NSIC Softball Tournament being held in Rochester

Zumbrota-Mazeppa alum Avery Steffen plays for MSU-Moorhead as the tournament runs through Saturday.

(ABC 6 News) — If you’re looking to check out some college softball this week, the RYFSA Complex in Rochester is the place to be.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is holding its softball tournament in the Med City with multiple colleges from across Minnesota present.

For one player, it’s a homecoming of sorts as former Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougar Avery Steffen is back in Southeast Minnesota for the tourney. Steffen is currently a sophomore for the MSU-Moorhead Dragons and spoke about being close to home again.

“So fun, we actually got to practice on Zumbrota-Mazeppa’s field two days in a row,” the Dragons sophomore said. “So, it was awesome to see some of my old teammates and my coach there, so that was awesome and just being here it feels like home so it’s awesome.”

Steffen added that she loved seeing some of her friends and family that she hadn’t seen due to living up in Moorhead, calling it the best part of returning to Southeast Minnesota.

As for her efforts on the diamond, Steffen was 3-of-4, had an RBI and a stolen base in the Dragons’ 12-9 opening tournament loss to Winona State. She also pitched for one inning, giving up three unearned runs and threw a strikeout. The Dragons bounced back in the afternoon in the elimination bracket with a 7-6 win over Sioux Falls. Steffen was 2-4 at the plate while allowing two runs and tossed a strikeout over two innings.

The NSIC Softball Tournament will run through Saturday where it will be capped off by the title game at 12 PM.