UPDATE (4/16/15 12:00 p.m.): Due to rain in the forecast for Sunday, UMD's planned four-game series with Bemidji State University has been moved up 24 hours. The games will now begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The University of Minnesota Duluth finished up a ten-game homestand, posting a 6-4 record against a trio of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foes last weekend with a series victory over Winona State University and will now head out on the road for one series before heading back to Bulldog Park next weekend.
UMD (17-11, 11-7 NSIC) played a pair of series against NSIC competition last week, finishing 4-2 on the week at home, splitting a doubleheader against Southwest Minnesota State on Wednesday before taking home the series with 3-of-4 against Winona State on Saturday and Sunday. The Bulldogs made their long-awaited return to Bulldog Park on campus in Saturday's doubleheader, playing the rest of the week on the AstroTurf at Wade Stadium.
COVERING THE BASESUMD |
OVERALL: 17-11 (11-7 NSIC) |
@UMDBaseball• Junior third baseman
Jimmy Heck led the Bulldogs on the week, batting .500/.600/.900 on the week in six starts, finishing 10-of-20 with five extra-base hits (three 2B, one 3B, one HR), 11 runs batted in, seven runs scored, and three walks on the week. He went 5-for-7 against WSU in Saturday's doubleheader, ripping a pair of doubles and a home run, driving in four runs and crossing the plate twice and then extended his hitting streak to eight games on Sunday in game two against Winona State, finishing 2-for-2 with two walks, four RBIs, and a run scored.
• Junior left-handed pitcher/right fielder
Spencer Diedrich picked up his first victory of the season in his lone start of the season, tossing six shutout innings, scattering three hits, walking a pair, and striking out 10 Mustangs against SMSU on Wednesday. At the plate, he lifted a pair of hits, driving in two runs in game one against Winona State on Saturday, finishing 2-for-10 on the week, getting on-base at a .333 clip while driving in three runs.
• Junior third baseman
Kyle Comer continued his tear last week, hitting .435/.536/.609 with 10 hits, seven RBIs, seven runs scored, and six walks. Sophomore left fielder
Grant Farley had nine hits on the week, .409/.536/.545 with seven RBIs, crossing the plate eight times.
• UMD currently sits sixth in the NSIC standings, but a game back from third-place Concordia-St. Paul as the playoff standings will be a dogfight until the end of the conference season. The Bulldogs have gotten on-base at a .412 clip this season, fourth-best in the league, while batting .312 and slugging .459, sitting in the middle of the pack for both statistics. UMD's pitching staff has posted the sixth-best ERA (5.27), less than half a run short of the fourth spot, and the fourth-best opposing batting average (.276).
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES (Wednesday, April 15, 1:30 p.m.) -
Live Stats
Minnesota-Crookston |
OVERALL: 9-27 (3-17 NSIC) |
@UMCAthletics• Under the guidance of first-year head coach Steve Gust, the Golden Eagles quickly eclipsed their win total from a season ago but have stumbled out of the gate upon entering conference play. UMC stopped a seven-game losing skid during Sunday's doubleheader against Wayne State (Neb.) College, picking up a 7-6 win over the Wildcats in game one.
• Helping to turn around the Golden Eagles are 11 transfers including designated hitter Kenny Perez. who is batting .343/.374/.552 with a team-high four home runs. He's susceptible to the strikeout however, with 20 in 141 plate appearances dcompared to just nine walks. Junior first baseman Ryan Haggstrom returns from a season ago, hitting .343/.382/.457 with 13 extra-base hits, 28 runs scored, and 24 runs batted in on the season.
• Junior right-hander Nolan Wahlberg, out of Century College, leads the pitching staff having tossed three complete games in nine appearances, posting a 4-3 record and 4.15 ERA on the season. As a squad, Minnesota-Crookston has posted a 7.69 ERA on the year.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS (Friday-Saturday, April 17-18, 1:30 p.m./12:00 p.m.) -
Live Stats |
Live Video
Bemidji State |
OVERALL: 10-23 (7-11 NSIC) |
@BSUBeavers• The Beavers were involved in the
craziest baseball game the NSIC may ever see, falling 41-20 to No. 7 Minnesota State University on Saturday afternoon and gave up 88 runs to the Mavericks in the four-game set, falling 23-1 in game two on Sunday. BSU had won 3-of-4 entering the weekend. The team's combined ERA went from 8.23 before the seris to 9.92 afterward.
• Freshman right-hander Cody Benson leads the Bemidji State pitching staff with a 4.85 ERA in seven appearances out of the bullpen. Sophomore right-handed starter Terry Hadden has made eight starts to the tune of a 5.44 ERA in 44.2 innings. Sophomore righty Jack Stigman has 27 strikeouts in 31 innings.
• Junior infielder Jack Hegarty leads the BSU offense with a .375/.433/.600 batting line, lifting 13 extra base hits including two home runs, 16 RBIs, and 15 runs scored. Sophomore infielder Collin Eckman and freshman outfielder Scott Litchy each have four longballs on the season. Litchy leads the team with 23 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
UMD will hit the road for the first time in two weeks Wednesday when they take on the Golden Eagles. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. in Crookston.
