INDIANAPOLIS – The Jaguars will continue their homestand this weekend, March 22-23, against the University of South Dakota at the IUPUI Softball Complex.

On Friday, the Jags and Coyotes will play a doubleheader with the first game beginning at 2 p.m. ET. The final game of the weekend will take place on Saturday, March 23, with a start time of noon ET. 

Last weekend, IUPUI (10-10, 2-1 Summit) began conference play against South Dakota State and took two of the three games. It was on a three-game winning streak until dropping the final game of the SDSU series on March 16, 7-1.

During the three-game series against SDSU, the Jags collectively raised its batting average just under the .300 mark to .290.

Eryn Dillon led the Jaguars offense on the weekend, going 6-for-8 with one RBI and scored five runs. Dillon now leads the starting lineup in batting average at .370. Her performance also earned her Summit League Softball Player of the Week honors, the first time she has received the award in her career.

Adding to the Jags’ offense was Jazmine Pedrotti. Pedrotti went a solid 5-for-9 on the weekend, including her second home run of the season, scored three runs and tallied three RBIs. 

In the first game of the series, Cassie Vodde picked up her fifth win in the circle (5-1). Vodde pitched all five innings before the run-rule took effect. She allowed two runs on four hits, one walk and tallied five strikeouts.  Nikki Thomas collected her second win of the season (2-3). Thomas completed five innings before the run-rule took effect again. In the 12-0 victory, Thomas allowed only one hit, two walks and collected two strikeouts. Thomas leads the pitching staff in the strikeouts category with 42.

USD enters the weekend with a record of 19-10 overall and 3-0 in Summit League play. The Coyotes have won eight out of their last ten games, including their last four against Sacred Heart and Western Illinois.

Yvon Minogue leads the South Dakota offense with a .410 average through 29 games. Minogue boasts a .500 slugging percentage and a team high .449 on-base percentage. With a team high of 31 RBIs, Allie Daly leads USD in run production. Daly also leads the team in homeruns with seven. The Coyotes also bring speed to the table, stealing 39-47 bases, led by Lindsey Boyd (23-25).

The Coyotes’ pitching staff posts a 2.77 ERA. At the forefront of the staff is Erica Denney, who owns a 2.46 ERA and a 10-4 record. The Jags will also likely see Madison Frain, who posts a 2.89 ERA and 5-5 record in her 11 appearances. Frain leads the pitching staff in strikeouts (64) and accounts for the staff’s only save. 

This weekend will be the first meeting between the two programs since last season. USD won the three-game series, taking two of the three games (1-2, 4-5, 8-1).