Independent file photo SMSU’s Cole Petersen delivers a pitch during their May 6, 2017 game against the University of Minnesota Crookston.

MARSHALL – The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team (9-11, 4-6 NSIC) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play today facing the University of Minnesota Duluth (11-11, 7-3 NSIC) in Wakefield, Nebraska.

•The doubleheader begins at 1:30 p.m. and will be played at Eaton Park.

•The two games were scheduled to be played in Marshall, but due to poor field conditions the series was moved.

•SMSU is on a three-game winning streak and last played on Friday earning two victories over Concordia-St. Paul in Wakefield.

GAME

COVERAGE

•Live statistics for Thursday’s games will be available at smsumustangs.com.

•Updates can also be found by following @smsubaseball on Twitter.

SERIES HISTORY

•UMD leads the all-time series versus 63-58, in a match-up that started in 1977.

•UMD has won the last four games and six of the last seven since April 6, 2014.

•SMSU’s last win in the series came on April 8, 2015, in Duluth.

•UMD won both games last season in Duluth by scores of 14-1 and 2-1.

•SMSU head coach Paul Blanchard is 28-23 versus UMD.

MUSTANG

NOTABLES

•SMSU is hitting .288 with eight home runs and 39 doubles.

•SMSU has an ERA of 4.49 with 165 strikeouts in 160 1/3 innings.

•SMSU has a .961 fielding percentage.

•SMSU is 2-6 in one-run games.

•SMSU is 7-2 when leading after six innings and 3-2 when leading after eight innings.

•SMSU has five players with at least 40 at bats hitting .300 or better.

•Shane Sellner leads the team with a .351 batting average with five doubles, one home run and 13 RBIs.

•Jayden Fleck has a team-leading 22 RBIs with six doubles and a team-high four home runs.

•Fleck leads the team with nine multi-hit games and also leads with six mult-RBI games.

•Ben Heichel has recorded a team-high nine doubles and two home runs with 16 RBIs.

•Sellner’s 10-game hitting streak to begin the season is the longest on the team this season.

•Cole Petersen is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. His ERA is the best among SMSU starting pitchers.

•Alex Jorgensen is tied for the team-lead with seven relief appearances and has a 2.87 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. He has a 1-2 record with one save.

•Chase Meyer recorded a career-high six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of relief to earn the victory vs. Concordia-St. Paul on March 30.

WELCOME

TO THE SHOW

•SMSU freshman left-hander John Bezdicek has had an outstanding start to his college career through five starts.

•He is 2-2 on the season with one complete game and has compiled a 2.57 ERA in 28 innings.

•He has recorded a team-leading 38 strikeouts while opponents are hitting just .200.

MUSTANGS IN THE RECORD BOOK

•Justin Clark ranks seventh in team history with 8.31 strikeouts per nine innings.

•Cole Petersen ranks ninth in team history with a 3.66 career ERA.

•Shane Sellner ranks fourth in both putouts and chances.

NCAA STATISTICS

•In the latest Division II statistics through April 1, Ben Heichel ranks 25th in doubles per game (0.47).

•Cole Petersen ranks 56th in ERA at 2.08.

•John Bezdicek ranks 35th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.21) and 60th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.43).

•Nathan Kuhn ranks 44th in bases on balls per game (0.84).

•As a team, SMSU ranks 51st in doubles per game (2.0), 32nd in strikeouts per nine innings (9.4), 53rd in shutouts (2) and 73rd in ERA (4.64).

NSIC SCHEDULE

•SMSU is scheduled to play a 38-game unbalanced schedule in conference play this season.

•The team will play seven four-game weekend series along with five mid-week doubleheaders.

•The schedule will allow SMSU to play 12 of 14 conference opponents at least twice this season.

•SMSU will not play Minot State or St. Cloud State in conference play.

NSIC

DOUBLEHEADERS

•For the eighth straight season the first game of each NSIC doubleheader will be a 7-inning game, while game two is scheduled for a 9-inning game.

•If the first game goes into extra innings, then game two will be changed to a 7-inning game.

NEXT UP

•Southwest Minnesota State is scheduled to play at Wayne State in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 11.

Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications