ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern softball team (20-20) will open up play in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament Thursday in Duluth, as the No. 2-seeded Eagles will take on the University the Wisconsin-Superior (24-12), who is the No. 3 seed. First pitch from Kenwood Park is slated for 2 p.m.

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The Eagles and Yellowjackets met earlier in the season at Reynolds Field, with UNW sweeping the contest by scores of 3-2 (8 innings) and 4-1.  Northwestern and UWS both finished the conference season with 13-3 records. Fans can click here to find out more on the UW-Superior softball team.

Freshman Mindy Forcier (Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) has been on a terror in her rookie campaign, as the left fielder is hitting a blistering .365, which leads a crew of six players who are batting over .300. Forcier's speed on the base paths has caused nightmares for opponents, as the freshman has swiped a team-best eight stolen bases. Catcher Ellen Larkin (Excelsior, Minn./Southwest Christian) has also put together an impressive spring, as she has tallied 37 hits, while also leading the team with her .445 on-base percentage. Megan Threlkeld (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville) (47) and Ann Lokke (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) (29) also pave the way in hits and RBI, respectively.

Lauren Silbernick (Osakis, Minn./Osakis) and Meghan Schroeder (Big Lake, Minn./Spectrum) have been UNW's 1-2 punch in the circle this spring, as they have tossed a bulk of the innings. Silbernick leads the way with 147.2 innings pitched and her 12 wins on the season. The junior has posted an impressive 2.99 ERA, while Schroeder has accumulated a 3.42 ERA in 102.1 innings of work.

Fans can find a full rundown on the 2016 team statistics here.

A full recap and schedule update following Thursday's 2 p.m. contest in Duluth will be available at www.unweagles.com.