ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team heads south this week for the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., after opening the 2026 season with a 2-2 record.

The Bennies split doubleheaders with UW-Stout (L, 5-2; W, 4-3) and UW-Eau Claire (W, 12-0; L, 12-11 in eight innings) to begin the year. Recaps - UW-Stout -- UW Eau Claire

Saint Benedict will play six games at the tournament from March 6-8. The Bennies open play Friday against Pacific Lutheran at 2 p.m. (all times listed here are CST), followed by Pomona-Pitzer at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, CSB faces No. 14 Huntingdon College at 2 p.m., before taking on Spalding at 4:30 p.m. The weekend concludes Sunday with games against Cortland at 8 a.m. and Mount Union at 10 a.m.

Scouting the Opponents

Pacific Lutheran (0-0) opens its season against the Bennies. CSB trails the all-time series 2-0 after losses of 7-5 on March 2, 2025, in Columbus, Ga., and 9-2 on March 22, 2000, in Orange, Calif. Head coach Traci Barrett has led the Lutes since 2019 and guided the team to a 27-15 record (17-11 conference) in 2025. Pacific Lutheran returns its top hitter in catcher/outfielder Bri Sarae, who batted .430 with a 1.056 OPS last season.

Pomona-Pitzer (2-5) will meet St. Ben's for the first time in program history in Friday's second game. The Sagehens opened the season by going 1-2 against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, splitting with Lewis and Clark, and dropping two games to No. 3 Linfield on Feb. 28. Pomona-Pitzer also faces No. 5 Saint Mary's before playing CSB. Head coach Joanne Ferguson is in her 21st season leading the program. The Sagehens are hitting .244 as a team, led by Kylie Liu, who is batting .444 with eight hits and four runs scored. In the circle, Audrey Reimers is 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA as the pitching staff holds a 5.21 ERA.

No. 14 Huntingdon (8-1) enters the weekend with eight wins in its first nine games.The Hawks opened the season 2-1, falling in game three against Millsaps, 8-5. Since then, Huntingdon has six straight wins including series sweeps against Rhodes and Mary Hardin-Baylor. The matchup with CSB and Huntingdon will be the first meeting between the programs. Head coach Casey Chrietzberg, who has led Huntingdon since 2016, guides a team that is hitting .300 with a .472 slugging percentage while posting a 2.03 team ERA. Kylie Stephens leads the offense with a .444 batting average, one home run and 13 RBI. The

Later Saturday, CSB meets Spalding (2-3). The Bennies hold a 1-0 edge in the all-time series after a 5-1 victory on Feb. 28, 2025. Spalding, coached by Art Williams, is hitting .259 as a team. Carsyn Sidebottom leads the offense with a .533 batting average and a 1.144 OPS, while Kaleigh Franklin-Brooks is hitting .385. In the circle, Riley Wilkins is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, and the Golden Eagles own a 4.40 team ERA.

Sunday begins with the first-ever meeting between Saint Benedict and Cortland (0-0) at 8 a.m. Red Dragons head coach Molly O'Donnell is in her seventh season. Cortland finished 25-16 in 2025 and returns junior Maggie Cummings, who hit .385 with a .571 slugging percentage. Sophomore Gianna Endieveri is the top returning pitcher after going 10-5 with a 2.44 ERA last season.

The Bennies close the tournament against Mount Union (0-0) at 10 a.m., Sunday. CSB leads the all-time series 2-1, including a 7-3 victory on March 8, 2022. The Purple Raiders are led by head coach Meghan Simons, who is in her 10th season. Mount Union finished 28-14 last year, including a 13-5 conference mark. Senior Sydney Mercer returns after batting .444 and stealing 29 bases in 2025.

Tautges Named MIAC Offensive Player of the Week

Senior shortstop Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Softball Offensive Player of the Week on March 2 after a standout performance at the plate. Tautges hit .857 with two RBI during the Bennies' split at UW-Eau Claire. The honor marks the fourth MIAC weekly award of her career for the two-time All-MIAC and two-time NFCA All-Region performer. In 2024, when she earned third-team NFCA All-American honors, Tautges received the conference weekly award three times (April 8, April 15 and April 29). Against UW-Eau Claire, Tautges went 6-for-7 at the plate. She finished 4-for-4 in the 12-0 run-rule victory in game one, hitting the 20th home run of her career, and added two hits in three at-bats in game two. Through four games this season, Tautges is hitting a team-best .667 with a 1.765 OPS, including a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .765 on-base percentage. She has eight hits in 12 at-bats, drawn five walks and is 2-for-2 on stolen-base attempts. For her career, Tautges has 31 multi-hit games and owns a .395 batting average with 117 hits in 99 games, along with 20 home runs, 78 RBI and a .696 slugging percentage.

By the Numbers – Inside Saint Ben's

Through four games, the Bennies are batting .345 with 29 runs on 41 hits, along with a .471 slugging percentage and a .430 on-base percentage. CSB has stolen eight bases in nine attempts and holds a .975 fielding percentage, which ranks first in the MIAC and 29th in Division III. The Bennies have also hit three home runs, second in the MIAC, while their .430 on-base percentage ranks second in the conference and 38th nationally.

Tautges ranks 16th in Division III with a .667 batting average, which leads the MIAC, and is also 15th nationally in on-base percentage.

Senior Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) has started strong at the plate, going 6-for-10 (.600) with four runs scored and three stolen bases. Her .600 average ranks 36th nationally and second in the MIAC. Sophomore Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) is hitting .500 with six hits, four RBI, an .833 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage.

In the circle, senior Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a complete game. As a staff, the Bennies hold a 4.00 ERA over 14 innings. Senior Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) earned her 41st career win with a shutout (10th of her career) against UW-Eau Claire. Peterson is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA this year and has made 62 starts in 72 appearances with 262 strikeouts and 37 complete games in her career.