JAMESTOWN-- The North Star Athletic Association conference season gets off to an earlier start than usual for the University of Jamestown softball team in 2018.

UJ is in Aberdeen, S.D. Friday and Saturday for a pair of doubleheaders against Presentation (S.D.) and Dickinson State (N.D.)

FRIDAY COVERAGE LINKS: GAME 1 LIVE STATS GAME 2 LIVE STATS
SATURDAY COVERAGE LINKS: GAME 1 LIVE STATS GAME 2 LIVE STATS

Friday's doubleheader against the Saints begins at 10:00 a.m. and Saturday's twinbill with the Blue Hawks is set to start at 4:00 p.m. The four games will be the last games for Jamestown until they head to Tucson, Ariz., March 10-16. The Jimmies will play 11 games during the trip.

Jamestown has won five straight games and takes a record of 8-1 into the weekend. The last time a Jimmie team started a season 8-1 was in 2009. Last year's 41-win team was 6-3 after nine games.

Despite a small sample size of games in 2018, the UJ offense ranks 10th in the NAIA in hits (105) and 12th in team batting average (.402). Their 64 runs scored is 15th, and are 26th in runs scored per game (7.1). Defensively, the Jimmies are 18th in fielding percentage (.977).

Four UJ batters already have 10 or more hits--Mikayla Frost (SO/Melba, ID) (18), Emma Keller (SR/Poulsbo, WA) (17), Kassi Ward (FR/Olympia, WA) (10), and Tifani Schorzman (SR/Coeur d'Alene, ID) (10). Keller, Frost, and Morgan Geiszler (FR/Horace, ND) are tied for the team lead with two home runs, and Keller has a team-high 14 runs scored, 13 RBI, and four doubles. Frost is hitting .667 in 27 at bats, while Keller is batting .548. Ward and Geiszler are over .400 also, hitting .435 and .421, respectively.

Jasmine Pipella (FR/Boissevain, MB) is 3-0 with two saves and an 0.84 earned run average in six pitching appearances. She has allowed two earned runs in 16 2/3 innings. Brittany Rheault (SR/West Fargo, ND) has a 2.00 ERA in four starts covering 21 innings, and is 2-1. Her 15 strikeouts lead the staff. Ann-Marie Crandlemire (FR/Sicamous, BC) has struck out 13 batters in 12 2/3 innings while pitching to a 3.32 ERA and a 2-0 record. Keller has UJ's other win in the circle, making two starts and pitching seven innings.

Jamestown and Presentation have met twice in 2018. The Jimmies won 8-0 in the season opener on February 10, then defeated the Saints 10-2 last Saturday. UJ has won 15 of 16 games against Presentation dating back to 2014. The Saints are 5-4 this season.

Saturday's games with Dickinson State will be the only time the Blue Hawks and Jimmies are scheduled to play in 2018. Since 2007, Jamestown has just 15 wins in 54 games against DSU, and UJ has won back-to-back games over the Blue Hawks only four times in the last six seasons. Dickinson State is 0-3 in 2018 and have not played since the 11th of February.

Ryan Mikkelson, University of Jamestown Sports Information Director