VERMILLION, S.D. — It's a busy week ahead for the South Dakota softball program with seven games in the next nine days, beginning with a stretch of four games in four days. The Yotes return to Summit League action at North Dakota Saturday through Monday, April 18-20 before returning home for the final non-conference game of the season with a single game against the Drake Bulldogs on Tuesday, April 21.
 
GAME #41: South Dakota (10-29-1, 2-7 SL) at North Dakota (24-16, 1-5 SL)
Where: Albrecht Field (895) | Grand Forks, N.D.
When: Saturday, April 18 | 5 p.m. (CT)
Watch: Midco Sports & Summit League Network
 
GAME #42: South Dakota (10-29-1, 2-7 SL) at North Dakota (24-16, 1-5 SL)
Where: Albrecht Field (895) | Grand Forks, N.D.
When: Sunday, April 19 | 3 p.m. (CT)
Watch: Midco Sports & Summit League Network
 
GAME #43: South Dakota (10-29-1, 2-7 SL) at North Dakota (24-16, 1-5 SL)
Where: Albrecht Field (895) | Grand Forks, N.D.
When: Monday, April 20 | 1 p.m. (CT)
Watch: Midco Sports & Summit League Network
 
GAME #44: South Dakota (10-29-1, 2-7 SL) vs. Drake (10-30, 4-15 MVC)
Where: Nygaard Field | Vermillion, S.D.
When: Tuesday, April 21 | 3 p.m. (CT)
Watch: Summit League Network
 
LAST TIME OUT: IOWA STATE
The Big 12's Iowa State Cyclones proved to be too much to handle for the Yotes in Ames on Tuesday. Iowa State would take the contest 8-0 in five innings thanks to two four-run innings in the first and the fifth, aided by a pair of multi-run home runs. Kiya Johnson recorded the only two hits for the Coyotes in the contest.
 
COYOTE ROUND-UP
Junior Brooke Carey continues to pace the Coyote offense with her bat. She leads the team with a .374 batting average with sits top-10 in the Summit League, while having 10 doubles and two home runs. She also leads the Yotes with her 46 hits, .421 on-base percentage.
 
Sara Iburg has driven in a team-best 20 RBI on the campaign, while also leading the way with her five home runs heading to Grand Forks. Iburg is also second on the team with her six stolen bases (6-for-9) with Kiya Johnson right behind her with five (5-for-6). 
 
IN THE CIRCLE
Madison Evans has paced the pitching staff this season, appearing in 23 games with 20 starts. She paces the entire Summit League in innings pitched (120.2), strike outs (113), complete games in the circle (11). Despite her record of 6-13, Evans has proved to be a reliable arm in the circle with her 113 punch outs to get out of jams.
 
Both Peyton Paulsen and Campbell German have been options this season for Wagner. Paulsen made her ninth start (20 appearance) of the year at Iowa State in the midweek tilt, while German has 19 appearances and eight starts.
 
ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota enters the weekend series with their first home conference series of the season with their first two series played being on the road. A solid non-conference season has helped UND to a 24-16 overall record, but they have stumbled of late in league play with a 1-5 record.
 
The Fighting Hawks are coming off a 13-0 (5 inn.) victory over Division III Crown College (Minn.) in a midweek clash on Tuesday. North Dakota dropped their last Summit League series to Kansas City (April 10-12) in Kansas City, though picked up their first win of Summit League play with an 8-0 (6 inn.) win on Saturday.
 
A pair of Hawks sit with batting averages over .300 in Jaedyn Valdez (.376) and Camryn Lasota (.307). Valdez and Lasota combine for 23 of UND's 64 doubles on the season, while Taya Hophauf leads the team with her five home runs.
 
In the circle, two Hawks have 80+ innings of work. Led by junior Tegan Livesay (92.0 IP) with a team-best 2.86 ERA and a 10-6 record with opponent's hitting just .228 off her. Sophomore Unity Nelson (84.2) sits close behind with a solid 3.47 ERA and a 9-6 record and leads the team with two shut outs on the year.
 
ABOUT DRAKE
Similar to South Dakota, it's also been a down year for the Bulldogs. Drake enters this weekend's Missouri Valley series against Valpo (April 18-19) with a 10-30 (4-15 MVC) record. The Bulldogs are coming off a mid-week MVC split with Northern Iowa on Monday, taking the first game 14-5. Drake holds a record of 3-15 away from their home field as they head to Nygaard.
 
Offensively, Drake has four athletes hitting north of .300 of the season led by senior outfielder Tatum Aragon hitting .330 on the season with 38 hits and five home runs. Aragon also leads the team with her 30 RBI on the season. Pearson Hall has the most pop with team highs six home runs and eight doubles, while Natalee Watts also has six long balls.
 
Peyton Driscoll has tallied the most innings of work in the circle for Drake with 81.2 on the season. She holds a 2-12 record with a 6.60 ERA with hitters hitting .344 off her.
 
SERIES HISTORY (UND)
South Dakota leads the all-time series with the Fighting Hawks, 74-39 with a majority of the games taking place in Vermillion (52 of 113 games).
 
This weekend marks only the 20^th through 22^nd games ever played in Grand Forks between the two schools with South Dakota holding the slight edge up there, 10-9. Prior the USD series win in Grand Forks in 2024, the two teams hadn't played on UND's home field since 2015.
 
Since 2019, the Coyotes have won 18 of the 21 meetings, including a 10-game win streak from April 3, 2021 to April 6, 2024. The Yotes have won the last two meetings in the series, including a 6-5 victory over the Fighting Hawks in the 2025 Summit League Tournament.
 
SERIES HISTORY (DRAKE)
Only meeting 11 times previously against a regional Division I opponent, South Dakota and Drake will meet for the 12^th time in series history on Tuesday afternoon in Vermillion. Drake leads the all-time series, 7-4.
 
Since the turn into the 2020s, it's been an incredibly even series with each team winning three of the last six meetings. The two teams met last year in Des Moines for a doubleheader with South Dakota taking game one (3-0) and Drake taking game two (3-2).
 
For the first time in series history, the two teams will play a softball game in Vermillion at Nygaard Field.