has a .901 OPS with four home runs and 22 RBIs. Senior Megan Baniecke, who also pitches, is 6-for-18 with a home run through two Summit series.
 
What to Watch
South Dakota hit .205 with five extra base hits – all doubles – in two weekends against some of the top pitchers in the Summit. Heading into league play the team was hitting .273 with 20 homers in 28 games. This weekend offers a first chance to get back on track against a St. Thomas staff allowing more than six runs per game. Teams are hitting .337 against St. Thomas this season.