SUMMIT LEAGUE SCHEDULE BEGINS AS JACKS FACE COYOTES

Friday, March 20

Vermillion, S.D.

3 p.m.

South Dakota State University

South Dakota

A coach in a grey sweatshirt and blue sweatpants talks to two of her players in blue softball uniforms on a softball diamond at first base

Photo by: Miranda Sampson

3/19/2026 10:11:00 AM | Softball

By: Andrew Pedersen

Games 35-37: South Dakota State (15-19) at South Dakota (8-21-1)
When	Friday, March 20 - Sunday, March 22
Location	Vermillion, S.D.
Stream	Summit League Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
South Dakota State	Game Notes
South Dakota	Home Page

South Dakota State opens Summit League play this weekend with a trip to Vermillion to take on South Dakota. The Jackrabbits and Coyotes square off in a three-game set that is part of the Interstate Series presented by First Interstate Bank.

The Jacks and Yotes are scheduled to begin the three-game series at 3 p.m. on Friday at Nygaard Field. They also play at 2 p.m. on Saturday before closing the series with a 12 p.m. clash on Sunday.

South Dakota State enters The Summit League portion of its schedule with a 15-19 overall record. SDSU most recently fell in a doubleheader at Wichita State on Tuesday by 12-5 and 3-1 scores. The first game saw the Jackrabbits take a 5-1 lead through three innings. The Jacks got off to a strong start thanks to solo home runs by Akayla Barnard and Ella Berlage, as well as a three-run home run via Quinn Marnocha. A seven-run fifth inning eventually pushed the Shockers ahead for good. SDSU was held to three hits in the second game with its lone run coming off an Abby Gentry RBI single. The Jacks benefitted from a strong outing from Hailey Herman. She pitched six innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits.

SDSU and South Dakota meet for the 165th time when the two sides open the series and league schedule on Friday. The Jackrabbits hold a 96-68 all-time edge over the Coyotes, but are 39-30 in Vermillion against USD.

Last season saw an eventful five games played between the in-state rivals. The Yotes defeated the Jacks by a 9-5 score in SDSU's home opener and its first game played on its newly named Jerald T. Moriarty Field. The Jackrabbits eventually won two of the three games in the regular season series.

They then met in The Summit League tournament twice. The Jacks handed the Yotes their first loss of the tournament in a 13-inning affair by a 6-5 score. In an elimination game, South Dakota exacted revenge with a 3-2 win in eight innings, propelling the Coyotes to the championship against Omaha.

South Dakota State's last visit to Vermillion came in 2024. The Jacks and Yotes played just a doubleheader at Nygaard Field that season with weather impacting the originally scheduled three-game series. On March 21 of that season SDSU won the pair of games by 8-0 and 7-0 scores.

Eight every day starters currently hit at least .292 through SDSU's 34 games. Amanda Vacanti leads the way with a .427 batting average. She's followed by Emma Vike (.333), Barnard (.321), Emma Christensen (.320), Alivya Bollen (.316), Gentry (.297), Bria Riebel (.293) and Berlage (.292).

SDSU when its had success this season has been hot at the plate. The Jackrabbits rank second among Summit League members in batting average (.308). SDSU is first in doubles (60), home runs (43), hits (284) and runs scored (190).

The Jackrabbits rank seventh in The Summit League in ERA at 5.34. A bright spot of late has been Grace Proctor. She's pitched 19 2/3 innings in a four-game span and has a 3.73 ERA on the season.

Coverage Information
The entire Summit League softball regular season will stream on The Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus. Live stats for all three games the Jackrabbits play in Vermillion 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-