ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The No. 25 College of Saint Benedict softball team (27–9, 17–1 MIAC) takes its 16-game winning streak into its final home regular-season series with a doubleheader against Hamline (5–26, 2–13 MIAC) at 3:30/5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 29 at the CSB Softball Field. 

Saint Benedict has recorded eight consecutive sweeps of MIAC opponents, and are now ranked (No. 25) for the first time since May 11, 2023, in the NFCA Division III Top 25 poll. Under 14-year head coach Rachael Click, the Bennies have clinched a MIAC playoff berth and ranked in all but two seasons since 2016. CSB currently leads the MIAC with a 17–1 record. The Bennies were ranked 23rd in the RPI this week and have the 13th toughest schedule in DIII with opponents holding a .603 winning percentage.
 
Season Recap: Strong 27-9 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 eight straight series and putting together a 16-game winning streak, which is the program's longest since at least before 2005. That stretch includes sweeps of 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). This past weekend, CSB continued its run with doubleheader sweeps, including two run-rule victories over No. 3 Saint Mary's (11–3, 10–2) and a sweep of St. Catherine (4–1, 12–4). 
 
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 .477, second in the MIAC and 42nd 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 .409 batting average and her 297 total bases are third all-time. The senior shortstop ranks first at CSB all-time with a .767 slugging mark and third with a .489 on-base percentage with her 160 hits ranking ninth. Tautges has 119 career RBI, which is third all-time, needing eight to move into second (Lexi Alm, 126, 2011-14). She has 60 career walks, a total that is third all-time and she is just three walks away from tying Robyn Magalski (1997-00) and Gabby Spencer (2020-23) for first time. With 36 walks this season, she is first in school history and her 1.0 walks per game ranks first in the MIAC and fifth in DIII.  Her season RBI total of 43 is just four away from her school record 47 in 2024.
 
National Rankings - Tautges -  

• 2nd - home runs (13) 
• 4th - slugging percentage (1.003) 
• 4th - total bases (104) 
• 12th - on-base percentage (.610) 

She also leads the MIAC in RBI (43), runs (49), walks (36), hits (51), with and 1.582 OPS 18 multi-hit games this season.
  
Bennies Showcasing Depth  
Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) carries a .388 average with a .980 OPS, including a .491 slugging percentage and .489 on-base percentage. She also had 24 walks for second in the MIAC. Treml recently earned her first MIAC weekly honor while helping Saint Benedict move into first place in the MIAC. 

Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) is hitting .384 with a .451 OBP and is 16-for-16 on stolen bases, bringing her career total to 68, a total which ranks third all-time at CSB. She is five steals from second place.
  
Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.) is batting .339 with 24 RBI and has 163 career hits (tied for 8th in program history with Mary Welle, 1997-00), holding a .360 average across 141 games. She has 92 career RBI, which is seventh best in school history while her 141 career games rank eighth all-time. With 34 career doubles, Smetana is fourth all-time at CSB.
  
Freeberg has also hit five home runs, driving in 24 runs while posting a .318 batting average and a .625 slugging percentage. CSB has also received power from Alyssa Downhour (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. ), who is hitting .294 with an .725 slugging mark, totaling six home runs and 20 RBI. 

Sammy Muetzel (Woodbury, Minn.) at .319 and Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) at .307 with a home run and 23 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 13-5 with 10 straight wins and 14 complete games. She has a 2.15 ERA with four shutouts.
 
Career Notes - Peterson (with program ranking all-time) 
~ 53-21 record – 2nd in wins 
~ Complete games – 50 – T-2nd all-time 
~ 467.2 Innings Pitched – 3rd all-time 
~ 319 strikeouts – 6th all-time 
~ 13 shutouts – T-13th all-time 
~ Games Started – 77 – 1st all-time 
~ Appearances – 89 – 3rd all-time 
~ 2.71 career ERA   
 
Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 9-2 with a 3.54 ERA and owns a 25-17 career record with 21 complete games. Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) is 5-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 15 appearances. As a team, CSB holds a 3.16 ERA with 140 strikeouts over 232.1 innings.
  
By the Numbers  
Through 36 games, Saint Benedict is hitting .329 (fourth in the MIAC). The Bennies rank second in slugging (.502). With 271 runs, CSB is second in the MIAC and 28th in DIII with its 7.21 runs per game. The Bennies have a .431 on-base percentage lead the conference with 30 home runs, which ranks 14^th nationally in Division III.   The Bennies also ranks third in DIII and first in the MIAC with 161 walks as a team.
  
Scouting the Opponents  
Hamline (5-26, 2-13 MIAC) 
The Pipers, who are led by 19th year head coach Jim Rubbelke, have scored 109 runs while hitting .249 as a team. Offensively, Josephine Cariveau is leading the team with a .344 average and 27 RBI. Maddie Johnson is hitting 321 with 14 RBI while Elena Martinez is batting 293. In the circle, they have a 7.05 ERA, led by Allison Boynton, who is 2-13 with a 7.60 ERA. Montana Miller is 2-4 with a 5.57 ERA.
 
Series Snapshot  
CSB holds a decisive 50–25 edge in the all-time series and has won five straight, including 11 of the last 14 meetings.

Up Next
CSB will conclude its regular-season schedule with a road MIAC doubleheader at Macalester (20–15, 11–6 MIAC) on Saturday, May 2. Game times are set for 1:00/3:00 p.m., at the Macalester Softball Complex.