DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica softball team will begin its 2011 season on Saturday when it faces 21st-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Carleton College inside the Rochester Regional Stadium Dome.

Game Times:
vs. UW-La Crosse – 3 p.m.
vs. Carleton – 5 p.m.

St. Scholastica Saints (2010 Record: 29-13, 13-0 UMAC)
The Saints return a lot of offensive firepower from last season's UMAC regular season and tournament championship run, but lost valuable experience and leadership in their middle infield … However, with the pitching staff in tact from last season, the Saints will be hoping for a repeat of last year … The Saints set team records for doubles (98) and triples (23) a year ago … Leading the offensive is 2010 NFCA All-Midwest Region outfielder and UMAC Player of the Year #Merryssa Tiedeman# … Tiedeman led the conference with a .621 batting average in league games … She also had a conference-high 25 RBIs and had 20 extra-base hits in league play … Tiedeman broke program records with 18 doubles and with a 23-game hitting streak … She also recorded the second-most triples in a season with seven … Both the doubles and triples were the most in the UMAC … Tiedeman was also named to the UMAC All-Defensive Team … #Bonnie Kowalczyk# was a third team NFCA All-Midwest Region choice in just her freshman season … Kowalczyk committed just five errors and threw out 11 base runners from behind the plate … She led the team with a .433 batting average and had a tremendous UMAC Tournament, going 8-for-12 with three RBIs, a double and a home run … On the rubber, senior #Jen Falk# heads a staff that led the UMAC with a team earned run average of 2.75, a full run lower than the second ranked team … Falk has been a first team selection the last two seasons for the Saints … She led the team with 11 victories last season and was second in the conference with 96 strikeouts and a 2.41 earned run average … Other returnees on the mound include #Shannen Schmidt# and #Brittni Johnson# … Schmidt registered six wins last season and was second on team with 74 strikeouts … Schmidt also threw a no-hitter against Bethany Lutheran … Johnson led the conference with a 1.73 earned run average and opponents batted just .226 against her … Newcomers to watch for include #Ally Sweeney# and #Jordan Spiering# … Coach #Jen Walter# is looking to them to fill void in the middle infield.

#21 UW-La Crosse Eagles (2010 Record: 38-9, 16-0 WIAC)
The Eagles are coming stellar 2010 season, capturing their first WIAC title in program history, winning their second straight WIAC Tournament, and going 2-2 at the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament … The team set school records for wins (39), winning streak (21), at-bats (1,317), runs (283), hits (431), RBI (254), doubles (67) and home runs (39) this season … La Crosse tied its school record for games played (47), while finishing with the second-best average (.327) … The Eagles set pitching records for innings (322.0) and strikeouts (283) … Head coach Chris Helixon was named the 2010 WIAC Coach of the Year … The Eagles return all-region performer in senior shortstop Jenna Ahnen … Ahnen, who was also named the 2010 WIAC Position Player of the Year, led the team with a .468 batting average in 2010, which ranks second in single-season school history … Her 74 hits last season set a single-season school record, while her 158 at-bats is second.

Last Meeting: (CSS All-Time Record vs. UW-La Crosse: 1-9)
The Eagles swept the Saints in three games last season in Arizona.

Carleton Knights (2010 Record: 6-30, 3-19 MIAC)
The Knights ended last season on a nine-game losing streak and finished at the bottom of the MIAC … Carleton did face another UMAC school in the season opener last season, sweeping the University of Minnesota-Morris by a combined score of 26-5 … The Knights return All-MIAC performer Kelsey Parsons, who had a .387 batting average, which ranked seventh among MIAC players with at least 100 plate appearances and is tied for the highest mark over the last 11 years of the program in just her first year … From the leadoff spot, Parsons paced all MIAC players with a .480 on-base percentage. She also led the Knights with .415 slugging percentage, 12 RBIs, 44 total bases, and 18 walks … This year's roster features just three juniors, four sophomore, and nine freshmen for head coach Amy Erickson.

Last Meeting: (CSS All-Time Record vs. Carleton: 1-1)
The Saints last played Carleton back during the 1998 season and split with the Knights.