Bulldogs Softball Travel to Rochester for NSIC Tournament

UMD will take on Concordia-St. Paul in the first round of the NSIC tournament.

DULUTH, Minn. – The UMD softball team finished their season on a high note. But now it’s time to carry over that positive momentum into the NSIC tournament.

The Bulldogs will face a familiar opponent in Concordia-St. Paul in the first round. UMD swept the Golden Bears back in February, then split with them earlier this month.

“Great hitters, They have some power. Their pitching, they have three really solid pitchers. They bring something different so it makes you have to prepare for something different with each of the pitchers. But the fact that we’ve played them before and are familiar with them, and i think that gives you a little bit of comfort at least going in and not being surprised by anything that happens,” head coach Jen Walter said.

This will be the 11th straight season that the Bulldogs will make an appearance in the NSIC tournament. And they will look to their run last year that saw them advance to the super regionals for the first time in program history.

“I think it’s super important that this year we have so many returners because we also have a lot of freshmen. So for a lot of returners to show the freshmen the way things go and show them the ropes going into the tournament I think can be really beneficial,” outfielder Jessica Bren said.

The Bulldogs will open the double-elimination tournament on Thursday at 12 p.m. in Rochester.