INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI softball team returns home this weekend after a brief stint on the road when it hosts a Summit League series against North Dakota State at the IUPUI Softball Complex.

The Jags have won three in a row after posting a doubleheader sweep over Dayton on Wednesday. The two mid-week wins upped IUPUI's record to 11-12 on the season.

"We definitely have some momentum in our favor, but we have a tough series this weekend against a good North Dakota State team," head coach Amanda Rivera said. "It is important for us to get off to a good start on Friday and if we can do that, hopefully it will translate into a good weekend for us."

North Dakota State enters the weekend with a 17-12 overall record and this weekend marks the first conference series for the Bison this year. NDSU has played a challenging non-conference schedule highlighted by five games versus nationally-ranked opponents, and it is 1-4 in those games with the win coming against No. 22 Stanford, 4-0.

Offensively, NDSU is hitting at a .306 clip led by Cheyenne Garcia's team-best .378 average. Garcia is tied with three other Bison players for the team lead in home runs with three, but she serves as the team's leading run producer with 29 RBI. Garcia is also one of five players hitting above .300 on the season.

In the circle, Krista Menke leads the team with a 2.17 ERA and she has started 15 of the team's 29 games. She has already logged 106.2 innings of work and has 89 strikeouts on the season leading her to a 12-4 record.

While NDSU enters with a .306 team average, IUPUI isn't far behind with a .303 average and it is led by Taylor Chitwood's .448 average. While Chitwood owns the highest average, Sarah Lawrence isn't far behind with a .425 average following a 3-for-5 performance in Wednesday's doubleheader against Dayton. Ali Mosier is the team leader in RBI with 19 and is tied for the team lead in stolen bases with 8-for-9. Collectively, IUPUI has been impressive on the base paths swiping 39 bases in 44 attempts.

Cassie Vodde remains the leader in the circle for the Jags with a 3.41 ERA, while Emili Escamilla has pitched well of late earning a pair of wins in the past three games to improve to 3-1.

The series finale between the Bison and the Jaguars will serve as Alumni Day for the Jags. Following the game, the team and alumni will have a tailgate behind the centerfield fence.