SPEARFISH, S.D. – BHSU Softball begins RMAC play this weekend with a trip to Alamosa, Colorado to face Adams State. The Yellow Jackets (2-4) are coming off a 2-4 performance at the Minot State Invite, where they had historic performances from pitcher Laci Peskey. They now head to ASU Softball Field Saturday and Sunday to being conference play versus 2-8 Adams State, who is coming off a last place finish in the conference last season. 

GAME DETAILS
•    Location: Alamosa, Colo. (ASU Softball Field)
•    First Pitch Saturday: 12 PM and 2 PM MST
•    First Pitch Sunday: 11 AM and 1 PM MST

BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES
•    Black Hills State enters RMAC play 2-4 after their first weekend tournament in Minot. They were able to get splits off both UMary and Minot State, before getting swept by Minnesota Moorhead. 
•    The Yellow Jackets started strong in both hitting and pitching with 11 of their 15 runs coming in the first four innings of the games. They also held opponents to only three runs in the first four innings of each game, meaning that 14 of the 17 runs allowed by BHSU came late in games. 
•    Black Hills State enters this season ranked ninth in the preseason coaches' poll and is coming off the best season in the program's D2 history after going 15-32 (14-28 RMAC) last season. 
•    Head Coach Ashlyn Englehorn enters her second season as head coach of the Yellow Jackets, she has a record of 17-36 with BHSU and a career 37-85 record as a head coach after spending two years with Crown College. 
•    Junior shortstop Lily Simmons is currently tied for the team lead in batting average after the Minot State Invite, she is batting .350 with seven hits, three walks, two RBIs, and two runs scored. She had a .785 OPS and led the team in on-base percentage with a .435 clip. 
•    Senior first baseman Ashlynn Pauwels is also tied for the team lead in batting average with .350, finishing with seven hits to two strikeouts, while scoring two runs and batting one run in. Pauwels finished third on the team in slugging percentage (.400), and in on-base percentage (.350). 
•    Freshman catcher Desi Hernandez was an offensive star this week. She finished with a .333 batting average, a team high .873 OPS, a team high .444 slugging percentage, and a .429 on-base percentage. She was tied for the most RBIs with three, tied for the most doubles with two, tied for the most total bases with eight, and had three walks and no strikeouts. 
•    Junior Infield Audrey Fouras also finished with three RBIs in that weekend, while sitting with a .250 batting average, Fouras hit the game-winning sacrifice fly versus Minot State to give BHSU their second win. 
•    Sophomore Pitcher Laci Peskey had one of the best pitching weekends in program history. She was named RMAC Pitcher of the Week, which was the first time since 2017 that BHSU had an RMAC weekly award winner. She finished with 31 strikeouts, which was by far the most in the conference and was second in the country. She recorded her career high in strikeouts with 13 versus UMary, she also had her second career 10 or more strikeout game with 11 versus Minnesota Moorhead. The 13 strikeouts were the most in a season opener in program history. Peskey finished with an ERA of .67, and a .90 WHIP with three complete games, and one complete game shutout. She only allowed 17 hits, two earned runs, and two walks during the 21 innings she pitched.  

ADAMS STATE STORYLINES
•    Adams State is coming into RMAC play 2-8 on the season, after going 1-4 in each of their two tournaments, and being outscored 22-121. They were able to pull off wins versus Texas Permian Basin and Sul Ross State but were dominated in the other eight games. 
•    ASU struggled on the pitching side in their first two tournaments, with all three of their pitchers allowing over 30 earned runs in a combined 53 innings. This included a 33-0 lost to #11 West Texas A&M, where 14 runs were allowed in the first inning. They allowed 10 or more runs in seven of their ten games, while only scoring 11 runs in their losses.
•    Grizzlies Head Coach Dane Craig is 18-96 in his career as he is in the midst of his third season. Craig led Adams State to a 5-48 record last season, and finishing last in the conference. 
•    Junior middle infielder Kaylee Eyl led the Grizzlies this past weekend starting all 10 games. She went 9/21 with a .429 batting average, while leading the team in walks with six, having two RBIs and four runs scored. She had a .571 slugging percentage and a .556 on-base percentage, which is good enough for a 1.127 OPS.
•    Junior outfielder Grace Hendrickson, who started all seven games she played in led the team in OPS (1.238), batting average (.438), slugging (.688), RBIs (5), and was second in OBS (.550), and total bases (11). She hit one of two home runs by Adams State so far this year versus Sul Ross State. 
•    Sophomore pitcher Aubree Davis has been the top pitcher so far this season, going 2-4 in 30 innings, which is double the other pitchers on her team, while only allowing 34 earned runs during that time, which is good enough for a 7.93 ERA, and she had a complete game shutout versus UT Permian Basin, while having 11 strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY
•    BHSU is 13-27 all-time versus Adams State, but BHSU did sweep them last season winning all four games versus the Grizzlies and outscored 23-7, including a mercy rule game in the final match.