ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The College of Saint Benedict softball team (2-8) will play nonconference doubleheaders against Wartburg (9-8) on Friday, March 29, and No. 24 Central College (13-5) on Saturday, March 30 on the road. The Bennies doubleheader with Wartburg will be held at 1/3 p.m., on Friday in Waverly, Iowa before going to Pella, Iowa for a 1/3 p.m., doubleheader at No. 24 Central on Saturday.

Saint Benedict opens season with top-five schedule
The Bennies have faced one of the toughest schedules in NCAA DIII with six games of 10 played against teams ranked in the NFCA NCAA DIII top 20. Among its two wins, CSB had a walk-off 11-9 win over then No. 12 Belhaven as Olivia Tautges hit a dramatic three-run, game-winning home run. In addition, the Bennies recorded a 5-4 win over Emory University of March 7 as Olivia Wallace recorded her first win of her career. Against Coe College on March 23, the Bennies dropped 5-4 and 4-1 decisions at the Husky Dome as the snowstorm that hit the area prevented games from being play at the CSB Softball Field.

After the four nonconference games this week, the Bennies will return home to host St. Olaf College in the MIAC home opener on Wednesday, April 3. The MIAC doubleheader with the Oles is set for 3:30/5:30 p.m., at the CSB Softball Field. A day later on Thursday, April 4, CSB has a nonconference doubleheader with UW-Stout at 3:30/5:30 p.m., at the CSB Softball Field. Then on April 6, CSB travels to Augsburg for a MIAC doubleheader which will be followed by a road nonconference doubleheader on Sunday, April 7 against UW-Eau Claire.

Inside Look at the Bennies
Directed by 12th-year head coach Rachael Click (273 career wins), Saint Benedict has opened 2-8. The Bennies are led by sophomore Bryn Ruhberg, who is hitting .409 with an .818 OPS along with an on-base percentage of .409. Sophomore Maddy Kubik has a .364 average and .773 OPS while sophomore Cat Smetana is hitting .323 with a .796 OPS. Along with senior Bryn Carlstrom, who is hitting .310, Smetana has a team-high five RBI and a home run.

In her career, Carlstrom, who plays several positions on the infield including catcher and shortstop, has a .326 batting average with 108 hits, including two doubles, and 65 RBI in 109 games. Senior infielder Tori Benson, who is hitting .296, ranks fourth all-time at CSB in home runs with 15. With 70 RBI, she is 12^th in school history while Carlstrom ranks 16^th with her 65.

Benson has a .305 career mark in 108 games with 106 starts. She also has a .524 career slugging mark and 15 stolen bases to go with 89 career hits. Sophomore Olivia Van Hout, who had a personal-best three hits against Coe College in the 5-4 setback on March 23, is batting .286 and owns a team-best five stolen bases in five attempts.

In the circle, CSB is led by Addy Bowne with a 5.60 earned run average and a 1-0 record in 10 innings. She has four strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP. Sophomore Olivia Wallace is 1-4 with a team-best four complete games. She has 18 strikeouts in 30.2 innings and a 5.71 earned run average. Sophomore Ellie Peterson has 14 strikeouts in 21.1 innings. At the plate, CSB has a .235 batting average with a .290 OBP and is 11-of-11 on stolen bases. On the hill, CSB owns a 7.00 earned run average with 36 strikeouts in 62 innings.

Notes on Wartburg
The Knights, which has opened the season 9-8, is directed by head coach Jamie Mueller, who is in her ninth seasons. Three times since 2018, Mueller has led the team to the NCAA DIII Tournament. At the plate, the Knights are led by Lili Alvarado, who is hitting .390 with a .468 OBP. Kaylie Springer has a team-high 21 hits and 19 stolen bases while hitting .362. Sydney Fellows has a .357 average and team-high .905 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI while Ella Link is hitting .306 with a team-best 15 RBI. In the circle, Avery Mull has a 3-2 record in seven starts with a 3.27 earned run average. Ashley Nelson has a 3-3 record and 4.71 earned run average with Hannah Luellen at 2-2 with a 3.65 earned run average. Overall, Wartburg is hitting .293 while opponents have a .297 mark. The Knights own a team OPS of .735 with a .368 OBP and has had 75 stolen bases in 85 attempts.

Series Notes – Wartburg leads, 5-1
In the all-time series, CSB trails Wartburg by a 5-1 margin. In the last meeting, CSB dropped a 6-5 decision at home on May 15, 2002, in the NCAA DIII Regional played at CSB as part of the Saint Joseph Minnesota Regional. CSB led, 5-2, before Wartburg rallied for the win. The Bennies defeated Wartburg, 7-2, on March 2, 2020, in Clermont, Fla. Prior to that Wartburg had a 10-1 win on March 4, 2007; 9-2 verdict on March 7, 2003; 3-1 win on March 5, 2003; and a 7-2 setback on May 5, 1994, in the first-ever meeting at Storm Lake, Iowa.

Notes on Central College
Head Coach George Wares, who has the most wins in NCAA DIII softball history, has his nationally No. 24 ranked Central College team out to a 13-5 record as he has pushed his career mark to 1,245-442-5 with a 97-62 postseason mark. He was the first DIII coach to register 1,000 wins on April 9, 2014, and has led the Dutch to 31 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Dutch is led offensively by Hannah Higgins who is hitting .417 with 13 RBI and a 1.068 OPS. Megan Stuhr is hitting .333 with 14 RBI while Emma Johnson (.328), Franie Burnett (.327) and Rylee Dunkin (.327) also are hitting over .325. As a team, Central has a .292 average with a .355 OBP and .711 OPS. In the circle, Sydni Huisman has a 4-2 record with a 2.47 ERA, owning 20 strikeouts in 34 innings. Emma Beck is 4-3 in nine starts with a 4.72 earned run average.

Series Notes – Central leads CSB, 6-3
This will be the 10^th match-up between CSB and Central with the Bennies trailing the series, 6-3. In the last meeting, Central had a 6-1 win over Saint Benedict in Pella, Iowa. The Bennies' last win over Central was a 5-4 decision in eight innings in Tucson, Ariz., on March 6, 2018. In the first meet on May 6, 1993, Central took a 6-3 win. CSB has never hosted Central and will go to Pella for the eighth time in the series.

Season Review (Click on link below for recap and box score)

March 2 - Mary Hardin Baylor 5 Saint Benedict 1
March 2 - No. 1 Trine 6 Saint Benedict 0
March 3 - No. 8 Christopher Newport 10 Saint Benedict 6
March 3 -- Saint Benedict 11 No. 12 Belhaven 9
March 4 - No. 3 Berry 6 Saint Benedict 3 (G1)
March 4 - No. 3 Berry 4 Saint Benedict 3 (G2)
March 7 - Emory 10 Saint Benedict 10 (G1)
March 7 - Saint Benedict 5 Emory 4 (G2)
March 23 – Coe College 5 Saint Benedict 4
March 23 – Coe College 4 Saint Benedict 1