Lakeville South at Farmington
4:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 7

Big cats face off as Farmington challenges state champion Lakeville South in its South Suburban Conference debut.

Tigers pitcher Maddie Muelken finished her freshman season with 93 strikeouts and a 1.93 ERA through 134 1/3 innings pitched. She batted .306 with 13 RBI and is just one of seven returning starters for the Farmington.

The reigning champs lost just two seniors -- pitchers Maddi Bianchi and Kylie Stober -- in the offseason. The Cougars posted a 15-5 overall record and placed third int he South Suburban Conference before embarking on a storybook playoff run for the program's first state title. 

The teams met twice in Section 2-3A playoffs last season, with the Cougars winning 3-2 and 9-3 and perhaps sparking a conference rivalry for years to come.