The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team has steadily improved in each Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference series it has played so far this season. After getting swept in its season opener and splitting against Minnesota Duluth back in February, the Mustangs picked up their first series win by claiming two out of three against Minot State last week. They’ll look to keep the trend going when they head to South Dakota to take on Bemidji State for a pair of doubleheaders this weekend.

The Mustangs’ games against Bemidji State were originally scheduled to be played in Bemidji. Yet, poor weather forced the teams to relocate. Friday’s games will be played at Ronken Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. while Saturday’s will take place at Aspen Park in Brandon, S.D.

In last week’s games, the Mustangs swept their first doubleheader against Minot State by final scores of 5-1 and 10-3 before falling 10-5 on the second day. Friday’s second game was canceled due to the weather.

Kolby Kiser and Cameron Jensen each had quality days on the mound for the Mustangs last time out. Kiser went the full seven innings in SMSU’s first win, allowing just one earned run on two hits, while Jensen pitched 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings of relief in last Thursday’s second game to pick up the win. Jensen has not allowed a run or a hit in any of his last three appearances on the mound.

Kiser has played like an ace all season long, compiling a 1.87 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP over five starts for a 3-1 record. Kiser’s ERA ranks second in the NSIC to Augustana’s Ashton Michek at 1.80. No other pitcher in the conference has an ERA under 2.75.

While he struck out just one batter last week, Kiser’s 37 strikeouts remain a team-high, just past Ansen Dulas’ 33, and his 7.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 11th in Division II.

On the offensive side of the plate, the Mustangs have been firing on all cylinders as of late. Keenan Wenzel and Jake Tauer each had a three-hit game last week, with Wenzel being one of two Mustangs to hit a home run alongside Chase McDaniel, while Peyton Nash had three hits over the three games with a double and a triple.

Still, it’s been McDaniel and Isaac Nett who have led the Mustangs’ offense this year. Both batters have put together an OPS of over 1.000 on the season. McDaniel’s four home runs and five doubles are both team-highs on the season with Nett one behind him in each category.

As a team, the Mustangs have been extremely effective at getting on base. McDaniel, Nett, Wenzel and Nash each have a batting average of over .300 on the season while Max Kalenberg is right behind them at .291. Kalenberg’s .459 on-base percentage also ranks second on the team to Nett’s .465.

Last week’s wins improved the Mustangs’ record to 10-9 overall on the season. Their 4-7 conference record puts them 12th out of 14 NSIC teams.

This week’s four games against Bemidji State give the Mustangs an opportunity to make a jump up the standings. The Beavers are 1-21 overall on the season and 0-12 overall after losing each of their last 11 games.

In head-to-head matchups, the Mustangs have won seven straight games against the Beavers and 13 of the last 15.

In their last eight games, the Beavers have played Augustana and Winona State. During the four consecutive doubleheader sweeps, Bemidji came within five runs of their opponent just once, a 5-4 loss to the Warriors. Four of the losses came by 10 runs or more.

While the Beavers’ offense has struggled — they have just one qualified batter with an OPS of .700 or better — Matt Filippi has been a bright spot. He’s put together a .309 average and a .915 OPS on the season. His two homers and two triples are both team-highs and his three doubles place him second on the team behind Jack Munson’s seven.

Sophomore Jackson Schaffer had been on a tear for the Beavers, batting .465 with a team-leading 1.140 OPS, but has been out of the lineup since March 8.

The Beavers have four pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched this year. Of those pitchers, only Jacob Smith has an ERA under 10, sitting at .927 over 22 1/3 innings.

As a team, Bemidji State has compiled a 13.5 ERA and a 2.69 WHIP. they’ve also allowed an opponent batting average of .382 on the season.

The first pitch for both today’s games at Ronken Field and Saturday’s games at Aspen Field are scheduled for noon. Video and stats for each of the four games are available online at SMSUmustangs.com