ST. JOSEPH, Minn. --  With nine wins in 12 games, the College of Saint Benedict softball team (15-11, 7-3 MIAC) will host Carleton (8-20, 2-8 MIAC) in MIAC action at 3:30 & 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 16, at the CSB Softball Field.

In its 50th season, the Bennies have accumulated 833 wins and 516 conference victories since their establishment in 1975. CSB has posted a 15-11 record so far this season, including a 7-3 start and third place in the MIAC. This past weekend, CSB swept St. Catherine on Saturday winning games by scores of 6-0 and 12-1. The day was highlighted as Cat Smetana recorded her 100th career hit and junior pitcher Ellie Peterson threw a shutout. On Sunday, the Bennies split a MIAC doubleheader with Macalester (1-0 win, 3-6 loss). In a 1-0 win, Peterson threw her second straight shutout and seventh in her career.

The season began with a 2-2 split against UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 22-23, highlighted by a walk-off 7-6 victory over UW-Eau Claire, courtesy of a two-run home run from Megan Erickson. CSB later competed in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., where they finished with a 2-4 record. On March 22, the Bennies split a doubleheader with Wartburg, with the second game ending in a 6-4, eight-inning win featuring Lauren Freeberg's first career homer and Olivia Wallace's career-high eight innings pitched. On March 29-30, the Bennies won three of four games. They defeated Coe College, 3-1, with Olivia Tautges recording three hits and two RBIs, and Ellie Peterson earning the win in the circle. On March 30, the Bennies dominated Grinnell, sweeping the doubleheader by a combined score of 29-9, with two innings featuring eight or more runs. CSB swept Augsburg on April 5, winning 10-7 in the first game and 11-1 in the second, highlighted by Bryn Ruhberg's first career grand slam. Then, CSB split MIAC doubleheaders with Concordia-Moorhead (0-1 loss, 7-0 win); and St. Olaf (7-1 win, 2-3 loss).  

Carleton Notes
Carleton, which is 6-20 overall and 2-8 in the MIAC, is directed by 28th-year head coach Amy Erickson. She is the school's career wins leader in softball and enters the 2025 season with 333 career wins, more than four times the next closest total in program history. The Knights' offense is led by Bryana Schaffer as she has an overall batting average of .325 while providing 14 RBIs, 12 runs, and three home runs. In the circle, sophomore pitcher, Rachel Block, has an overall record of 5-6 with an ERA of 2.87. Block has 43 strikeouts in the 2025 season.

Series Notes
In the all-time series, St. Benedict owns a 65-11 overall series edge, including 10 wins in a row.  At home, St. Ben's has a 28-3 record and sit 33-8 in road games with a 64-11 conference mark. In the last meeting on April 14, 2024, St. Ben's registered an 11-1 win. Carleton won the first match-up in the series, a 6-5 decision on April 24, 1986.
 
Inside CSB Softball
The Bennies rank third in the MIAC with a .310 batting average, accumulating 14 home runs (3rd, MIAC) and 153 runs (3rd, MIAC). CSB has totaled 72 extra base hits among its 225 hits while putting together a .466 slugging mark (2nd, MIAC) and a .368 on-base percentage (T-3rd, MIAC). In addition, CSB is 45-of-52 stolen bases while fielding at a .968 percentage.

Through 26 games, junior infielder Olivia Tautges leads St. Ben's with a .414 batting average which ranks sixth in the MIAC with her 1.165 OPS, third in the league. She ranks third in the MIAC with a .701 slugging percentage while her .464 on-base percentage is 10th in the MIAC. This past weekend, Tautges, who has three home runs this year and 19 in her career (3rd all-time at CSB), led the offense hitting .583 with seven hits, four doubles, a triple, five RBI, and a 1.083 slugging percentage. Tautges is just three hits away from becoming the third CSB player on the 2025 roster to reach 100 career hits. 

Cat Smetana is also have a standout year, hitting .357 with five hits and recently reached the 100-career hit milestone. Megan Erickson, who is hitting .260 with two home runs and 14 RBI, also recently reached the 100-hit milestone. Bryn Ruhberg, who leads CSB with four home runs, is hitting .333 with a .617 slugging percentage for sixth in the MIAC. Also for CSB, first-year Lily Treml is hitting .343 with a .617 slugging mark and .431 on-base percentage. 

In the circle, CSB pitchers combined for a 1.62 ERA in the past four games, with Peterson leading the way at 1.26 ERA over three appearances. Olivia Wallace is 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA this year. Over her last four starts, Ellie Peterson (7-5, 3.91 ERA) has been lights out, going 3-1 with a 0.25 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 28 innings while striking out 21 and limiting opponents to a .162 batting average.  

Several Bennies earn honors from MIAC & CSB
Under the leadership of head coach Rachael Click, in her 13th season, CSB has enjoyed a successful start to the season. Click celebrated her 300th career win during the NFCA Leadoff Classic with a 5-1 victory over Spalding. Last season, she guided CSB to its first MIAC title since 1994 and a spot in the NCAA DIII Regional, where the team advanced to the regional title game. Click has 312 career wins and guided CSB to 10 seasons of 20 wins or more as well as four NCAA DIII tournament appearances.

Several Bennies have earned MIAC honors this season, including Megan Erickson (MIAC Offensive Player of the Week for her walk-off home run against UW-Eau Claire), Cat Smetana (MIAC Offensive Player of the Week for her performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic), and Olivia Wallace (MIAC Pitcher of the Week for her strong showing at the same event). Bryn Ruhberg also earned MIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after her impressive performance in the Wartburg series. Junior shortstop Olivia Tautges has been a key player, earning St. Cloud Orthopedics/CSB Athlete of the Week honors on March 30 after hitting .615 with a .923 slugging percentage in a 3-1 weekend.