South Dakota State University’s softball team is set to participate in the Whataburger Invitational, hosted by Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. The event runs from Friday, February 13 through Sunday, February 15 at the Tarleton Softball Complex.
The Jackrabbits enter the tournament with a 6-2 record and will play five games over three days. Their first matchup is against Stephen F. Austin at 10 a.m. on Friday. Due to expected rain on Saturday, the schedule has been adjusted: South Dakota State will face Tarleton State at 3 p.m. on Friday, then play back-to-back games on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. against Stephen F. Austin and Colgate. The team’s final game of the tournament is scheduled for Sunday morning against Colgate.
South Dakota State recently played Stephen F. Austin twice last week in Commerce, splitting the series with one win each. Last season at the Whataburger Invitational, the Jackrabbits finished with a 1-4 record and lost to Tarleton State 10-1. Historically, SDSU is 4-3 all-time against Tarleton State and holds a perfect 3-0 record versus Colgate.
During their current stay in Texas, SDSU has played eight games so far this season. After finishing 4-1 at the East Texas A&M Leadoff tournament, they faced Baylor on Tuesday and played a doubleheader against Abilene Christian on Wednesday.
Against Baylor, SDSU was tied after three and a half innings before giving up nine runs in two frames and ultimately losing 10-2 in five innings. Amanda Vacanti took the loss as pitcher for that game.
In their doubleheader sweep over Abilene Christian, South Dakota State totaled 19 hits across both games. They won the opener in six innings by a score of 12-3 and secured an 8-5 victory in game two. Akayla Barnard pitched a complete game in the first matchup; Vacanti provided relief pitching in game two while also contributing offensively with three hits including a solo home run.
Emma Vike had five hits combined between both games against Abilene Christian and scored two runs with two RBIs in game two. Aliya Bollen contributed with two hits and three RBIs during game one; Bria Riebel also recorded multiple hits and runs scored.
After eight games this season, South Dakota State leads NCAA Division I teams in doubles (21) and ranks among national leaders for other categories: third in total hits (69), sixth in RBIs (51), seventh in walks (32), and ninth for total runs scored (9).
Coverage of South Dakota State’s game versus Tarleton State will be available via ESPN+. Other tournament games can be streamed for free through WAC International, with live statistics accessible on GoJacksLive.com. Additional information about Jackrabbit softball can be found by following @GoJacksSoftball or visiting GoJacks.com.
