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Wednesday, May 8
Brookings, SD
1:30 PM
Kansas City
vs
North Dakota State
Photo by: Ryan Weaver Photography
#3 Kansas City Softball Faces #6 North Dakota State in First Round of Summit League Championship
5/7/2024 10:20:00 AM | Softball
This marks the second year in a row where the Roos and the Bison matchup in the first round
Kansas City Notes
- The Roos enter the conference tournament with their highest seed in the Summit League since 2011 when they were the one seed. Kansas City finished the season in fourth place but will be No. 3 behind SDSU and Omaha in the tournament.Â
- Lauren Parker has been on a hot streak for Kansas City, improving to second-best at the plate for the Roos. She's currently batting .326 on the season and has earned at least one hit in 11 of the last 12 matchups. This past week, she went five for nine at the plate for a .556.Â
- In the last meeting between North Dakota State and Kansas City, the Roos took the series earning wins in game one and game three. In game two, the Roos fell to the Bison 11-3 in five innings, making it their highest-scoring matchup of conference play. Kansas City came back to take game three winning 10-5. Historically, the Roos are 1-4 when playing the Bison at a neutral site.Â
- Camryn Stickel has been a staple for the Roos in the circle, leading in nearly every pitching category. She currently ties for 12th in the nation with innings pitched. She holds a 2.55 ERA (4th in the Summit) and a 1.22 WHIP. Last week she threw her 17th complete game and moved to 119 strikeouts on the season.Â
- In the past two years, Kansas City has not made it past the first round of Conference Championship play, falling to South Dakota in 2022 and North Dakota State in 2023. The Roos played in four matchups during 2021, beating South Dakota and South Dakota State but falling to Omaha and South Dakota State in their second matchup. A win over NSDU would be the first Conference Championship win under Coach Stokes O'Connor.
North Dakota State Notes
- North Dakota State and Kansas City matched up in the first round of the conference tournament last year, with NDSU taking the No. 3 seed and Kansas City taking the No. 6 seed. The Bison defeated the Roos 3-0, ending Kansas City's series.Â
- The Bison enter the matchup on a four-game losing streak. The skid began with the loss to Kansas City on April 28 and the Bison were then swept by South Dakota in the following series. Last year, NDSU entered the matchup with a win in the game prior and an overall winning record.Â
- Savy Williams leads NDSU in the circle with a 3.42 ERA on the season. She has thrown 96.1 innings and 49 strikeouts. Williams threw five innings in game one against Kansas City when the Bison fell 0-4.Â
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
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/ SoftballSB Highlights vs. #3 South Dakota
Wednesday, May 07
SB Highlights @ South Dakota (Game Three)
Saturday, May 03
SB Highlights @ South Dakota (Game Two)
Friday, May 02
SB Highlights @ South Dakota (Game One)
Friday, May 02