FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State softball is set to compete in the 2023 Summit League Championship from May 10-13 at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. The Bison will be the No. 3 seed and open up the tournament on Wednesday, May 10 against No. 6 seed Kansas City in a single elimination round before double elimination begins on Thursday, May 11.
Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 10th
G1: (4) South Dakota vs. (5) North Dakota | 2 p.m.
G2: (3) North Dakota State vs. (6) Kansas City | 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 11th
G3: (1) South Dakota State vs. G1 Winner | 11 a.m.
G4: (2) Omaha vs. G2 Winner | 1:30 p.m.
G5: G3 Loser vs. G4 Loser | 4 p.m.
Friday, May 12th
G6: G3 Winner vs. G4 Winner | 1 p.m.
G7: G6 Loser vs. G5 Winner | 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 13th
G8: G6 Winner vs. G7 Winner | 1 p.m.
G9: If Necessary | 3:30 p.m.
Tickets and Concessions
All tickets will be sold as a single day pass. Prices will be $10 for adults. Students from participating schools with a valid ID will be able to purchase tickets for $5. All children (Grades K-12) will have tickets available for $5.
Parking
Spectator parking will be east of the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex or east of Dan J. Dykhouse Stadium. The entrance to the Jackrabbit Softball field is just behind home plate.
Summit League Tournament on Midco
Once again, The Summit League Championships will be televised live on Midco Sports and through the Midco Sports Plus app. Jay Elsen and Tom Nieman will have the call for the games, with Emmie Uitts and Al Bahe splitting the analyst duties.
Game Coverage
All Summit League Championship games will be streamed live on The Summit League Digital Network. All games will also include live statistics. Links to the stream and stats will be available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
Seven Bison Earn All-League Accolades
Senior Carley Goetschius (IF) and junior Emilee Buringa (OF) headlined the Bison honorees when the Summit League announced the All-League team on Tuesday, with the duo earning first team accolades. Buringa is a two-time winner after second team honors last season. It is the first honor for Goetschius. The Bison had two senior pitchers make the second team, as Paige Vargas received her third all-league second team honor and Lainey Lyle scooped up her second all-league second team honor. Freshman Bella Dean (IF) and transfer Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage (DP/UTL) also received second team selections, earning their first honor. Sophomore Chloe Woldruff (OF) also scooped up an honorable mention selection.
Goetschius Pacing Bison, Summit League at Plate
Carley Goetschius leads the Bison and ranks second in the Summit League this season with a .368 average. Goetschius also leads the Summit League and ranks 28th nationally with 15 doubles this season and finished the regular season second in home runs with seven. In league play, Goetschius is also tied for second in the league in extra-base hits with 10 (5 doubles and 5 home runs).
Buringa Passes 100 Consecutive Starts, Enters Postseason on Hot Streak
Emilee Buringa made her 100th consecutive start in center field in game two against Omaha last weekend, entering the postseason with 102 consecutive games played and 101 consecutive starts. Buringa has been on a tear recently, with four multi-hit games in her last eight, and hits in all but one during the stretch. She is 13-for-25 (.520) during stretch with a home run, three doubles, seven RBI, seven runs, .760 slugging and a .640 obp.
Vargas Among League Leaders in Circle
Paige Vargas ranks in the top three in nearly every major pitching category in the Summit League. Entering the week, Vargas leads the league in WHIP (1.04), second in wins (15), shutouts (5) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.56), and third in strikeouts (160) and batting average against (.203). The senior closed out her home career with 6.2 scoreless innings against Omaha, before giving way to fellow senior Lainey Lyle for the final out.
Dean Slugging Her Way to Top of Summit League
Freshman Bella Dean has made a splash since earning an everyday spot in the lineup. Dean has nine home runs in the last two months, including seven in Summit League play. She leads the league in home runs overall (9) and in the league (7), while also finishing the regular season fourth in RBI (35) and first in league play in RBI (26) and slugging (.732).
Lyle Peaking at End of Career
Senior Lainey Lyle allowed just five earned runs in league play this season, tossing three complete game shutouts. In league play, Lyle is second in era (0.65) and shutouts (3). Lyle is on pace to set a new personal best for era in a season, entering the postseason at 2.35. Her best is a 2.68 last season.
Woldruff On Career Best Run
Chloe Woldruff has started 10 straight in right and has hits in eight of those games, going 10-for-25 (.400) during the stretch with two doubles and her first career triple. She has also added her first two stolen bases and four RBI and six runs. She has four walks, adding to a .467 obp and is slugging .560. Her .400 average is second on the Bison during the stretch.
Vargas Making Final Marks on NDSU Career Charts
Paige Vargas made her 100th and 101st starts in her final home weekend. The senior is sixth on the all-time NDSU list with 101 career starts. Vargas is also sixth on the all-time list with 128 appearances, 647.1 innings pitched and 72 complete games. She is seventh all-time in strikeouts at 543 and is eighth with 21 career shutouts and 61 wins. She is also eighth with 5.87 strikeouts per game and is fifth with five career saves.
Life on the Road
After moving the first home series to Sioux Falls due to snow, the Bison played 42 games away from home before hosting North Dakota last weekend. NDSU was originally scheduled to play 36 away from home to start the season. The Bison set a new mark for their latest start to the home schedule in program history on April 29. The latest date prior was on April 28 in 2009 and 2018.
Aguilar-Beaucage Sets Career High Streaks
Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage became the 21st Bison in the Division I era to have a hit streak of at least 10 games earlier this season. It was a career high mark for the junior transfer, who also set a personal best mark of 14 games reaching base safely.
Lyle Tosses Back-to-Back Shutouts, Sets New Personal Mark
Lainey Lyle pitched a pair of gems in league play earlier this season. Lyle led NDSU to a 1-0 win at Western Illinois before shutting out South Dakota in a 2-0 win. With back-to-back shutouts, Lyle reached 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings, a new career high. Her previous best was a 15.1 inning stretch in 2021.
NFCA Top Performers
Paige Vargas and Carley Goetschius went back-to-back on being recognized as NFCA Louisville Slugger/Wilson DI Selected Top Performances. Vargas made the list after her one hitter against Mississippi State. Goetschius made the list after hitting .727 against Kansas City the next week.
Vargas With Pair of One Hitters
Paige Vargas tossed a one-hit shutout to lead NDSU to a 2-0 victory over RV Mississippi State, and then added her second one hitter of the season with a dominant performance against Kansas City, taking a perfect game into the fifth inning. Vargas has five one hitters in her career.
Goetschius Matches Record
Senior Carley Goetschius tied a program record against Samford, recording three doubles in the game, becoming the fourth Bison to complete the feat. Goetschius is the first Bison to do it since Tabby Heinz had three at Cal State Northridge on March 14, 2018. Goetschius also joins Bre Beatty (at IUPUI; May 13, 2017) and Sarah Schmitz (March 12, 1999; vs. Johnson C. Smith).
Shutouts
The Bison have picked up 11 shutouts this season, including a pair of shutouts against power 5 programs. Paige Vargas leads the Bison with five solo shutouts this season, including a pair of one hitters (at Mississippi State, at Kansas City), as well as shutouts against Purdue, Brown and St. Thomas. Lainey Lyle has three shutouts, all in league play. The duo has also teamed up for a shutout in the regular season finale and have worked with Piper Reed once each for two more combined shutouts.
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