MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead softball will begin a 10-game stretch under the sun in California with a pair of doubleheaders on Wednesday and Friday of this week. The Dragons take on Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif., on Wednesday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday in Seaside, Calif. Both doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Central Time. 

MSUM (11-2) will remain in California for a week with three more doubleheaders on the docket for next week Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That stretch will round out the team's 2023 non-conference schedule. The Dragons open NSIC play at home against Northern State on Tuesday, March 28.

The Dragons last played on February 25 where they fell to Purdue Northwest, 6-3, as part of the Lewis Dome Invitational. MSUM went 3-2 across five games at that tournament, defeating Ursuline, Truman State and Ferris State. In those wins, the Dragons outscored their opponents 26-15 including a 12-run performance against Truman State. 

MSUM continues to lead the NSIC in team batting average (.371), hits (143), RBIs (114) and runs scored (122). They also lead the conference in slugging (.561) and on-base percentage (.464) so far this season. Mack Gallagher leads the conference in RBIs, having driven in 25 runs so far this season with the next highest mark in the league being 17 RBIs. The freshman is also fifth in the NSIC in total hits this season. 

In the circle, Azalya Lopez and Evey Evans each have three wins for MSUM this season. Reece Dahl leads the team in strikeouts with 15 while Kaelyn Leverson has a team-best 1.56 ERA. Evans, Dahl, Avery Steffen and Eliya Johnson have all had held batters below a .300 average in 2023 as well. 

Mike Armitage is in his second season as head coach of MSUM softball.