SDSU TRAVELS TO KENTUCKY FOR VELVET MILKMAN CLASSIC

Friday, February 20

Murray, Ky.

10 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Green Bay

Photo by: Mario Terrana

2/19/2026 11:10:00 AM | Softball

By: Andrew Pedersen

Velvet Milkman Classic
When	Friday, Feb. 20 - Saturday, Feb. 21
Location	Murray, Ky. (Racer Field)
Stream (vs. MSU Only)	ESPN+
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
South Dakota State	Game Notes

South Dakota State continues its road travels this upcoming weekend as the Jackrabbits head to Murray, Kentucky, to participate in Murray State's Velvet Milkman Classic. The Jackrabbits are slated for four games at Murray State's Racer Field.

SDSU begins its appearance at the Velvet Milkman Classic at 10 a.m. on Friday against Green Bay. The Jacks follow that with a 3 p.m. showdown versus the host Racers. The final day of action features a doubleheader for the Jackrabbits as SDSU has a rematch versus Green Bay (9 a.m.) then takes on IU Indy (11:30 a.m.).

The Jackrabbits are coming off their two-week stay in Texas. SDSU went 9-3 during its time in the Lone Star State. The 12-game start is the best for the program since the 2021 season when the Jacks began that slate with a 10-2 record. SDSU played seven games last week with a single game defeat at Baylor along with a doubleheader sweep at Abilene Christian. The Jacks most recently competed in four games at the Whataburger Invitational. SDSU completed a three-run comeback to defeat Stephen F. Austin, 9-7. After a 12-7 loss to Tarleton State, the Jackrabbits beat Colgate in back-to-back games by 11-3 and 11-1 scores.

SDSU has been solid at the plate to begin the 2026 season. The Jackrabbits' .344 batting average as a team ranks 40th among all Division I programs. The Jacks lead the country in doubles with 33. SDSU also ranks third in hits (118), 10th in RBIs (85), 11th in runs scored (90), 13th in walks (50), 29th in home runs (14) and 48th in slugging percentage (.569).

Seven Jackrabbits are hitting over .300. Leading the way is Emma Christensen who is batting .462. She is followed by Alivya Bollen (.414), Emma Vike (.383), Akayla Barnard (.381), Amanda Vacanti (.381), Ella Berlage (.353) and Bria Riebel (.353).

Barnard is the Jackrabbits' leader in runs (17), RBIs (16) and home runs (4). She ranks fifth, 19th and 33rd nationally in those statistics, respectively.

Along with sitting atop SDSU's batting average chart, Christensen is also the team's hits leader with 18 alongside Vike. Those two rank ninth nationally, and first in the Summit League, in the category. Christensen also has a team-high five doubles so far this season. Vike has an SDSU-best 33 total bases which is 22nd most in Division I.

SDSU's pitching staff currently has a 4.44 earned run average. The Jackrabbits have been recently led by Hailey Herman and Madi Mangulis. Herman currently has a 3-0 record and a 3.36 ERA, while Mangulis holds a 4-0 and team-best 2.73 ERA.

Mangulis is coming off a two-hit complete game performance against Colgate. She's thrown a team-high 25 2/3 innings and has a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio across seven appearances. Herman has already recorded more wins this season than any other of her college career. She's also struck out more batters (21) than any prior year, which includes a 10-strikeout effort her last time out against Colgate.

Coverage Information
South Dakota State's game versus Murray State will stream on ESPN+. Live stats for all four games the Jackrabbits play in are available on GoJacksLive.com. For more information about Jackrabbit softball, you can follow the team social media accounts (@GoJacksSoftball) or visit the team page at GoJacks.com.

-GoJacks.com-