University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, February 25
Youngsville, La.
2:00 p.m.
vs
Louisiana Tech
Photo by: Steve Woltmann
Game Notes - Softball set for five games in the Bayou State
2/24/2022 11:30:00 AM | Softball
St. Paul, Minn. - St. Thomas softball returns to the diamond for a five-game slate at the Mardi Gras Mambo. The Tommies will play Louisiana Tech, No. 20 Louisiana, Nicholls, Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana over the three-day span.
Returning Talent
St. Thomas welcomes back 15 letter winners and six players with starting experience as a pitcher or hitter. Coryn Jacobson, an outfielder with junior eligibility, led the Tommies with a .424 batting average last season. Jacobson had 23 extra-base hits and drove in 37 runs. Jacobson walked 30 times and was hit by eight pitches, while also stealing 20 bases. Kendall Hopkins, a pitcher from Las Vegas, Nev., has the most returning experience on the mound for St. Thomas. Hopkins went 9-1 with a .191 ERA in 66.0 innings last season. She struck out 52 batters and only allowed 47 base hits. Hudson, the team's other Preseason Player to Watch, batted .315 last season, with a .386 on-base percentage, and slugged at a .417 clip. Hudson tallied 40 base hits, seven of which were doubles, and two home runs while also driving in 28 runs. The third baseman scored 17 runs, walked 12 times, was hit by four pitches, and stole three bags.
Fresh Faces
St. Thomas welcomes 10 freshmen (Abby Boxrud, Cassidy Carby, Ella Cook, Christina Crawford, Ellestad, Sydney Hockett, Jenna Kuhn, Kaitlyn Raymond, Miki Snider, and Adrianna Young) in 2022. The Tommies also added three transfer student-athletes (Sara Benner, Alli Clark, and Isabelle True). Ellestad, one of the Tommies' selection for a Summit League Preseason Player to Watch, appeared in 26 games as a senior for Kimberly High School in 2021. She batted .522 with 15 home runs, eight doubles, and three triples. Ellestad added 16 stolen bases, three intentional walks, and was hit by three pitches. Clark joins the team after transferring from another Division I school, Wisconsin. Benner (Rock Valley College) and True (Kirkwood Community College) join St. Thomas after playing at a pair of two-year schools. Five of the 13 newcomers are infielders, three are outfielders, three are pitchers, and two play the catcher position.
Chasing No. 700
Coach Trotter is now 22 wins away from 700 career victories. 676 of Trotter's wins came with Missouri Western at the Division II level. Trotter earned her first Division I win in a 6-5 victory against Ball State on Feb. 11.
Baniecke Makes History
Baniecke earned the first pitching win in program history with a five strikeout performance against the Cardinals. She allowed just two earned runs in five innings of work in the win. In total, Baniecke struck out 10 batters in her 10.1 innings at the DePaul Dome Tournament.
Battle in the Bayou
In the team's second tournament of the season thus far, the Tommies travel to Youngsville, La. for the Mardi Gras Mambo. All five teams that St. Thomas faces are from Louisiana. The Tommies will battle their first ranked opponent of the season, going up against No. 20 Louisiana.
The Last Time Out
The Tommies went 2-3 at the season-opening DePaul Dome Tournament on Feb. 11-13. St. Thomas earned two wins on the opening day of the tourney, including the team's first Division I victory, coming in a 6-5 effort against Ball State. The team also earned a W against Eastern Illinois in a 12-9 thriller. Three different Tommies went deep, including Hudson, who tallied two long balls over the weekend. Freshmen Carby and Ellestad launched the first home runs of their careers. Ellestad tallied a team-best seven hits, scored six runs, and drove in three runs at the DePaul Dome Tournament. Fellow newcomer Raymond was second with six hits and sported a .375 batting clip in five games started.
Last Time They Met
The Tommies have not competed against any of their five opponents at the Mardi Gras Mambo prior to this season.
Coming Up Next
St. Thomas will face No. 17 Missouri and Bradley at the Mizzou Classic on March 4-6.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas softball, follow along on Twitter at @USTSoftball, on Instagram at @tommiesoftball, and on Facebook at St. Thomas Softball.
Returning Talent
St. Thomas welcomes back 15 letter winners and six players with starting experience as a pitcher or hitter. Coryn Jacobson, an outfielder with junior eligibility, led the Tommies with a .424 batting average last season. Jacobson had 23 extra-base hits and drove in 37 runs. Jacobson walked 30 times and was hit by eight pitches, while also stealing 20 bases. Kendall Hopkins, a pitcher from Las Vegas, Nev., has the most returning experience on the mound for St. Thomas. Hopkins went 9-1 with a .191 ERA in 66.0 innings last season. She struck out 52 batters and only allowed 47 base hits. Hudson, the team's other Preseason Player to Watch, batted .315 last season, with a .386 on-base percentage, and slugged at a .417 clip. Hudson tallied 40 base hits, seven of which were doubles, and two home runs while also driving in 28 runs. The third baseman scored 17 runs, walked 12 times, was hit by four pitches, and stole three bags.
Fresh Faces
St. Thomas welcomes 10 freshmen (Abby Boxrud, Cassidy Carby, Ella Cook, Christina Crawford, Ellestad, Sydney Hockett, Jenna Kuhn, Kaitlyn Raymond, Miki Snider, and Adrianna Young) in 2022. The Tommies also added three transfer student-athletes (Sara Benner, Alli Clark, and Isabelle True). Ellestad, one of the Tommies' selection for a Summit League Preseason Player to Watch, appeared in 26 games as a senior for Kimberly High School in 2021. She batted .522 with 15 home runs, eight doubles, and three triples. Ellestad added 16 stolen bases, three intentional walks, and was hit by three pitches. Clark joins the team after transferring from another Division I school, Wisconsin. Benner (Rock Valley College) and True (Kirkwood Community College) join St. Thomas after playing at a pair of two-year schools. Five of the 13 newcomers are infielders, three are outfielders, three are pitchers, and two play the catcher position.
Chasing No. 700
Coach Trotter is now 22 wins away from 700 career victories. 676 of Trotter's wins came with Missouri Western at the Division II level. Trotter earned her first Division I win in a 6-5 victory against Ball State on Feb. 11.
Baniecke Makes History
Baniecke earned the first pitching win in program history with a five strikeout performance against the Cardinals. She allowed just two earned runs in five innings of work in the win. In total, Baniecke struck out 10 batters in her 10.1 innings at the DePaul Dome Tournament.
Battle in the Bayou
In the team's second tournament of the season thus far, the Tommies travel to Youngsville, La. for the Mardi Gras Mambo. All five teams that St. Thomas faces are from Louisiana. The Tommies will battle their first ranked opponent of the season, going up against No. 20 Louisiana.
The Last Time Out
The Tommies went 2-3 at the season-opening DePaul Dome Tournament on Feb. 11-13. St. Thomas earned two wins on the opening day of the tourney, including the team's first Division I victory, coming in a 6-5 effort against Ball State. The team also earned a W against Eastern Illinois in a 12-9 thriller. Three different Tommies went deep, including Hudson, who tallied two long balls over the weekend. Freshmen Carby and Ellestad launched the first home runs of their careers. Ellestad tallied a team-best seven hits, scored six runs, and drove in three runs at the DePaul Dome Tournament. Fellow newcomer Raymond was second with six hits and sported a .375 batting clip in five games started.
Last Time They Met
The Tommies have not competed against any of their five opponents at the Mardi Gras Mambo prior to this season.
Coming Up Next
St. Thomas will face No. 17 Missouri and Bradley at the Mizzou Classic on March 4-6.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas softball, follow along on Twitter at @USTSoftball, on Instagram at @tommiesoftball, and on Facebook at St. Thomas Softball.
Players Mentioned
1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P-2B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/OF
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