SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The race for the Summit League softball regular season title begins this weekend, with six of the league’s seven teams opening conference play.
League play begins Friday with Omaha hosting North Dakota State, as first pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT. The Mavericks and Bison will continue the series Saturday at 2 p.m. CT and Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.
South Dakota opens league play at home against South Dakota State, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. CT on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. CT start on Saturday and a noon start on Sunday.
Wrapping up the opening weekend of Summit League play is a matchup between St. Thomas and Kansas City. The Tommies and Roos begin the series Friday at 5 p.m. CT, followed by a 12 p.m. CT start on Saturday and an 11 a.m. CT first pitch on Sunday.
All this week’s league matches can be streamed on Summit League Network.
UPCOMING
Date | Stream/TV | Central Time
Friday, March 20
North Dakota State at Omaha | *(SLN) | 2 p.m.
South Dakota State at South Dakota | *(SLN) | 3 p.m.
North Dakota at Portland State | *(E+) | 4 p.m.
St. Thomas at Kansas City | *(SLN) | 5 p.m.
North Dakota at Portland State | (E+) | 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 21
St. Thomas at Kansas City | *(SLN) | 12 p.m.
South Dakota State at South Dakota | *(SLN) | 2 p.m.
North Dakota State at Omaha | *(SLN) | 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 22
St. Thomas at Kansas City | *(SLN) | 11 a.m.
South Dakota State at South Dakota | *(SLN) | 12 p.m.
North Dakota State at Omaha | *(SLN) | 12 p.m.
Tuesday, March 24
St. Thomas at Iowa | (BIG+) | 2 p.m.
St. Thomas at Iowa | (BIG+) | 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 25
Dakota State at North Dakota | (SLN) | 5 p.m.
Creighton at Omaha | (SLN) | 6 p.m.
Dakota State at North Dakota | (SLN) | 7 p.m.
*Summit League games
Key: SLN (Summit League Network), E+(ESPN+), Big Ten Plus (B1G+)
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• Defending Summit League Softball Tournament champion Omaha was selected as the preseason favorite and backed it up with a strong 17-7 mark in non-conference play, highlighted by two wins over Iowa State (13-5, 5-4) and a 9-0 victory against BYU.
• The Mavericks lead the conference in batting average through non-conference action (.321) and fielding percentage (.978).
• 2025 Summit League Pitcher of the Year Maddia Groff has once again led the way for Omaha in the circle, posting a 3.81 ERA through 10 starts, including six appearances against Power 4 opponents.
• After sharing the Summit League regular season title with Omaha last season, St. Thomas has picked up right where it left off, posting the league’s best record (18-7) through the opening stretch of the season.
• The Tommies boast two of the league’s top ERAs so far this season in freshman Mya Tautges (1.65, 4-1) and redshirt senior Ella Cook (1.69, 6-4).
• UST has also been strong at the plate, with senior centerfielder Avery Wukawitz batting a staggering .419, which ranks tied for second-best in the league.
• With the third-best win percentage in the conference so far, North Dakota sits at 19-9 after finishing the 2025 season with a 26-30 record.
• Following a 10-1 victory at Penn on March 11, the Fighting Hawks recorded 10 or more hits for the ninth time this season.
• North Dakota State compiled a 16-13 record through its non-conference slate and is one of three teams in the league with a winning mark in true road games (9-6).
• Entering league play, the Bison are already just three wins shy of matching last season’s total of 19 victories.
• Despite a 15-19 record, SDSU owns the second-best batting average in the league (.308) and features the conference’s second-best hitter in sophomore Amanda Vacanti.
• Vacanti has been off to a hot start at the plate, batting .427 with 35 hits, eight home runs and 21 RBIs through 29 games played.
• The Jackrabbits, owners of four of the last five regular season titles, open league play with a road series this weekend against in-state rival South Dakota.
• Kansas City has nearly doubled its win total from last season (4), entering conference play with seven victories.
• Sophomore Leilani Bustamante has led Kansas City at the plate, batting .400 across 15 games this season.
• The Roos will host the Tommies this weekend for their conference-opening series.
• South Dakota enters conference play against the Jackrabbits this weekend with an 8-20-1 record, looking to build momentum as Summit League action gets underway.
• USD’s Brooke Carey leads the Yotes from the plate with a .386 batting average, ranking eigth in the league.
RESULTS
Friday, March 13
Omaha 9, BYU 0
South Dakota State 2, Columbia 3
South Dakota 4, Iowa State 9
Omaha 6, Utah Tech 5
South Dakota State 1, UT Arlington 4
North Dakota State 1, California Baptist 2
South Dakota 4, Missouri 9
North Dakota State 5, California Baptist 0
Saturday, March 14
South Dakota 5, Minnesota 4
BYU 9, Omaha 8
South Dakota State 4, Columbia 3
South Dakota 0, Missouri 9
Omaha 12, Utah Tech 2
South Dakota State 4, UT Arlington 6
North Dakota State 1, California Baptist 2
Sunday, March 15
South Dakota State 2, Columbia 4
Tuesday, March 17
South Dakota State 5, Wichita State 12
South Dakota State 1, Wichita State 3
#SummitSB
