ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The College of Saint Benedict softball team (19-9, 9-1 MIAC) will kick off a busy schedule with a pair of road MIAC doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday.  
 
The Bennies begin the week on the road with a doubleheader at Gustavus Adolphus College, scheduled for 3:30/5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, at Gustie Softball Field in St. Peter, Minn. CSB continues its road stretch Wednesday, April 22, with a 3:30/5:30 p.m., doubleheader against College of St. Scholastica at Kenwood Field in Duluth.

Directed by 14th-year head coach Rachael Click, the Bennies have 11-of-12 games, including eight straight. CSB sits 19-9 overall and third in the MIAC at 9-1.  
 
Season Recap: Strong 19-9 Start 
Saint Benedict opened the season by splitting doubleheaders against UW-Stout (5-2 loss, 4-3 win) and UW-Eau Claire (12-0 win, 12-11 extra-inning loss). The Bennies then went 4-2 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia, with wins over Pomona-Pitzer, Spalding, Cortland and Mount Union. 
 
On their Oregon trip, CSB went 2-4, sweeping George Fox before falling to Lewis & Clark and No. 8 Linfield. Back home, the Bennies swept Bethany Lutheran (9-0, 2-1), highlighted by a three-hit, five-RBI performance from Lauren Freeberg (Rogers, Minn.). 
 
After splitting with St. Olaf (8–3 win, 15–9 loss), the Bennies have responded by sweeping four straight series, putting together an eight-game winning streak, defeating Bethel (6–3, 8–6), Concordia (7–1, 10–8), Carleton (9–2, 11–6), and Augsburg (12–0, 11–1). 
 
Tautges Powering the Offense 
Senior shortstop Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) recently (April 14) was named the NFCA Division III Louisville Slugger Player of the Week after powering CSB to seven wins in eight games. Tautges earned her second career national weekly honor (also April 9, 2024) and her third MIAC Player of the Week award this season (sixth career). A two-time All-MIAC, two-time NFCA All-Region selection and third-team NFCA Division III All-American, she hit .516 with a .591 on-base percentage and a 1.065 slugging percentage, good for a 1.636 OPS during the eight-game stretch. She had 16 hits in 31 at-bats, including four home runs, three doubles and a triple, while driving in 14 runs and scoring 11 times. Tautges leads the MIAC and ranks second nationally with 12 home runs, while batting .500 with a 1.624 OPS. She set a program record with her 31st career home run against Concordia and now owns the second-most single-season home runs in program history (12), trailing only her 15 in 2024. 
 
National Rankings - Tautges - 

• 2nd - home runs (12) 
• 3rd - slugging percentage (1.033) 
• 7th - total bases (95) 
• 9th - on-base percentage (.591) 

She also leads the MIAC in RBI (35), runs (38) and hits (46), with 16 multi-hit games this season. 
 
Bennies Showcasing Depth 
Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) is hitting .327 with a .389 OBP and is 7-for-7 on stolen bases, bringing her career total to 59. 
 
Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) carries a .363 average with a .941 OPS, including a .473 slugging percentage and 19 walks. 
 
Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.) is batting .341 with 18 RBI and has 154 career hits (ninth in program history), holding a .362 average across 133 games. 
 
Freeberg has also hit four home runs, driving in 14 runs while posting a .333 batting average and a .621 slugging percentage. Alyssa Downhour (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) is hitting .290, while Sammy Muetzel (Woodbury, Minn.) at .278 and Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) at .255 have also contributed offensively to the CSB lineup.  
  
Strength in the Circle 
Senior Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village) anchors the pitching staff and was recently named MIAC Pitcher of the Week after recording her 12th career shutout in a 9-0 win over Bethany Lutheran. A three-time All-MIAC selection, she is 9-5 with six straight wins and eight straight complete games. She has a 2.28 ERA with four shutouts (1^st in MIAC, 22^nd in DIII) and 11 complete games (1^st in MIAC, 55^th in DIII).

Career Notes - Peterson (with program ranking all-time)
    
~ 49-21 record – tied for 2^nd in wins (Elly Novak, 2020-23, 49-11; Ani Jordan, 2001-04, 49-18)
~ Complete games – 47 – 4^th all-time
~ 443 Innings Pitched – 4^th all-time
~ 306 strikeouts – 6^th all-time
~ Games Started – 73 – 1^st all-time
~ Appearances – 84 – 1^st all-time
~ 2.77 career ERA  

Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) is 5-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 12 appearances, while Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 5-2 with a 4.22 ERA and owns a 21-17 career record with 20 complete games. As a team, CSB holds a 3.53 ERA with 119 strikeouts over 184.1 innings. 
 
By the Numbers 
Through 28 games, Saint Benedict is hitting .315 (fifth in the MIAC). The Bennies rank fourth in slugging (.488) and lead the conference with 24 home runs, which ranks T-19th nationally in Division III. With a 3.53 ERA CSB ranks fourth in the MIAC.
 
Scouting the Opponents 
Gustavus Adolphus (13-15, 6-6 MIAC) 
Led by first-year head coach Emma Frost, Gustavus is led by Catlin Olafsson (.357, 2 HR, 17 RBI), along with Lauren Lambert (.376), Hailey Petzel (.333), and Paige Gritzmaker (.333). As a team, Gustavus is hitting .304 with 7 home runs. Ava Hamsund (6-5, 3.28 ERA) and Maizie Anderson (4-7, 3.76 ERA ) lead the pitching staff. 
 
St. Scholastica (7-18, 1-8 MIAC) 
Third-year Head coach Kailee Wilkins leads the Saints, who are hitting .277 as a team. Sami Ernst (.390) and Katelyn Hackman (.359) pace the offense. Aleah Shogren (2-9, 6.36 ERA) and Bailey Ellison (2-9, 7.87 ERA) handle the workload in the circle for the Saints.  
 
Series Snapshot 
The Gusties lead the all-time series with the Bennies (44-37-1), but CSB has had the success of late, defeating GAC in 16 of their last 19 meetings dating back to 2017.  
 
Against St. Scholastica, CSB leads all-time, 8-3 (6-2 home, 2-1 away), and swept the Saints 7-4 and 13-2 last spring on April 26, 2025. The Bennies have won eight of the past nine meetings.