NDSU Softball Heads to Minneapolis for Gopher Indoor Classic

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State softball heads back on the road this week with a short bus trip to the Twin Cities to take part in the Gopher Indoor Classic hosted by Minnesota at the U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The Bison are set to get the event underway on Friday with games against Miami (OH) and host Minnesota. NDSU will play two games against Wagner on Saturday, before wrapping up the event on Sunday with a second game against Minnesota.
 
Game Coverage
All of North Dakota State’s games will be streamed live on the Big Ten Network Plus streaming service. A subscription to Big Ten Network Plus will be needed to watch the events on that channel. All five games will also have live statistics. Links to the streams and stats will be available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
A Return to U.S. Bank Stadium
The Bison make their second trip in three seasons to the Gopher Indoor Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. NDSU played at the event in 2023, going 4-1 on the weekend with two wins a piece over Idaho State and Drake and the only loss coming by a 2-0 score line to host Minnesota. The Bison are 20-27 all-time in the Twin Cities.
 
Series History – Miami (OH)
NDSU will play Miami (OH) for the first time in program history when the two teams meet for the first game of the Gopher Indoor Classic.
 
Series History – Minnesota
With two meetings this week, NDSU will face the Gophers for the 31st and 32nd times in series history. Minnesota leads the all-time series 28-2, and the Gophers have won the last nine meetings overall. NDSU’s last victory was a 5-4 victory in the second game of a double header against the then ranked No. 10 Minnesota team. The Bison and Gophers last met in the Gopher Indoor Classic two seasons ago, with Minnesota claiming a 2-0 victory.
 
Series History – Wagner
The Bison will also meet Wagner for the first time in program history and the teams are scheduled to play two games on Saturday.
 
Henderson Named Peak Performer of the Week
Rylee Henderson was named the Kwik Star Summit League Softball Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday. Henderson hit .818 over four games at the Lion Classic, going 9-for-11 with two walks and a hit by pitch, posting a .857 on base percentage. The infielder had three extra-base hits, slugging 1.091 and had four RBI and two runs scored. In the field, Henderson was perfect from the third base corner, recording two putouts and 10 assists for a perfect fielding percentage.
 
Dean Breaks HR Skid
Bella Dean snapped a 19-game streak without a home run on opening weekend against Fordham, the longest of her career. Dean then added two in the come-from-behind win over Florida International in Mexico, before her first career grand slam and team-leading 20th career home run against Prairie View A&M. Prior to the skid, Dean had 16 home runs in 79 games, averaging one every five games.
 
Freshmen Playing Early
Through three weeks, NDSU’s four freshman have combined for 31 starts, with everyone having at least six.
 
Warren Gets On and Scores With Opportunities
Taylinn Warren scored five runs in Texas. In two starts and three appearances, Warren was 4-for-7 (.571) at the plate with an RBI and a walk. She added two stolen bases and came around to score every time she reached.
 
Henzler Making Impact at Plate
Savannah Henzler leads the freshman with a .375 batting average, which is also third on the team, having reached base safely in nine straight games and all eight of her starts. She leads the team with a .750 slugging percentage, including two home runs and a triple. She is also second in on base percentage (.483), behind only fellow freshman Jessica Delatorre (.500).
 
Delatorre Heating Up
Jessica Delatorre has reached safely in five straight games, all starts, and is fourth on the team in average, hitting .353. The freshman hit .400 in two starts last week and also added three walks and a hit by pitch for a .667 on base percentage.
 
Hanta has Breakout Weekend at Plate
Freshman Amai Hanta hit safely in all four games last week, including her first career double, triple and RBI. She hit .364 for the week and had an on-base percentage of .500. She finished with a team high six runs scored and also had three RBI. Hanta is up to fifth in on base percentage (.375) for the season and is 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts, leading the team.
 
Grand Slams
With Bella Dean’s first career grand slam against Prairie View A&M, NDSU has 17 grand slams in the DI era. Melissa Chmielewski leads NDSU with four from 2007-10. Four Bison have multiple grand slams. NDSU has just one at Tharaldson Park; Skylar Padgett against North Dakota on May 1, 2022.