The University of Minnesota Duluth will get its 2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule started a day early, as its opening four-game series with the University of Sioux Falls has been moved up 24 hours to Friday and Saturday afternoons in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

UMD (5-3) has won two in a row entering the weekend, having swept a twinbill against Saint Michael's (Vt.) College on its final day in Winter Haven, Florida on Tuesday.

COVERING THE BASES
UMD | OVERALL: 5-3 | @UMDBaseball
• Junior third baseman Kyle Comer picked up right where he left off a season ago, batting 12-of-24 (.500/.581/.792) with a double and two triples in UMD's first eight games. He drove in nine runs and crossed the plate seven times while also drawing six walks on the trip. Sophomore utility outfielder Grant Farley continued his tear into the new week, finishing the Florida trip with six extra base hits, slugging .957 while going 11-of-23 (.478) and getting on-base at a .520 clip with a pair of walks. He struck out just two times, drove in eight runs, and scored five on the week.
• Junior lefty ace Bo Hellquist got roughed up in the first inning of his season opener, but settled down to toss five innings, striking out seven. The Bulldogs walked too many batters in Florida, 41 to go with 21 hit batters, an average of one per inning. Hellquist, though, didn't give any free passes but did bean three batters in his outing. Freshman right-hander Nick Dorfman put together the strongest start of the trip for UMD, tosssing 6.2 innings, allowing just a pair of earned runs on home runs, against Northwood (Mich.) University last week.
• In the bullpen, senior right-handed reliever Wes Mleziva shut the door in three games for UMD, picking up a pair of saves and a win in 5.1 innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six. UMD also got scoreless appearances from freshman Jonny Houston (2.1 innings in two appearances) and junior Matt Mattiacci, who struck out one in his his first game returning from an offseason injury.
• Early on, the Bulldogs have relied on their run game far more than a season ago, finishing 8-of-11 on stolen base attempts in the Sunshine State, already over a third of the 23 swipes the team collected a season ago.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS (Friday & Saturday, March 20-21, Noon) - Live Stats (Sign-up is free)
Sioux Falls | OVERALL: 3-13 | @USF_Athletics
• The Cougars enter conference play on a three-game losing streak, being swept by Concordia of California on Tuesday before heading back north. UMD swept a four-game set against Sioux Falls on the road last season.
• Freshman outfielder Matthew Minnick leads the Cougars, batting .391/.472/.630 despite the team's slow start this season, hitting six doubles, a triple, and a home run among his 18 hits in 46 at-bats. To go with six walks, he's struck out just five times in 53 plate appearances and succesfully swiped bases on each of his three attempts. Junior outfielder Noah Durkin is second behind Minnick's 17 runs scored with 15 on the year. Minnick and freshman infielder Tony Stanich have 12 RBIs each.
• Junior right-hander Patrick Anderson has put together the best season thus far for the Cougars, with 9.2 innings spanning four appearances includinga  start, walking just a pair and striking out four. As a squad, Sioux Falls averages 2.38 baserunners per inning and has a combined 7.55 ERA. Opponents have a 3.90 ERA but the Cougars are scoring 5.97 runs per nine-inning game as they have forced 24 errors by opponents on the year.

The Bulldogs will cross into South Dakota to start conference play tomorrow and look to get started on the right path. Opening pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. in Sioux Falls.