ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The College of Saint Benedict softball team (23-9, 13-1 MIAC) continues its heavy game schedule this week by hosting two MIAC doubleheaders this week at the CSB Softball Stadium. The Bennies will face No. 3 Saint Mary's (31-3, 16-0 MIAC) in a showdown for first place in the MIAC on Saturday (April 25) at 1/3 p.m. Then CSB will welcome St. Catherine for a doubleheader at 1/3 p.m., on Senior Day, Sunday, April 26.

Directed by 14th-year head coach Rachael Click, the Bennies have won 12 straight games to push its record to 23-9 overall and 13-1 in MIAC play. On Senior Day, the CSB softball program will recognize its senior class with a post-game ceremony. The seniors will include Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony Village, Minn.), Cadence Koste (Clear Lake, Minn.), Sammy Muetzel (Woodbury, Minn.), Bryn Ruhberg (Lino Lakes, Minn.), Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village, Minn.), Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.), Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.), and Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.).

Season Recap: Strong 23-9 Record 
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 six straight series, putting together a 12-game winning streak, defeating Bethel (6–3, 8–6), Concordia (7–1, 10–8), Carleton (9–2, 11–6),  Augsburg (12–0, 11–1), Gustavus Adolphus (2-1, 6-2) and St. Scholastica (12-3, 12-0). The 12-game winning streak is the longest since at least before 2005.
 
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. 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. Tautges leads the MIAC and ranks second nationally with 13 home runs, while batting .490, second in the MIAC and 42^nd in DIII. She set a program record with her 31st career home run against Concordia and now has 32. She owns the second-most single-season home runs in program history (13), trailing only her 15 in 2024.  She currently ranks tied for second all-time at CSB with a .412 batting average and her 297 total bases is third all-time. The senior shortstop ranks first at CSB all-time with a .767 slugging mark and third with a .479 on-base percentage with her 159 hits ranking ninth. Tautges has 116 career RBI, which is third all-time.
 
National Rankings - Tautges - 

• 2nd - home runs (13) 
• 4th - slugging percentage (1.000) 
• 4th - total bases (102) 
• 12th - on-base percentage (.589) 

She also leads the MIAC in RBI (40), runs (43), walks (25) and hits (50), with 18 multi-hit games this season. She has a 1.589 OPS for second in the MIAC.
 
Bennies Showcasing Depth 
Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) is hitting .387 with a .441 OBP and is 12-for-12 on stolen bases, bringing her career total to 64, a total which ranks third all-time at CSB.. 
 
Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) carries a .366 average with a .955 OPS, including a .475 slugging percentage and .480 on-base percentage. She also had 23 walks for second in the MIAC. 
 
Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.) is batting .314 with 19 RBI and has 156 career hits (10th in program history), holding a .355 average across 137 games. She has 87 career RBI.
 
Freeberg has also hit four home runs, driving in 19 runs while posting a .338 batting average and a .636 slugging percentage. CSB has also received power from Alyssa Downhour (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. ), who is hitting .286 with an .810 slugging mark, totaling six home runs and 19 RBI.
Sammy Muetzel (Woodbury, Minn.) at .284 and Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) at .302 with a home run and 18 RBI 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. A three-time All-MIAC selection, she is 11-5 with eight straight wins and 12 complete games. She has a 2.23 ERA with four shutouts (1^st in MIAC, 22^nd in DIII).

Career Notes - Peterson (with program ranking all-time)
~ 51-21 record – 2^nd in wins
~ Complete games – 48 – T-3^rd all-time
~ 454 Innings Pitched – 3rd all-time
~ 312 strikeouts – 6^th all-time
~ 13 shutouts – T-3^rd all-time
~ Games Started – 75 – 1^st all-time
~ Appearances – 86 – 3rd all-time
~ 2.74 career ERA  

Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) is 5-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 14 appearances, while Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 7-2 with a 4.22 ERA and owns a 23-17 career record with 21 complete games. As a team, CSB holds a 3.33 ERA with 130 strikeouts over 208.1 innings. 
 
By the Numbers 
Through 28 games, Saint Benedict is hitting .324 (fourth in the MIAC). The Bennies rank third in slugging (.502), which ranks 30^th in DIII. With 234 runs, CSB is second in the MIAC and 33^rd in DIII with its 7.31 runs per game, ranking 28^th  in DIII and second in the MIAC. The Bennies have a .415 on-base percentage lead the conference with 29 home runs, which ranks 15th nationally in Division III.  
 
Scouting the Opponents 
Saint Mary's  (31-3, 16- 0 MIAC) 
Saint Mary's, which is ranked No. 3 in DIII, is directed by head coach John Tschida, who has directed the Cardinals to a 31-3 record. He has 320 career wins at SMU. The Cardinals are hitting a league-best .386 with 23 home runs and .549 slugging mark. They also lead the MIAC with a 1.33 ERA with 12 shutouts. Peyton Berg leads the Cardinals in hitting with a .500 average, totaling four homers and 32 RBI. Makayla Steffes is hitting .474 with three home runs and 25 RBI while Naleyah Bork has five homers and 24 RBI while hitting .397. In the circle, Kenzie Gatz has a 14-1 record and 1.14 Era while Steffes is 16-2 with a 1.40 ERA.

St. Catheirne (20-11, 9-4 MIAC) 
In her 13^th season at St. Catherine, Colleen Powers has led the Wildcats to a 20-11 record and 9-4 in the MIAC. SCU ranks second in the MIAC with a .356 batting average and have 13 home runs and a .513 slugging mark.  In the circle, they have a 4.27 ERA. Grace Swigart leads the team with a .468 average and has 17 RBI while Mayci Larson is hitting .443 and Faith Bonse, .384 with a team-best 26 RBI. Alexa Carlstrom is 8-5 with a 3.47 ERA and Taylor Graf has an 8-3 record and 4.16 ERA.
  
Series Snapshot 
In the all-time series, CSB has a 42-38 edge over Saint Mary's but has lost four straight games. In the last matchup in the MIAC Championship,, CVB dropped a 5-3 decision. The Bennies sit 27-15 at home and 13-20 on the  road. In the first matchup, CSB took a 3-2 win on May 3, 1986.

Against St. Catherine, the Bennies own a 61-19 all-time record, including three straight wins with the most recent a 12-1 win on April 12, 2025.  At home CSB has a 27-7 mark and sit 29-11 in road game. The series dates to April 19, 1986 when CSB took a 3-2 win.