The UW-River Falls softball team continues its 2026 campaign this Saturday with a return trip to Mankato, Minn., competing inside the MSU All-Sports Dome. The Falcons will face St. Olaf at 8 a.m. before taking on Bethany Lutheran at 10:30 a.m. in a pair of early-season nonconference matchups.

River Falls opened the season last weekend in the same venue, splitting its first two games of the season. The Falcons earned a 4-3 victory over Gustavus Adolphus before falling to No. 7-ranked Saint Mary's, beginning the year 1-1 overall.

UW-RIVER FALLS (1-1, 0-0 WIAC) VS ST. OLAF (1-1, 0-0 MIAC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
Time: 8 a.m.
Site: Mankato, Minn. // MSU All-Sports Dome
Coverage: Watch // Live Stats
 
UW-RIVER FALLS (1-1, 0-0 WIAC) VS BETHANY LUTHERAN (3-1, 0-0 UMAC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Site: Mankato, Minn. // MSU All-Sports Dome
Coverage: Watch // Live Stats

THE SERIES

The Falcons are 0-2 all-time against St. Olaf. The two programs last met in 2019 in Rochester, Minn., with St. Olaf earning a 12-4 win. Saturday's matchup marks the first meeting between the two programs in over half a decade. 

River Falls is 3-6 all-time against Bethany Lutheran dating back to 2010. The Falcons' last meeting came in February of 2022 in Mankato. UWRF earned wins in 2010 and twice during the 2021 season, including a 7-2 victory in their most recent victory over the Vikings.

FALCON NOTES

• Head Coach Ethan Giese is in his second season leading the Falcons after guiding River Falls to a 19-21 record in 2025, a nine-game improvement from the previous season.
• The Falcons return WIAC Newcomer of the Year Caitlyn Kressel. Kressel earned First Team All-WIAC honors in 2025 and became just the second Falcon in program history to receive WIAC Newcomer of the Year recognition.
• In 2025, Kressel started 39 games and set a single-season program record with 20 doubles, tied for second in the WIAC. She added three home runs, 22 RBIs and posted a .592 slugging percentage.
• Senior pitcher Brooklyn VanGruensven returns after leading the team with 89.2 innings pitched in 2025, recording six complete games.
• The Falcons bring back over 60% of their runs batted in from last season, including a combined 71 from Kressel, Hannah Effertz, Kayla Dolan, Abby Pitts. 

EARLY SEASON LEADERS

• Abby Pitts leads the Falcons offensively with a .667 average, going 2-for-3 with a  double and an RBI while reaching base at an .800 clip.
• Caitlyn Kressel, the reigning WIAC Newcomer of the Year, is off to another strong start, batting .400 with two hits and an RBI. Grace Gardner is also hitting .400 with a pair of doubles.
• In the circle, Brooklyn VanGruensven earned the Falcons' first win of the season and has logged five innings with four strikeouts. Alexa Dusterhoft opened the year with a 3.50 ERA across four innings of work, striking out four.