SDSU currently sits at 15-15 after starting the season 4-0 before losing 12 of their next 13 games. Since then, they have won 10 of their last 13 to rebound to a .500 record. Their last non-conference matchup will be a doubleheader against Iowa next Tuesday.
“This week, we get to take a step back,” head coach Kristina McSweeney said of the break. “We can break things down…we can work on the little things that we need to work on to get better.”
The Jacks played four games against ranked opponents, all of them ending in losses in extra innings. They played Nebraska and Oklahoma State twice, losing to the Cornhuskers 8-5 on Feb. 28 and 5-4 on March 9 and the Cowgirls 5-2 on Feb. 23 and 3-2 on Feb. 27.
SDSU has shut out an opponent once this season and have won four games on the run-ahead rule, in which they led by at least eight runs after five or more innings.
Summit League Slate
The Jacks went 14-2 in the Summit last season with their only losses being to Omaha in the best-of-three Summit League Championship series. They are looking to claim their first conference title since winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022.
“It’s a mentality of not focusing on the result, and focusing on the process,” McSweeney said.“We restart our season in a couple days, we go back to 0-0, and, you know, the preseason is what the preseason is… I believe in my team and I believe in the players that I have.”
The Jacks begin conference play on Saturday, March 29 with a doubleheader against Kansas City. The Roos are a distant last place in the conference with a 3-18 record with their only wins coming against East Texas A&M twice and Southern Illinois Edwardsville.
The Roos have just four home runs all season. Grace Batdorf possesses the Roos’ best batting average at .343 from 35 at-bats. The redshirt junior outfielder from Oklahoma City has scored five runs and twelve hits and batted in nine runs. Derika Castillo possesses the other half of the team’s home runs this season, while also having an identical number of runs and hits and 10 RBI.
First pitches for the three-game series are at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Following a quick doubleheader versus Iowa State on April 1, SDSU returns to Summit League action. They host South Dakota for a three-game series on the weekend of April 5 and 6. After hosting USD, it is a road trip to St. Thomas for a three-game series on April 12 and 13. After the road trip, the Jacks return to Jackrabbit Softball Stadium to host North Dakota State on April 18 and 19, then defending Summit League champion Omaha on April 26 and 27. Finally, closing out the season is a three-game series on the road against North Dakota on May 2 and 3.
