Softball Hits the Road to North Dakota State

Saturday, April 9

Fargo, ND

12:00 PM

Kansas City

North Dakota State

Softball Hits the Road to North Dakota State

4/8/2022 11:43:00 AM | Softball

Full Game Notes

The Roos will look to win their third conference series in a row

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Softball hits the road for their first conference away series of the season against North Dakota State. The Roos will look to win their third conference series in a row and remain atop the Summit standings after week three of conference competition. First pitch of the Saturday double-header is scheduled for noon, with the third game of the series at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Kansas City Notes

In his third season at the helm of Kansas City Softball, Head Coach Kerry Shaw scheduled a strong lineup of teams, including games against 13 ranked opponents. Shaw wrapped up his first complete season with the Roos last year, finishing with the first winning season in a decade and first win over a ranked team in program history.
Weathering injuries, Kansas City is still looking to return to form in all three phases of the game during conference play. The Roos finished the 2021 season with a .274 team batting average and 38 homeruns, both second-most in the Summit.
Hilbrenner picked up where she left off last season but in the leadoff spot of the lineup. She is currently hitting .375 with 39 hits, seven doubles, three triples, five homeruns and 18 stolen bases; all top-ten in the Summit thus far. She also has 16 multi-hit games this season.
Designated hitter, Fenoglio, follows with a .337 batting average, five homeruns, four doubles, a team-high 20 RBI and a team-low nine strikeouts. She earned Summit League Player of the Week honors on March 7 after her performance at the Razorback Rumble where she hit .571.
Fenoglio is coming off a powerful weekend where she hit two homeruns and a double with 5 RBI in the series against St. Thomas.
Rightfielder, Marina Karnes, has stayed perfect in the field with 29 putouts and zero errors. She is also hitting .296 with a .394 slugging percentage, both good for third best in the lineup.
Transfer Sydney Nichols, from Wichita State, has brought more power to Kansas City's lineup with four homeruns on the season and 14 RBI.
Ally Vonfeldt tallies up extra-base hits for the Roos, hitting six doubles, two triples and two homeruns this season, giving her 15 homeruns in her career, good for sixth on the all-time homeruns list in program history.
Alexis D'Ambrosio has a keen eye, leading the team with 15 walks and some pop in the bat with two homeruns and four doubles this season.
Kansas City has hit 21 homeruns this season thus far, with eight different Roos contributing.
After the first two weekends of conference play, Kansas City's pitching staff posted a 1.22 ERA, the best mark in conference play thus far.
Kansas City has a five-man pitching staff, starred by senior ace, Mia Hoveland, who currently has 350 career strikeouts. Hoveland has thrown four complete games in conference play, allowing just six earned runs in 29 innings pitched, while tallying 21 strikeouts.
KC received a sophomore transfer, Casey Stout, from North Central Missouri College who recorded a 25-3 record last season with 281 strikeouts, second-best in the NJCAA in 2021. She has pitched 8.2 innings in conference play, recording a 0.00 ERA while only allowing five hits and recording nine strikeouts.
The Roos also return sophomore Camryn Stickel, who finished her freshman campaign with a 14-9 record on the mound. Stickel quickly made her way onto the record books, notching the fifth most wins in a single season in program history.
The 2022 freshman class is comprised of four impact players. Sydney Reid and Lexy Smith will see time on the infield, while Audrey Danielson and Jenna Milan will make appearances in the pitching rotation.

North Dakota State Notes

This will be the 31st meeting between the Bison and the Roos. In last year's series, Kansas City split the series 2-2 on their home turf. NDSU holds the 23-7 advantage in the all-time series record with a 9-1 record at home.
North Dakota State has a prestige of success, winning nine regular season Summit titles and 13 NCAA tournament appearances in the past two decades.
Last year, both Mia Hoveland and Camryn Stickel both earned a win each in day one of the series. On offense, Kloe Hilbrenner hit a homerun and stole five bases in the series, while Ally Vonfeldt hit a pair of long balls in game three of the series.
Coming into this weekend, North Dakota State has a 20-17 overall record and a 2-4 record in conference play.
The Bison are currently tied for seventh in the Summit standings after being picked pre-season second with Kansas City.
Junior Pitcher Lainey Lyle and Senior Catcher Avery Wysong were picked 2022 Summit League Players to Watch.
North Dakota State is hitting .221 as a team and has a league-low three homeruns on the season.
Dez Cardenas is the most efficient Bison hitter, batting .342 with a .419 on-base percentage.
Emilee Buringa and Cameryn Maykut are NDSU's next biggest offensive threats with a combined 10 homeruns and 19 doubles on the season.
NDSU is aggressive on the base paths, stealing 20 bases thus far with four Bison contributing to that total.
Senior Paige Vargas gets the most production in the circle with 112 innings pitched and a 2.31 ERA, tallying 110 strikeouts.
Lainey Lyle has earned North Dakota State's two lone conference wins and has a 3.00 ERA through 39.2 innings pitched.