ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team (8-8) returns home Wednesday (March 25) to host Bethany Lutheran (12-4) in a nonconference doubleheader set for 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. at the CSB Softball Field.

The Bennies will use the midweek twin bill as a final tune-up before opening MIAC play at home against Bethel on April 1, followed by a road trip to St. Scholastica on April 4.

Bennies Open Season at .500
Under 14th-year head coach Rachael Click, who owns 331 career victories, Saint Benedict enters play with an 8-8 mark. The Bennies opened the year by splitting doubleheaders against UW-Stout (L, 5-2; W, 4-3) and UW-Eau Claire (W, 12-0; L, 12-11 in eight innings).

CSB then posted a 4-2 record at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., with wins over Pomona-Pitzer (9-6), Spalding (21-3), Cortland (8-0) and Mount Union (5-4), while falling to Pacific Lutheran (5-3) and No. 9 Huntingdon (8-4).

On its Oregon trip, Saint Ben's went 2-4, sweeping George Fox (11-3, 6-3) before dropping games to Lewis & Clark (1-0, 2-1) and No. 8 Linfield (4-1, 9-2).

Tautges Leading D3 in Homers
Senior shortstop Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) has been one of the most productive hitters in NCAA Division III and has earned MIAC Player of the Week honors twice this season, giving her five career weekly awards.

Tautges is batting .519, which ranks third in the MIAC (27th in NCAA Division III), and leads both the conference and the nation with eight home runs. She also tops the MIAC in slugging percentage (1.06), OPS (1.711) and runs scored (22), while ranking second in hits (27), on-base percentage (.615) and RBI (18). Her 13 walks are second in the league.

At the NFCA Leadoff Classic, she hit .583 (14-for-24) with 27 total bases, 10 runs and 10 RBI, including three home runs, three doubles and a triple. She posted four multi-hit games, highlighted by a 4-for-4 effort with two home runs, four runs scored and three RBI in an 8-0 win over Cortland.

In 111 career games, Tautges has 27 home runs (second in program history), 94 RBI (sixth all-time) and owns a .747 career slugging percentage (first in program history) and .464 on-base percentage (fifth in program history).

Offensive Depth
Saint Benedict has produced throughout the lineup early in the season.

Senior Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) is hitting .385 with a .462 on-base percentage and is 6-for-6 on stolen-base attempts, bringing her career total to 58 steals.

Sophomore Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) carries a .353 batting average with a .956 OPS, including a .471 slugging percentage and a .485 on-base percentage. She leads the MIAC with 14 walks.
Senior Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.) is batting .300 with seven RBI. With 15 hits this season, she now has 138 career hits and a .360 average over 120 career games.

In the Circle
Junior Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) leads the pitching staff with a 2.37 ERA across eight appearances. She is 2-1 with a save and 15 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

Senior Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 3-2 with a 4.64 ERA and two complete games, while senior Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) owns a 3-5 record with a 3.42 ERA and a team-high 23 strikeouts in 45.0 innings.

Peterson enters the week with a 43-21 career record, having appeared in 78 games (67 starts) with 42 complete games and 11 shutouts.

By the Numbers
Through 16 games, the Bennies are hitting .288 as a team, ranking eighth in the MIAC. They are first in the conference in on-base percentage (.383), sixth in slugging percentage (.422) and have hit 11 home runs, ranking 15th in NCAA Division III.

Scouting Bethany Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran, under second-year head coach Angela Dabu, enters with a 12-4 record. The Vikings are hitting .295 as a team with a .395 on-base percentage and .434 slugging percentage, while going 50-for-55 on stolen bases.

Olivia Sanborn leads the lineup with a .417 average and 1.005 OPS. Emily Doyle is batting .405 with a 1.312 OPS, two home runs and 14 RBI, while Orla Keys is hitting .367 with a team-best 17 RBI.

Series Snapshot
Saint Benedict holds a 5-0 advantage in the all-time series against Bethany Lutheran, including a 4-0 mark at home. The Bennies last faced the Vikings on March 19, 2022, earning 6-4 and 3-0 wins. CSB also claimed a 6-4 victory in the first meeting on March 5, 2018, in Tucson, Ariz.