NDSU Softball Heads Back to Mississippi for Rebel Invitational

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State softball wraps up its spring break trip this weekend with a return trip to Mississippi and the Rebel Invitational hosted by Ole Miss. The Bison open up with two games against Samford and then play No. 22 Ole Miss twice and Iowa State once in the final three games before Summit League play begins.
 
Game Coverage
NDSU’s games with host Ole Miss will be streamed live on the SEC Network + on ESPN+. All five games will also have live statistics. Links to the stream and stats will be available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
A Return to Oxford
The Bison make their third trip to Oxford, Mississippi in the last five seasons, going 1-4 at the Ole Miss Classic in March of 2021 and 2-0 at the Rebel Invitational in March of 2023.
 
Series History – Samford
NDSU is set to face Samford for the third and fourth times in series history to begin the weekend. NDSU has won both previous meetings, 4-3 in eight innings in 2021 and 7-1 in 2023. Both meetings have been held in Oxford.
 
Series History – Ole Miss
The Bison have played Ole Miss five times in series history, beginning with a 1-0 win in 2017 at the Cal State Fullerton Easton Invitational. Ole Miss has won the last four meetings, two at the Ole Miss Classic in 2021 and two at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in 2023.
 
Series History – Iowa State
NDSU’s match up with Iowa State will be the 12th in series history and the first since 2021 when the Cyclones won 10-4 in Fargo. The Bison are 3-8 against Iowa State but Saturday’s meeting is just the second all-time meeting at a neutral site, with the only other neutral clash coming in 1978, the first-ever meeting.
 
Woldruff On Career Streak
Chloe Woldruff is currently on a 10-game hit streak. During the streak, Woldruff is leading NDSU with a .481 average, .583 slugging and a .533 obp. She has recorded six RBI and five runs scored. Woldruff has started all but one game, being held out of the lineup in the first game at East Texas A&M, entering that weekend hitting .091. Since, she has started all 14 games, hitting .417 with a .488 obp, seeing her average climb to .293 with a .382 obp.
 
50 Years of Bison Softball
North Dakota State is in the middle of the program’s 50th season in 2025, after officially beginning in 1976. NDSU has amassed over 1200 wins, including 632 in the Division I era, and a Division II National Championship in 2000. The Bison have claimed 23 conference championships in program history, along with 10 NCAA Division I Tournament Appearances, including a Super Regional in 2009.
 
Wihlm Tosses One Hitter
Madison Wihlm picked up her first career shutout in the circle against Maryland Eastern Shore and also tossed a one hitter in the process. Wihlm kept the Hawks hitless into the sixth and final inning of an 8-0 run-rule win, as UMES picked up their lone hit to lead off the inning. Wihlm is the first Bison to toss a one hitter since Paige Vargas did so in a Summit League contest at Kansas City on March 25, 2023, a 10-0 win for NDSU in five innings.
 
Career Weekend for Star
Star Cortez led the Bison at the Golden Eagle Classic, hitting .529 (9-for-17) over five games. Cortez recorded a double, had two walks and recorded three stolen bases, aiding in nine runs scored. She had a four-hit performance against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, which included two stolen bases, both career highs for Cortez. She also had a rare feat of scoring three runs in three-consecutive games during the weekend.
 
Henderson On Hot Streak Since Mexico
Rylee Henderson has made a significant change at the plate in the last three weeks, hitting .455 over the last 15 games, including 20-for-44 at the plate with six doubles, 14 RBI and six runs scored. Henderson was hitting .118 after wrapping up the second week of the season at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico.
 
Warren Getting On and Scoring With Opportunities
Over the last three weeks, Taylinn Warren has hit .480 at the plate, going 12-for-25, along with two walks for a .519 on base percentage. Both numbers lead the Bison during the stretch. Warren has recorded four RBI at the plate as well. Once on base, Warren has made the most of her opportunities, going 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts and coming around to score nine runs, scoring 64 percent of the times she has reached.
 
Freshmen Contributing Early In Careers
Through five weeks, NDSU’s four freshmen have combined for 55 starts, with everyone starting at least 11 games. Savannah Henzler leads the freshmen with a .302 average and 10 RBI. Amai Hanta leads the Bison with 18 runs scored and also leads the team with four triples, including three straight games with a triple entering the Rebel Invitational. Hanta also leads NDSU with eight stolen bases. Jessica Delatorre, who has a .462 on base percentage over the last three weeks, is hitting .290 on the year and hit her first career home run at Southern Miss. Lileigh Nieto recorded her first multi-RBI game in Hattiesburg last weekend.
 
Dean Breaks HR Skid, Averaging One Per Weekend
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 against Prairie View A&M. She hit her team-leading 21st career home run against Maryland Eastern Shore and is averaging a home run per week this season.
 
Hitting Streaks
Bison have had 33 hit streaks of at least 10 games in the DI era, with Chloe Woldruff becoming the first Bison to reach double digits since Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage (10) in 2023. The NDSU record is 26, set by Logan Moreland in 2016. Moreland also leads with the most 10+ game hit streaks, with four in her career. Seven Bison have multiple 10+ game hit streaks.