Independent file photo SMSU’s Nathan Kuhn fields a ground ball during their game against St. Cloud State on May 4, 2019. SMSU will face Augustana today in a doubleheader.

MARSHALL — The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team (2-3, 1-2 NSIC) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play today with a doubleheader at nationally-ranked Augustana University (6-1, 2-1 NSIC) at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. Game one is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

•The doubleheader was delayed one day due to rain in the forecast for Wednesday.

•Augustana is ranked No. 4 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Top 25 poll and was ranked No. 18 in last week’s NCBWA Top 25 poll.

•Following today’s two games, SMSU will play a four-game series at Wayne State on Saturday and Sunday. The first three games of the series will be NSIC games, while the final game on Sunday will be a non-conference game.

Game coverage

•Live video and stats for today’s doubleheader will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.

About Augustana

•Augustana, the preseason pick to win the NSIC, is 6-1 overall, 2-1 NSIC, after winning two of three at home last weekend from St. Cloud State to open conference play.

•Augustana head coach Tim Huber is in his 13th season at Augustana. Huber was an assistant coach at SMSU for two seasons from 2003-04.

•JT Mix leads the Vikings batting .500 (10 for 20) with one double, one triple and four RBIs, while Sam Baier is hitting .450 with a home run and four RBIs.

•Through seven games, AU is batting .323, averaging 8.1 runs per game and have a team ERA of 3.26 in 58 innings with 76 strikeouts.

Series history

vs. Augustana

•SMSU and AU have meet 103 times since the 1980 season with AU holding a 58-45 all-time advantage.

•Since the 2014 season, Augustana has won 19 of the last 20 games, with SMSU’s lone win coming on May 7, 2016.

•AU has won the last six games, including 7-1 and 15-5, in the last meeting on April 3, 2019, in Sioux Falls.

SMSU

season numbers

•Through give games, SMSU is averaging 5.4 runs per game, batting .260 with 13 doubles and three home runs.

•The SMSU pitching staff has a 4.34 ERA in 37 1/3 innings with 46 strikeouts.

•Nathan Kuhn is batting a team-high .474 with a team-high four doubles and tied for the team-lead with 13 total bases.

•Matt Bezdicek is hitting .313 with two doubles and two home runs and has a team-high seven RBIs.

•Jake Wensmann is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in seven innings with six strikeouts.

•John Bezdicek has pitched a team-high 7 2/3 innings with a team-high 15 strikeouts.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications