The Wayne State University softball team is set to travel to Chicago for the Lewis Dome Invitational, where they will play five games from Thursday through Saturday. The Warriors, who compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference according to their official website (https://wsuathletics.com/sports/softball), began their season with two wins at the Lincoln Memorial Invitational. They defeated Lincoln Memorial 7-0 and Bluefield State 10-6 before Sunday’s games were canceled due to weather.
Tournament play starts Thursday against Concordia-St. Paul, followed by a matchup with host Lewis. On Friday, Wayne State faces Minnesota Duluth, then concludes on Saturday with games against Quincy and Winona State.
Wayne State has limited history against some of these teams. Against Concordia-St. Paul, WSU has won three out of four previous meetings since 2001. The Warriors lead the all-time series against Lewis 12-8 but have lost the last four matchups. Against Minnesota Duluth, Wayne State holds a 9-4 advantage but lost last season’s game at the Dome Invitational. The team also leads Quincy in their series 7-6 and is tied with Winona State at four wins each.
Sophomore shortstop Hunter Near and sophomore pitcher/first baseman Elly Koopman are leading Wayne State offensively so far this season. Near recorded a .625 batting average during the LMU Invitational and hit the team’s only home run, while Koopman went five-for-five with three walks in eight plate appearances and drove in four runs. Junior Sydney Long pitched a shutout against Lincoln Memorial.
Head coach Nicole Tines is now in her fifth season leading Wayne State.
Concordia-St. Paul enters Thursday’s game with a 2-2 record after recent performances in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Junior infielder Alexis Monty is currently batting .500 for CSP, while senior catcher Danni Sharum leads in RBIs.
Lewis comes into its matchup with WSU holding a 1-3 record from early-season games played in Dallas. Senior Kristen Graham leads Lewis hitters with a .600 average.
Minnesota Duluth will face several opponents before playing Wayne State on Friday; freshman Daphne Evans currently leads UMD hitters.
Quincy holds a 2-6 record entering the invitational, led by freshman Makala Koozer’s .409 batting average.
Winona State begins its invitational schedule on Saturday versus Wayne State; junior Tiegan Mancuso leads their offense while pitchers Jayda Berg and Izzy Howe have both started strong this year.
After competing in Chicago, Wayne State plans to host Oakland University for a doubleheader on March 7th if weather allows and will then travel to Florida for eight games over five days starting March 13th.
Wayne State Warriors Women’s Softball operates as part of Detroit-based intercollegiate athletics programs (https://wsuathletics.com/sports/softball), representing university-level competition within NCAA Division II events as an affiliate of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (https://wsuathletics.com/sports/softball).
“Head coach Nicole Tines is in her fifth season leading the Warriors.”
