SAINT PETER, Minn. — The Gustavus softball team is set to face Saint Mary's in the second round of the MIAC postseason tournament at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The Gusties, seeded fifth in the tournament, will take on the No. 1 seed SMU in Winona in the first of two semifinal games. The Gusties finished the regular season 16-6 in the MIAC, while the Cardinals earned a share of the MIAC Regular Season Championship with a conference record of 17-5. SMU earned a bye through the first round of the tournament, claiming the top seed through a series of tiebreakers with Saint Benedict and Bethel, who will play in the second semifinal Saturday.

GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS

Gustavus is making its league-leading 16th appearance in the MIAC postseason where it holds a record of 20-26 with one championship (2015). This is the third consecutive MIAC Playoff appearance for the Gusties, who made the tourney for 13-straight seasons from 2004 to 2016. Last season, the Gusties hosted the first ever MIAC playoff game at the Gustie Softball Field, defeating St. Catherine 4-1 in a quarterfinal matchup. The Gusties fell to eventual MIAC Champions Bethel in the semifinal, 1-0.

THE SERIES

Thursday's game marks the 95th meeting between Gustavus and Saint Mary's on the field with the Gusties leading the all-time series 53-41. The Gusties are 7-3 all-time against Saint Mary's in the playoffs, but haven't met in the postseason since 2013.

LAST TIME THEY MET

The Gustavus softball team saw its four-game MIAC win streak come to an end at the hands of Saint Mary's on April 9, splitting with a Cardinal team that has been in and out of the national rankings at the beginning of the season. The Gusties fell 2-1 in game one, but avenged their one-run loss in game two, defeating SMU 1-0. 

Gustavus 1, Saint Mary's 2

Game one was for the pitchers, as two underclassmen aces dueled in the circle for SMU and the Gusties. For the Cardinals, first-year Makayla Steffes picked up her ninth win of the season, holding the Gusties to one run off four hits. Sophomore Maizie Anderson held the hot-hitting Cardinals at bay, allowing just two runs in the first inning before five of scoreless work. 

Saint Mary's struck first, scoring off a single to left center and a double to right field for an early 2-0 lead. Both teams played scoreless for the next four frames, until the Gusties cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth. 

Greta Dahlen led the inning off with a single to center field to get on base. Dahlen advanced to third after a Macy McNally groundout and SMU error. A single from Madi Mueller sent Dahlen home, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Saint Mary's lead, ending the game 2-1 in favor of the Cardinals. 

Four different Gusties accounted for the team's hits, as Mueller, Dahlen, Kayla Herda, and Carly Olson each chipped in one. Anderson allowed two runs off six hits in 25 batters faced, giving up just one walk, and striking out one batter in six innings of work.

Gustavus 1, Saint Mary's 0

First-year Ava Hamsund shutout the high-scoring Cardinals in the second game, an impressive feat considering Saint Mary's ranked second in the nation in runs scored per game (9.28). Saint Mary's managed eight hits, but couldn't scratch one across, while the Gusties used a single run in the sixth inning to propel them to victory.

After five complete scoreless innings, Kayla Herda sent a one-out single up the middle in the top of the sixth. The junior stole second, and later scored on a Carly Olson single to left center. Saint Mary's tacked on single hits in the sixth and seventh, but couldn't get past Hamsund, sealing the series split with a 1-0 Gustie win. 

Greta Dahlen led the Gustie squad with a pair of hits in game two, while five others tallied one at the plate off Makayla Steffes in her second complete game of work for SMU. Hamsund struck out one batter of the 30 she faced in her fifth victory of the season.  

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

Gustavus enters the postseason having won its last four games. A 3-1, 3-0 sweep of Carleton last weekend snapped a series of four consecutive splits with MIAC opponents, which began April 20 at St. Scholastica. The Gusties finished the regular season with their best MIAC record since the 2016 season, when the team went 17-5 in the MIAC. A historic three-way tie at the top of the conference left the Gusties tied for fourth after the regular season. Saint Mary's, Saint Benedict, and Bethel each earned a share of the MIAC Regular Season title. The Gusties won a game against every conference opponent this season, including a sweep of No. 10 nationally-ranked Bethel, and splits with No. 1 Saint Mary's and No. 2 Saint Benedict. The 2024 season marks the third in a row under Head Coach Coley Ries Welter that the Gusties have finished with double digit league wins. 

ANDERSON THE ACE

Sophomore Maizie Anderson led the Gusties to their first playoff win against St. Olaf, picking up the complete game victory, allowing just two earned runs off eight total hits. Anderson struck out six batters of the 34 she faced, and got her team out of a no-out bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win and send her team back to the MIAC Playoff Semifinals. Anderson's 2.49 ERA ranks fifth in the conference, while her 132 innings pitched are second in the MIAC.

HERDA'S HOT STREAK

Kayla Herda has led the Gusties at the plate over the last three games, going 7-for-11 (0.636) with a trio of multi-hit games. The junior also has two runs, two doubles, and four RBI. Herda has a knack for making an impact in the playoffs, as she earned MIAC All-Playoff honors last year after going 3-for-4 in the Gusties' first postseason game against St. Catherine. 

THE WINONA WAY

Ava Hamsund and Macy McNally have been a pitcher-catcher one-two punch for the Gusties this season, as both first-years hail from Winona, where they played high school softball together. "It's really great to have this chance to continue to play together," McNally said earlier in the season. "We already have that chemistry built into our play." The duo is returning home for the remainder of the MIAC playoffs, playing in their hometown for a semifinal game against Saint Mary's and a chance at the MIAC Championship.

OLSON'S OFFENSE

Carly Olson has certainly made a strong case for MIAC Rookie of the Year, as the Luverne native has paced the Gustie offense in her first season of collegiate softball. Olson has started every game for the team, splitting time between third base and catcher. She leads the team in batting average (.359), slugging percentage (.461), hits (46), RBIs (26), doubles (13), and total bases (59). Her 13 doubles are tied for the most in the MIAC.  

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

Saint Mary's heads into their first playoff game of the postseason with a 29-9 overall record, including a 17-5 conference mark that earned the team a share of the MIAC Regular Season title, the team's first since 2001. The Cardinals are making their second straight MIAC Playoff appearance and seventh in program history. SMU leads the MIAC in batting average (.336), runs (259), slugging percentage (.474), and on-base percentage (.404). 

STEFFES UP

Mikayla Steffes is Carly Olson's top competition for MIAC Rookie of the Year, as the first-year has made a difference in all aspects of the Cardinals' games. Steffes. A Winona native, has appeared in 27 games for the Cardinals in the circle, starting in 17, with a record of 15-4. Steffes owns an ERA of 2.32 (3rd/MIAC), opposing batting average of .247 (2nd/MIAC), and four saves (1st/MIAC). At the plate, she leads her team with a .465 batting average, going 59-for-127 with 44 runs, 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 21 RBI, and a .638 slugging percentage. Her batting average, on base percentage, runs scored, and hits all rank first in the conference.