VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota softball travels East for five games this weekend against Hampton and Norfolk State as part of the Pirate-Spartan Challenge. The Coyotes enter the weekend slate on a four-game win streak following last week's Lion Classic in Commerce, Texas.
 
The Schedule                                                                      
Friday
11:00 a.m. (CT) vs. Hampton | Hampton, Va. | First meeting
1:00 p.m. (CT) vs. Hampton | Hampton, Va. | First meeting
Saturday
11:00 a.m. (CT) vs. Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. | First meeting
1:00 p.m. (CT) vs. Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. | First meeting
Sunday
10:00 a.m. (CT) vs. Hampton | Hampton, Va. | First meeting
 
ABOUT THE YOTES

• South Dakota is 9-5 on the season after a 4-1 weekend in Commerce, Texas last week. The Yotes are 4-3 on the year in true road games and 5-2 on neutral sites.
• Both opponents this weekend are first time opponents for the Coyotes.
• Tatum Villotta carries a team high .488 batting average into this weekend's set of games and leads the Yotes with 21 hits.
  • Villotta has reached base safely in 13 of 14 games to start the season, has six multi-hit games and is currently on a 12-game hit streak.
• Delaney White follows Villotta with a .465 batting average and has a team high five doubles. White has a team-leading 11 RBIs.
  • White has seven multi-hit games, including a 3-for-3 performance against UTSA two weekends ago.
  • White went 8-for-16 from the plate last week at the Lion Classic with two RBIs and five runs scored.
  • She carries a seven-game hit streak into tomorrow's games.
• Autumn Iversen is second on the team with 10 RBIs and is third with a .368 batting average.
• Alyssa Thorson also carries a hitting clip above .300 and has nine runs and nine hits.
• McKenna Young had herself a weekend in Texas and earned her first career Kwik Star Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week honor.
  • Young put together back-to-back complete game wins with 10+ strikeouts in both contests.
  • Young opened up her weekend with a career high 14 strikeouts against Prairie View A&M, and followed that with 11 punchouts against East Texas A&M.
• Young has a team leading 41 strikeouts in just 27.2 innings of work. She has made eight appearances, four starts and carries a 0.76 ERA while holding opposing bats to a .138 average. She holds a 4-0 record on the season.
• Clara Edwards has started in the pitcher's circle in seven of her eight appearances and has a 4-3 record with 43.2 innings of work.
  • Edwards has tossed five complete games and has struck out 29 batters.
  • Edwards has also drove in eight runs, has one home run and scored six times.
• South Dakota was picked to finish third in the Summit League Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office.
• The Coyotes finished fifth in the Summit League a season ago with a 7-10 conference record and a 23-30 mark on the season.
• USD returns a trio of All-Summit League selections from a season ago in Tatum Villotta (second team), Clara Edwards (HM) and Delaney White (HM).
• Villotta and Edwards were named as USD's players to watch in the conference preseason poll.
• Villotta was one of three Yotes to start in all 53 games a season ago, splitting time in both middle infield positions. She tallied a team-high 54 hits, 23 runs and a team best 10 game hitting streak during the season. Villotta had 12 multi-hit games in 2024 and has 39 multi-hit games in her career.
• Edwards made 28 starts in 29 appearances as the No. 1 pitcher in 2024 and recorded an 8-13 record, 2.76 ERA, and 121 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched. Edwards struck out a career-high 13 batters in a complete game shutout, one of five shutouts she had on the season, in a win over Abilene Christian.
• McKenna Young begins her sophomore season after pitching 79.0 innings in her freshman campaign, making 27 appearances and nine starts. She tallied 75 strikeouts and held opponents to a team-low .246 batting average.
• Rounding out the pitching staff is freshmen Madison Evans and Campbell German. Evans was named the South Dakota Gatorade Players of the Year last year after leading Sioux Falls Lincoln to a state title, while German was a three-time First Team All-State selection in Iowa.
• The combination of Villotta, White and Rylie Jones in the infield combined to start all but three games in 2024.
• White was tied for second on the squad in 2024 with 45 hits, second with eight doubles and drove in the second most runs (23) while holding a .278 batting average. White led the team with 13 multi-hit games and had five games with multiple RBIs. 

ABOUT HAMPTON

• Hampton is 6-6 on the season and 2-2 on its home field.
• The Pirates went 2-2 at home last week as part of the Pirate-Spartan Invite with wins over St. Bonaventure and Mount St. Mary's.
• The Pirates outscored the two opponents 19-14 in their two wins but were outscored 2-11 in a pair of losses.
• Camrynn Bonner leads the Pirate bats with a .561 average, 23 hits, 12 runs, three doubles, four triples and 11 RBIs.
• Kylie Hill has a team leading 13 RBIs and is batting .356 from the plate with four doubles.
• Santrea Armstead is also hitting above .300 at .333 and has five RBIs.
• Angelina Branch has thrown a team leading 33.1 innings in the circle with six appearance and four starts. She holds a 2.31 ERA and a 3-1 record.
  • Branch has struck out 23 batters and holds opponents to a .246 batting average.
• Jada Evans has made seven appearances, three starts and has pitched 30.0 innings.
• Evans has allowed 21 runs but only six have been earned as she holds a 1.40 ERA. 

ABOUT NORFOLK STATE

• The Spartans are 4-4 on the season and have played all eight games so far at their home field.
• NSU enters the weekend on a three-game losing streak.
• Kailey Bryant and Qween Edmonds lead the Spartans with .455 batting averages.
• Bryant has a team leading seven RBIs and four runs scored, while Edmonds has four doubles.
• Bierra Tyler leads NSU with 20.0 innings pitched in the circle and has made two starts in three appearances. She has 12 strikeouts on the season.
• Amaya McPherson has made two starts in three appearances with a 1.23 ERA in 14.2 innings pitched.