TOWSON, Md. – It's showtime for the Towson University softball team as it begins its 2018 season by playing in the Wingate by Wyndham Invite hosted by Charleston Southern.
 
The Tigers will face North Dakota in their season opener Friday at 9 a.m. Towson will also compete against North Carolina A&T Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. each day. The Tigers conclude the weekend against host Charleston Southern Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
This will be the second time in three years Towson will begin its season at Charleston Southern.
 
The Tigers will be led by their six seniors Olivia Baltazar, Kendyl Scott, Shelby Stracher, Daria Edwards, Megan Dejter and Brook Miko this season. They have helped the Tigers win 95 games and participate in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship game.
 
Stracher enters the tournament needing one homer to become the all-time leader in program history. She is currently tied with Holiday Cahill. They each have hit 34 homers. Scott led Towson last season with a .341 batting average and 60 hits. She was a third-team National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) All-Region selection as well as a first team All-CAA member.
 
Here's a look at Towson's competition this weekend.
 
North Dakota
North Dakota was picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky preseason poll. In 2017, the Fighting Hawks reached new heights with a school-record for conference wins on the way to their first-ever Big Sky Conference Tournament. Many key pieces return from that team, including the Big Sky Conference Pitcher of the Year senior Kaylin VanDomelen, who led the league in earned run average (1.95) and was second in strikeouts (171). VanDomelen is also UND's biggest threat at the plate, hitting a team-high .333 with eight homers and 26 RBI last season. Her average was among the league leaders and her 16 doubles were second-most in the conference.
 
UND has plenty of firepower returning, though, after smashing 32 homers as a team last season, the players who hit 25 of those round-trippers return in 2018. Fellow senior Taylor Nadler hit seven dingers and led the squad with 28 RBI. Victoria Minor, the team's biggest threat to steal (9-of-11 last year) is back in the mix along with fellow starters Dani Romero (6 HR), Mary Martin (only 6K in 94 ABs), Marina Marzolino (.292 BA, 7 HR, .618 Slug pct.), Angel Love (4-4 SB, 14 runs), Lindsey Harford and Lexi Mayhood.
 
North Carolina A&T
North Carolina A&T was picked to finish third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division. Junior utility player Zadaisha Waddell earned preseason first-team and second-team All-MEAC honors. Waddell earned first team as a utility player and second team as a pitcher. She is coming off a season where she was a third-team all-conference pitcher and utility player. Waddell led the team in batting (.339) and earned run average (3.29) in 2017. Waddell also led the team in doubles (9) and innings pitched (193.2).
 
Waddell and her teammates hope to build upon a season where they were one-game shy of reaching the MEAC championship game. In fact, the Aggies had two runners in scoring position when they lost to eventual champion Florida A&M, 6-5. The Aggies return 11 letterwinners from last season including seniors Raven Gray and Nathaly Pacheco.
 
Charleston Southern
Charleston Southern was selected fourth overall in the Big South Conference. Buccaneers' junior outfielder Jade Gandara finished second in the Big South Preseason Player of the Year voting after receiving 16 points and two first-place votes. The Hemet, Calif. native led the Big South with 17 doubles and was second in the conference standings in home runs, slugging percentage, RBI, and total bases on her way to earning 2017 First Team All-Conference recognition.
 
Other key returners to the Bucs 2018 team include Second Team All-Conference utility player Caitlyn Emberson and All-Freshman selection Mallory Kasinger, as well as pitchers Holly Clark and Arizona Pilgrim. The Bucs also return seniors Nicole Ayala and Laina Holmgren, while Destini Ewing, Summer Moore, Christi Takac, and Sydney Garling all reprise their roles and give key experience in the field.
 
Up Next
Towson plays its next tournament at East Carolina from Friday, Feb. 16-18. Towson will meet UMBC and East Carolina twice and face Saint Joseph's once.