The Basics 
The Drake softball team makes its final road trip of the season this week as all four of their games are away from Des Moines. Drake begins its week on Tuesday (April 21) from Vermillion, South Dakota to take on the Coyotes followed by a conference series against Indiana State from Terre Haute on Friday (April 24) and Saturday (April 25).
  
Bulldogs by the Numbers 
After starting the month of April with a seven-game losing streak, the Bulldogs have turned their fortune around lately winning four of their last six games. Last week, Drake spilt a road doubleheader against in-state rival, UNI, and then took two of three games in a home conference series versus Valparaiso. The series win over Valpo this past weekend marked the first conference series victory for the Bulldogs this season. The Bulldogs are 12-31 overall this season and are in 10th place in the MVC standings with a league mark of 6-16.
 
Senior pitcher Jayme Scheck led the charge from the circle in the series finale earning the win and throwing her first complete game and shutout of the season. Scheck held the Valpo offense to just three hits in the contest to go along with two strikeouts and one walk. She also earned the victory in game two of Saturday's doubleheader against Valpo. Scheck is now tied for team lead with four wins and has an ERA of 5.49.
 
At the plate, freshman Pearson Hall currently leads Drake with a .322 hitting clip and a team-high seven home runs. Hall currently ranks third on the team in RBI with 23 and is coming off a week where she hit .500 (7-14) with a triple, two home runs, and eight RBI. The West Liberty, Iowa product has tallied three triples to her ledger this season, which is tied for third in the MVC.

Scouting South Dakota
The Coyotes have had a rather down year on the diamond and currently hold an overall record of 11-30-1 and are 3-8 in Summit League play. South Dakota will be finishing out a stretch of four games in four days when it hosts the Bulldogs on Tuesday. The Coyotes will be wrapping up a conference series against North Dakota on Monday after splitting the first two games of the series on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Brooke Carey is the standout bat in the lineup for the Coyotes leading the team with an average of .383. Carey is the only Coyote to be hitting over .300 this season and paces South Dakota with 11 doubles, a .516 slugging percentage, and a .428 on-base percentage.
 
From the circle, Madison Evans is the main arm for the Coyotes appearing in 24 games with 21 starts. The sophomore has an ERA of 4.51, which leads the team, and a record of 7-13. In 125.2 innings of work, she has totaled 116 strikeouts and 95 walks.
 
There have just been 11 all-time meetings between Drake and South Dakota, but the Bulldogs lead the series, 7-4. The two sides are an even 3-3 in their last six meetings since 2020. Drake and South Dakota spilt a doubleheader from Des Moines last season with SD winning game one, 3-0, and Drake taking game two, 3-2. Tuesday's contest marks the first time that Drake and South Dakota have matched up against each other from Vermillion.
 
Scouting Indiana State
The Sycamores find themselves in a battle to make the conference tournament as they are currently seventh in the MVC standings with a mark of 8-11. Overall, Indiana State is 20-23 on the season. Indiana State spilt its recent series against Murray State with the rubber match being canceled and will play Illinois in a midweek contest before hosting the Bulldogs.
 
Madison Poulson boasts a hitting clip of .373 to lead the Sycamores, while Morgan Goodrich sits behind her with a .336 average. While Poulson leads Indiana State in total hits (47), Goodrich is a threat on the base paths with 22 bag swipes, which tops the MVC.
 
The duo of Lauren Sackett and Caylee Gaytan are the main arms of the Indiana State pitching staff. Sackett and Gaytan have 18 complete games combined with both players throwing over 100 innings this season. Sackett has tallied 101 strikeouts on the year, while Gaytan sits just behind with 96.
 
In the all-time series between Drake and Indiana State, the Bulldogs lead, 38-16. Drake won the season series a year ago taking two of three contests from Des Moines and ended a four-game skid to Indiana State. The Bulldogs have fared well on the road against Indiana State owning a record of 17-3 in games from Terre Haute.
 
Up Next
Drake returns to Des Moines for a final homestand to close out the regular season. The Bulldogs will host Iowa State in a rematch for a midweek game on April 29 and then welcome Murray State for the final conference series of the year, May 1-2.