SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University softball team travels to Colorado Christian University for a four-game series this weekend. The Yellow Jackets and Cougars are scheduled to play a double-header beginning at noon on Saturday, March 10, before playing two games on Sunday, March 11.

Scouting the Cougars (15-1, 8-0 RMAC)
Colorado Christian University, located in Lakewood, Colorado, has begun the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season unbeaten, taking down New Mexico Highlands and Fort Lewis in four-game series. The lone loss for the Cougars came against Montana State University Billings (8-5) on February 3.

The Cougars have outscored their opponents, 148-56, so far this season, including a 91-28 mark in league action. The team has also stolen 50 bases over 16 games. Kendall Yasui and Hanna Farmer have each stolen 13 bases. Alyssa Hanks leads the team in batting average, hitting .522, with 10 doubles and two homeruns. Five other players hit over .400, including Shelby Fusich (.423), who leads the team with six homers and 31 RBI.

The Cougar pitching staff has a 3.58 earned run average. Kenzie Mattey is 9-0 with a team-leading 1.88 ERA. She has thrown five complete games and struck out 45 in 52.2 innings pitched.

CCU is currently tied for first in the RMAC. The Cougars and Colorado Mesa, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation, are both 8-0 in conference games.

The Last Time Out
BHSU opened RMAC play last weekend, splitting a four-game series with Colorado State University-Pueblo. The Thunderwolves swept Saturday's doubleheader, 2-0 and 3-1. The Yellow Jackets took both games on Sunday, winning 13-5 in six innings, and 8-2 in the nightcap. Maddi Fidler hit .571 over the four games.

Jacket Leaders
Maddi Fidler leads the Green and Gold with a .486 batting average. Alex Wiley (.387) leads the squad with four homers and eight runs batted in, while Kindall Bethke also has four home runs.
Wiley (1-4) leads the squad with a 5.82 ERA, striking out 13 in 27.2 innings, while Melissa Gellermann (1-5) has a 6.12 ERA. She has struck out 26 in 34.1 innings of work.

Next Up
After the four-game series with the Cougars, the Yellow Jackets travel to Golden, Colorado, to play four games against Colorado School of Mines. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 17, beginning at noon. They will then play a DH on Sunday, March 18, at 11 a.m.