ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — With a 20-game winning streak, the No. 20 and top-seeded College of Saint Benedict softball team (31-9) will face No. 5 seed St. Catherine (24-17) in the MIAC Softball Playoff semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at CSB Softball Field in St. Joseph. The Bennies and Wildcats will meet in the first of two semifinal contests.

After finishing 19-1 in conference play and 31-9 overall, Saint Benedict secured the No. 1 seed, first-round bye in the MIAC Playoffs and the opportunity to host final two rounds of the playoffs. Fifth-seeded St. Catherine (24-17, 12-10 MIAC) advanced with a quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Gustavus (20-19, 13-9 MIAC). In the other semifinal, No. 3 St. Olaf (25-14, 17-5 MIAC) will face No. 2 and nationally ranked Saint Mary's (35-5, 20-2 MIAC) at 1:30 p.m. The semifinal winners will advance to the MIAC Playoff Championship game scheduled for 4 p.m., Saturday in St. Joseph. For the tournament, the CSB/SJU Senate will sponsor free tickets for the first 200 Bennies and Johnnies who attend and cheer on Saint Benedict.

All-time, CSB owns a 9-16 record in MIAC Playoff games. Last season, the then-No. 2 seeded Bennies defeated No. 3 St. Olaf, 3-2, in the semifinals before falling to top-seeded Saint Mary's, 5-3, in the championship game.

Tourney Team Breakdowns

St. Catherine (24-17, 12-10 MIAC)

The Wildcats, directed by 13th-year head coach Colleen Powers, are headed to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2022. St. Catherine and the College of Saint Benedict have met twice in MIAC Playoff history, both during the 2018 tournament. CSB owns a 63-19 lead in the all-time series and has won five straight meetings. Earlier this season, the Bennies posted 4-1 and 12-4 victories over the Wildcats. At home, CSB is 29-7 all-time against SCU.Grace Swigart leads the Wildcats offensively with a .432 batting average and a 1.111 OPS to go along with 17 extra-base hits, 11 stolen bases and 25 RBI. Helen McKinnon is batting .408 with a 1.053 OPS, adding 17 extra-base hits and 15 steals. Mayci Larson (.390 average) and Faith Bonse (.363 average) have each hit five home runs to pace the team, while Bonse owns a team-best 34 RBI.  In the circle, Alex Carlstrom is 10-8 on the season, while Taylor Graf also has 10 wins.

Saint Mary's (35-5, 20-2 MIAC)

Directed by veteran head coach John Tschida, Saint Mary's enters the postseason with a 35-5 overall record and a 20-2 MIAC mark to finish second in the conference standings. The defending MIAC regular-season and playoff champions are ranked No. 8 nationally in NCAA Division III and enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Cardinals, who are 11-3 in road games this season, lead the MIAC in batting average at .382 and runs scored with 306. Saint Mary's has also slugged 26 home runs, second-most in the conference. In the circle, the Cardinals own the league's top ERA at 1.77 and have recorded a conference-best 14 shutouts. Peyton Berg leads the offense with a .478 batting average and a 1.350 OPS, while adding five home runs and 38 RBI. Makayla Steffes is hitting .465 with a 1.203 OPS, 28 RBI and 26 stolen bases. She has also excelled in the circle with an 18-3 record and a 1.53 ERA. Kenzie Gatz ranks first in the MIAC with a 1.51 ERA and owns a 16-2 record.
In the all-time series, Saint Mary's holds a 55-45 advantage over St. Olaf, including a sweep in Winona earlier this season by scores of 11-3 and 2-1 on April 16. The two teams also met in the 2023 MIAC quarterfinals, when St. Olaf recorded a 3-2 victory.

St. Olaf (25-14, 17-5 MIAC)

St. Olaf enters the semifinals with a 25-14 overall record and a third-place finish in the MIAC standings at 17-5. The Oles advanced with a 9-0 victory over Carleton in the conference quarterfinals. Directed by 10th-year head coach Kayla Hatting, St. Olaf ranks third in the MIAC in batting average at .338. The Oles have hit 15 home runs and scored 233 runs this season. In the circle, St. Olaf ranks eighth in the conference with a 4.87 ERA. Regan Zak leads the offense with a .461 batting average, a 1.049 OPS and 26 stolen bases. Hannah Yaeger is batting .426 with a 1.159 OPS and has driven in 32 runs. Roxanne Ring has anchored the pitching staff with a 16-6 record and a 2.67 ERA. Saint Mary's holds a 55-45 lead in the all-time series against St. Olaf, including the Cardinals' two wins in Winona on April 16. The teams also met in the 2023 MIAC quarterfinals, when the Oles earned a 3-2 victory.

Inside Look at Saint Benedict

Season Recap: 31-9 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, earning wins over Pomona-Pitzer, Spalding, Cortland and Mount Union. During their Oregon trip, the Bennies went 2-4, sweeping George Fox before falling to Lewis & Clark and No. 8 Linfield. Back in Minnesota, CSB 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), Saint Benedict responded by sweeping eight straight conference series and building its current 20-game winning streak. 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), St. Scholastica (12-3, 12-0), No. 3 Saint Mary's (11-3, 10-2), St. Catherine (4-1, 12-4), Hamline (9-1, 9-5) and Macalester (3-1, 8-2).

Tautges Powering the Offense

Senior shortstop Olivia Tautges (Brainerd, Minn.) continues to lead one of the MIAC's top offenses. The NFCA Division III Louisville Slugger Player of the Week (April 14) is batting .475 with 13 home runs, which ranks seventh nationally. She also owns a .613 on-base percentage, third in Division III, and a .941 slugging percentage, eighth nationally.

Tautges has already established the program record with 32 career home runs and ranks among CSB's all-time leaders in batting average (.410), total bases (369), slugging percentage (.756), on-base percentage (.491), hits (160) and RBI (119). Her 41 walks this season are a program record, while her 1.08 walks per game lead both the MIAC and Division III.

Nationally, Tautges ranks:
• 7th in home runs (13)
• 3rd in on-base percentage (.613)
• 9th in runs scored (57)
• 8th in slugging percentage (.941)
• 13th in total bases (111)
• 1st in walks (42)
She also leads the MIAC in RBI (44), hits (56), walks (41) and OPS (1.554), while recording 19 multi-hit games.

Bennies Showcasing Depth

Lily Treml (Shakopee, Minn.) is batting .408 with a 1.003 OPS and ranks second in the MIAC with 27 walks. Olivia Van Hout (Mahtomedi, Minn.) is hitting .368 with a .438 on-base percentage and is a perfect 21-for-21 in stolen bases, increasing her career total to 73 steals, second-most in CSB history. Cat Smetana (Lake Elmo, Minn.) is batting .346 with 34 RBI and ranks fifth all-time at CSB with 169 career hits. She also ranks among the program leaders in doubles (35), RBI (102) and games played (145). Lauren Freeberg (Rogers, Minn.) has added six home runs and 29 RBI with a .323 batting average and a .626 slugging percentage, while Alyssa Downhour (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) owns six home runs and 22 RBI with a .649 slugging mark. Sammy Muetzel (Woodbury, Minn.) (.291) and Tuscany Ballot (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) (.314, 2 HR, 26 RBI) provide additional depth to the lineup.

Strength in the Circle

Senior Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) leads the pitching staff with a 15-5 record, a 2.09 ERA and 11 straight victories. A three-time All-MIAC selection, Peterson has recorded 15 complete games and four shutouts this season.
Career rankings at CSB for Peterson include:
• 55-21 record (2nd)
• 52 complete games (T-2nd)
• 432.2 innings pitched (6th)
• 321 strikeouts (5th)
• 13 shutouts (T-3rd)
• 79 starts (1st)

Olivia Wallace (Maple Grove, Minn.) is 11-2 with a 3.61 ERA, while Kaitlyn Pink (Delano, Minn.) is 5-2 with a 3.41 ERA. As a staff, the Bennies own a 3.08 ERA, third-best in the MIAC, with 150 strikeouts in 259.1 innings pitched.

By the Numbers

Through 40 games, Saint Benedict is batting .328, fourth in the MIAC, with a .495 slugging percentage that ranks second in the conference and 20th nationally in Division III. The Bennies have scored 300 runs, second-most in the MIAC and 14th nationally, while averaging 7.50 runs per game, 19th in Division III. CSB also leads the MIAC with a .429 on-base percentage, which ranks 29th nationally, and 182 walks, third-most in Division III. The Bennies' 32 home runs rank 17th nationally. Defensively, Saint Benedict leads the conference with a .967 fielding percentage, which ranks 37th nationally.