As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers,” but for Bison softball, April means a shower of home stands against conference opponents and hopes that those contests will flower into a championship tournament berth. Beginning this month, the women are scheduled to play 14 of their last 21 regular season games at home. If the Bison finish strong, they could play more home games during the Summit League championship tournament May 14-15 in Fargo.

 

But playing at home for a long stretch can be jarring for a team accustomed to playing away; NDSU played its first 33 games on the road. “There will definitely be an adjustment period,” said senior outfielder Taylor Lynn, “because haven’t played at home for that long of a stretch before.”

 

Of the teams the Bison will face at home, Western Illinois — last year’s conference champions — might be considered NDSU’s arch-rival. “I think we’re a really good matchup,” Lynn said. “They are our strongest competition and they have a chip on their shoulder, because we went into their house and beat them (last year).” Senior first baseman Melissa Chmielewski agreed. “We have highly emotional, intense games against Western,” she said. Western is the favorite to claim the Summit League crown, while the Bison — last year’s Summit League tournament champion — are picked to finish second. “We’ve heard that a lot of people don’t think we’re going to repeat,” Lynn said, “and that our chances are worse (at home), because people know us as a road team. But I don’t think that’s true. On any given day, we’ll be prepared.”

 

Halfway through the season, the Bison were near the bottom of conference standings. The Bison don’t let early results faze them, however. “Our coaches always preach that we’re supposed to peak in May,” Lynn said. “We don’t stress much about early mistakes. When conference (play) is here, that’s when softball gets going. Before that, it’s just to get the kinks out.”

 

The early season was not without its high moments. Chmielewski won two Summit League Player of the Week awards for performances that included two grand slams, while sophomore Randi Parks earned Pitcher of the Week after recording her second career shutout. Junior shortstop Nicole Rivera earned Player of the Week when she hit .500 and stole four bases across five games. Freshman Whitney Johnson was named Pitcher of the Week after her first collegiate shutout.