{"id":34759,"date":"2025-04-16T14:08:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T14:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-habaneros\/?p=34759"},"modified":"2025-04-16T15:19:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T15:19:56","slug":"powerhouse-paige","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-habaneros\/2025\/04\/16\/powerhouse-paige\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerhouse Paige"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">By: Trevor Jones<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Mankato Habaneros are fired up to welcome back one of their most explosive offensive weapons Paige Zender out of {Iowa State}. After a dominant season at the plate in 2024, Zender returns as the reigning team leader in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. Her scorching .417 average, 15 home runs, and 60 RBIs not only powered the Habaneros&#8217; lineup but set the tone for their season. With her powerful swing and clutch presence, Zender is poised to pick up right where she left off driving in runs and lighting up the scoreboard.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I had the honor of speaking with Zender about her development during her second season at Iowa State. She shared that entering her sophomore year, she feels much more comfortable and has a stronger grasp of the pace of college play. Competing in the Big 12, one of the premier conferences in college softball has pushed her to grow. Zender credited her coaches for preparing the Cyclones for big moments and for helping each player refine and build on their individual strengths.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Zender is no stranger to the spotlight, and as a returning Habanero, I asked her how she plans to handle the pressure of being a defending champion. Her response was confident and composed: \u201cPressure is a privilege.\u201d She reflected on her high school days, where she helped lead Rosemount to a State Championship in 2021. In that title game, with her team trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning and a runner on base, Zender stepped to the plate in a high-pressure moment \u2014 one she was all too familiar with. Just two years earlier, she launched a fifth-inning grand slam that sealed Rosemount\u2019s championship win over Forest Lake. With a track record of rising to the occasion, Zender\u2019s poise under pressure continues to be one of her greatest strengths.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Zender emphasized her excitement about becoming a more complete, all-around player, particularly focusing on improving her defense. She also expressed the importance of maintaining joy in the game, noting that it&#8217;s easy for players, especially at the collegiate level, to get caught up in the pressure of chasing big goals. \u201cSometimes you forget to just relax and enjoy it,\u201d she said, reflecting on how crucial it is to balance competitiveness with having fun on the field.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Come see Paige Zender and the Habaneros play at ISG Field for the season kickoff on June 12<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> as the Habaneros faceoff against the Minot Honeybees at 6:35pm.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">###<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Leveraging the 31-year success of the Northwoods League, the first for-profit Summer Collegiate Baseball League, Northwoods League Softball (NWLS) is the first for-profit Women\u2019s Summer Collegiate Softball League in the Upper Midwest entering its second season in the summer of 2025.\u00a0 The purpose of the League is to provide an opportunity for players to develop for their college, Olympic and future professional play.\u00a0Teams will be promoted similar to minor league baseball teams, playing games in front of fans in a fun, friendly, family-oriented environment. League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/watch.northwoodsleague.com\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/watch.northwoodsleague.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1736007054629000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0h9q5jsr1hHgVDTnackmBf\">watch.northwoodsleague.com<\/a>), ESPN+, Women\u2019s Sports Network, and the Northwoods League Network.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Trevor Jones\u00a0 The Mankato Habaneros are fired up to welcome back one of their most explosive offensive weapons Paige  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":34760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Powerhouse Paige - Mankato Habaneros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"2024 NWLS MVP Paige Zender signs for second season with the Habaneros. 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