Photo by Jake McNeill Southwest Minnesota State first baseman Jaxon Haase (right) slides into home in the first inning of the Mustangs’ second game against Minnesota Duluth Wednesday afternoon in Marshall.

After returning from an 11-game spring trip in Arizona, the Southwest Minnesota State baseball team will return to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play today and Friday when they take on Minot State for a pair of doubleheaders.

The Mustangs were originally slated to host the Beavers for their home opener at Legion Field on Saturday and Sunday. Yet, inclement weather on the forecast resulted in the games being relocated. Today’s games will be played at Hank Overin Field in Wayne, Neb. while Friday’s games will be played at Klasey Park in South Sioux City, Iowa.

Entering the pair of doubleheaders, SMSU is 8-8 overall on the season and their 2-6 conference record puts them 13th out of 14 teams in the NSIC. Minot, meanwhile, is 7-11 overall and ranks ninth in the NSIC standings with a 4-4 conference record.

SMSU is coming off back-to-back wins over Macalester and Hamline.

Walsh (Ohio) defeated the Mustangs 2-1 in their first game back on the field after three consecutive cancellations. Kolby Kiser set the Mustangs’ single-game record with 16 strikeouts over eight innings in the loss, breaking Adam Schrader’s record of 15 that has stood since 2009. The performance also moved Kiser up to first nationally with an 18.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Beyond just the strikeout numbers, Kiser’s Ks have translated to the scoreboard. The senior from Sebeka leads the Mustangs with a 2.02 ERA and 0.94 WHIP on the season over 26 2/3 innings. He’s walked just two batters.

Minot State lost its previous game against Winona State 12-2 but had won four in a row prior to that, three of which came against WSU and the other against the Colorado School of Mines.

Grant Gabbert, Miles Iverson and Brent Riddle have led the Beavers in the power-hitting department to start the season with three home runs each. Gabbert’s .951 OPS is also a team-high while Iverson clocks in at .913.

On the pitching side of things, Cameron Bagshaw has been excellent in nine relief appearances for the Beavers with a 1.46 ERA over 12 1/3 innings. He’s struck out nine batters over the course of this season while also walking another nine.

Jonah Prokott and Craig Schmich have been the team’s primary arms, logging five appearances each. Prokott has put together a 4.66 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP over 19 1/3 innings while Schmich has pitched 20 innings for a 4.95 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.

As a team, SMSU has excelled in its ability to hit for average, sitting at .302 on the season. Chase McDaniel has led the charge with a .394 average and 1.067 OPS with three home runs and 19 RBIs, all team-highs. Among his home runs was an inside-the-parker on March 3 against Dakota Wesleyan. The speedy grand slam marked the Mustangs’ first inside-the-park home run since Jarred Carlson did it on March 11.

The Mustangs are coming off their best finish in nine years, going 27-17 overall and 19-13 in NSIC play to finish fifth in the conference standings.

Last year was Paul Blanchard’s 27th and final season as the Mustangs’ manager before handing the reigns off to Matt Ische to take over this year. Ische comes to SMSU after five seasons as the head coach at Upper Iowa.

Live stats and video for the Mustangs’ doubleheaders can be found online at SMSUmustangs.com. Today’s doubleheader at Hank Overin Field is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. while first pitch for tomorrow’s games at Klasey Park is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.