Beavers baseball, softball takes field | News, Sports, Jobs

Nathan Beitler/MDN
Minot State senior Paige Kellogg swings for the fences under “The Bubble” during the softball team’s Bubble Invite against the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets on Friday, Jan. 30.

The Minot State Beavers baseball and softball teams took the field for the first time this year this past weekend, Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, to varying levels of success.

Softball got their 2026 start in their annual Bubble Invite, which saw the Beavers and three other teams battle out the start of the season in doubleheaders all weekend.

The Beavers started off their weekend under “The Bubble” with a doubleheader against the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets on Friday night, Jan. 30. The Beavers secured their first two wins of the season against the Yellowjackets, winning the first game 9-1 in five innings and winning the second game 10-12 in a full seven innings.

The Beavers faced off against their second bug-themed opponents of the season as they hosted the Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets on Saturday night, Jan. 31.

The Beavers had a rougher go against their second opponent, dropping the game 8-6 in the eighth inning. The Beavers initially led 3-1, but the Yellow Jackets fought their way back to a victory in the last few innings.

The Beavers soon got their revenge in the second game of the doubleheader, winning 4-3 in six and a half innings. Minot State sophomore Isabelle Anderson flied out to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, allowing junior Taylor Eatherton to run home and earn the Beavers their winning run.

The Beavers softball team won’t resume play until Friday, Feb. 20, when they travel to play in the Jamestown Tournament, where they are set to take on the Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers.

The Minot State baseball team also got their start on the 2026 season last weekend. The Beavers baseball team traveled down to Tucson, Arizona for their season opener against the Adams State University Grizzlies.

The Beavers had an early comeback in their first game, making their way from an 0-3 deficit in the early inning to a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth. The Grizzlies tied the game back up in the bottom of the fifth, and the game stayed tied at 4-4 through to the tenth inning. The Grizzlies picked up one more run in the bottom of the tenth with a walk-off walk with bases loaded.

The Beavers faced off against Emporia State University for their second game of the season and first game of Saturday, Jan. 31. The game stayed close through the first seven innings, but Emporia State ran away with the game in the eighth inning, scoring 14 runs. Emporia took the win with a final score of 5-21.

The Beavers earned their first win of the season later Saturday afternoon in their rematch against the Adams State University Grizzlies. The Beavers were down 3-8 heading into the seventh inning, but they were able to earn a combined six runs in the last three innings and prevented the Grizzlies from scoring to win the game 9-8.

Minot State’s last game of the weekend was a rematch against the Emporia State University Hornets. The Beavers had an early 7-1 lead after the first inning, but a steady climb by the Hornets along with a nine-run sixth inning put the Hornets over the top, giving them the win 12-13 to close out the weekend.

Beavers baseball will make its return as they back out on the road on Sunday, Feb. 22, to take on Southwest Minnesota State University. In a pair of doubleheaders.