JACKS HEAD SOUTH TO PLAY AT UT ARLINGTON, WICHITA STATE

Friday, March 13

Arlington, Texas

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Columbia

Photo by: Jesus Ayala

3/12/2026 11:11:00 AM | Softball

By: Andrew Pedersen

South Dakota State at Maverick Invitational
When	Friday, March 13 - Sunday, March 15
Location	Alrlington, Texas (Allan Saxe Field)
Stream (vs. UT Arlington Only)	WAC International
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
South Dakota State (12-9 Overall) at Wichita State (11-10 Overall)
When	2 PM / 4:30 PM - Tuesday, March 17
Location	Lincoln, Neb. (Wilkins Stadium)
Stream	ESPN+
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com

South Dakota State enters its final stretch before conference play this week with another road trip in the southern part of the country. The Jackrabbits will participate in the Maverick Invitational hosted by UT Arlington. SDSU will play the host Mavericks twice, as well as Columbia three times, with the Jacks' first game slated for 1 p.m. on Friday versus the Lions.

The Jackrabbits then begin their journey back north with a stop in Wichita, Kan., on Tuesday, March 17. SDSU will face Wichita State in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at the Shockers' Wilkins Stadium.

SDSU enters this upcoming weekend of action with a 14-13 overall record. The Jackrabbits continue to be one of the top hitting teams in The Summit League and all of Division I softball. The Jackrabbits rank atop the conference in batting average (.338), doubles (47), hits (254) and runs scored (171). SDSU is fifth in the nation in doubles and sixth in hits.

The Jacks' hitting numbers were boosted by a 24-2 victory over Northern Colorado last week. The 24-run effort ranks among the best at the NCAA Division I level this season. The 24 runs are the sixth highest total by a team. The Jacks' 28 hits are both the most by a team this season and seven doubles were the second highest. Their 44 total bases currently ranks fourth in a single game during the 2026 slate.

Eight every day starters hit at least .300 through SDSU's 27 games. Amanda Vacanti leads the way with a .471 batting average. She's followed by Akayla Barnard (.375), Alivya Bollen (.359), Emma Vike (.354), Emma Christensen (.333), Ella Berlage (.316), Bria Riebel (.313) and Abby Gentry (.301).

Vacanti, currently a sophomore, has already topped her freshman season totals in runs, hits, home runs and RBIs. She's currently the Summit League leader in average, while she's second in slugging percentage (.853) and third in hits (32).

Barnard, a junior and First Team All-Summit League selection, has continued to thrive at the plate. Her .375 batting average is nearly .100 higher than a season ago. She's ranked second in the conference in runs (29), hits (33) and home runs (8). She's also among the conference's top five in triples (2) and slugging percentage (.773).

Senior Alivya Bollen has already topped several career-best marks at this point in the season. She has her season-best totals already in hits (23), doubles (8), runs (12), RBIs (15) and walks (22). Bollen ranks second in The Summit League in walks,, as well as fifth in doubles and on-base percentge (.506).

SDSU has been boosted by the play of freshmen in Bria Riebel and Ella Berlage. Both have started every game so far on the right side of the Jackrabbit infield this year. Berlage is hitting .316 and Riebel .313.

Two seniors that are in their second years as everyday starters are Emma Christensen and Emma Vike. Vike is batting .354 and Christensen is at .333. Vike leads the league in hits 935) while she ranks among the top five individuals in runs (23), RBIs (24) and home runs (7).

Two players that have made recent strong contributions of late are Quinn Marnocha and Kendall Daniel. Marnocha made two starts last week and hit .571 (4-for-7). Daniel played in three games last week and went 5-for-9 (.556). She hit two home runs and seven RBIs in the win over Northern Colorado. Her seven RBI performance tied for the most in a single game in program history. She tied the mark set by Rozelyn Carrillo in 2022.

Coverage Information
South Dakota State's games versus UT Arlington will stream on WAC International. The Jackrabbits' doubleheader at Wichita State will broadcast on ESPN+. 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-