Spearfish, S.D. – The Black Hills State University softball team sets off for North Dakota to compete in the Minot State Dome Invite, to tipoff the 2019 season on February 9 and 10.  The Yellow Jackets will face Minot State at 8 a.m., before taking on the University of Minnesota Crookston at 12 p.m. on Saturday.  First pitch is set for 8 a.m. on Sunday against the Beavers, followed by a 12 p.m. start time against the Golden Eagles.
 
Minot State is in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and enters the weekend with a 1-2 overall record, after playing in the Las Vegas Desert Stinger Tournament.  Last season, the Beavers had a 25-24 overall record (12-14 NSIC), and finished the season after falling in the second round of the conference tournament.
 
Offensively, the Beavers are led by freshman infielder Maggie Mercer with a .417 batting average (5-for-12), including a .583 slugging percentage.  The Beavers return three of four pitchers, and welcome Alina Gonzalez, a freshman from California.  Gonzalez leads the pitching staff with a 0.0 ERA, only allowing three hits through seven innings. 
 
The University of Minnesota Crookston is also in the NSIC and will be stepping onto the turf for the first time this weekend to kick off the new season.  Last season, the Golden Eagles finished with a 6-40 overall record (2-22 NSIC).
 
Crookston returns 11 student athletes, and welcomes six new faces, including two transfers.  The Golden Eagles look to replace Gabriel Antolak, who led the team with a .374 batting average (55-for-147), including five home runs.  Paige Pitlick will return as a starting pitcher for the Golden Eagles, after leading the Golden Eagles with a 4.36 ERA, totaling 40 strikeouts in 69.0 innings. 
 
Black Hills State welcomes back 16 returners, including seven of nine starters, and introduced six freshman to the roster.  In the 2018 season, the Yellow Jackets were led by Maddi Fidler in her freshman debut, with a .350 batting average (41-for-117) and eight home runs. 
 
Alex Wiley returns to the circle for her final season for the Green and Gold.  Wiley had a 4.75 ERA last season, making 19 appearances with 17 starts.  She collected four wins for the Yellow Jackets, collecting 30 strikeouts in 87.0 innings. 
 
Following the weekend, the Yellow Jackets will travel to the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz., to wrap up non-conference play.  Starting on Saturday, Feb. 15, the Yellow Jackets will face Oklahoma Baptist at 12:30 p.m., before taking on Simon Fraser at 3 p.m.   The Green and Gold will finish the tournament with Texas – Permian Basin and Saint Martins.  First pitch on Feb. 16 is slated for 12:30 p.m. against the Falcons, and at 3 p.m. against the Saints.