2016 Baseball Prospectus | Southwest Live Stats | Minot State Live Stats
Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University baseball team kicks off the 2016 season, March 7^th from the Tucson Invitational in Tucson, Arizona. The Wolves will play 12 games from Tucson, running through Friday March 18^th. Game stats and result information will be posted to nsuwolves.com as soon as they become available. For updates on the Wolves baseball team, follow them on Twitter at @WolvesBASEBALL. Live stats will be available at the above links for the Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State contests. 
 
Northern enters 2016 with 19 junior college transfers and freshman being added to the roster. Although some may redshirt look for others to make an instant impact on the field. The Wolves are also coming off one of their best seasons in program history with numerous records broke. Single season school records were broken in hits (Lucas Lorenz – 71), doubles (Jack Schmidt – 20), runs scored (Tyler Gripentrog – 55), at-bats (Eric O'Bryan – 205), walks (Tyler Gripentrog – 34), wins (Colton Boucher – 7), strikeouts (Colton Boucher – 62), ERA (Erick Cervenka – 1.86), saves (Marcus Manderbach – 4), and appearances (Marcus Manderbach – 21). NSU reached the NSIC Tournament for the second straight season and recorded their first tournament victory.
 
The Wolves also return a number of key contributor from a season ago, including: Colton Boucher, Jack Schmidt, Lucas Lorenz, and Matt Stubbs. Boucher enters the season as the Wolves top returning starter. Boucher went 7-4 a season ago with a 3.95 ERA and a team leading 62 strikeouts. Schmidt ended 2015 leading the Wolves offensively. As a redshirt freshmen, Schmidt hit .412 with 70 hits, 47 runs scored, 20 doubles, and 42 RBI. He was also named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team. Lorenz was known for the long ball in 2015, leading the team with 14. Lorenz was also second on the team hitting .382 on the year. He added 71 hits, 50 runs scored, and 52 RBI. Stubbs returns to the field after a season ending injury in 2015. Stubbs led the team in 2014 hitting .375 with 57 hits, 48 runs scored, 14 doubles, and 37 RBI. He was also a defensive stable with 41 put-outs, 77 assists, and a .901 fielding percentage.
 
About Southwest Minnesota State // Mar. 7 @ 3 p.m.
- The Mustangs enter Tucson with a record of 0-4 this season, after a sweep by Newman University
- SMSU hit just .163 in the four games, with only three extra base hits
- Southwest finished with a 21-29 overall record and 14-20 NSIC record in 2015, and went 2-2 against the Wolves
- The Mustangs are led by head coach Paul Blanchard in his 20^th season with the program. Blanchard has notched a career record of 477-386-2 with Southwest
 
About St. Cloud State // Mar. 9 @ 3 p.m. // Mar. 15 @ 8:30 a.m.
- The Huskies head to Tucson with a 5-0 record this season, out-scoring their opponents 35-16
- St. Cloud is ranked No. 2 in the nation heading into the week, close behind No. 1 Tampa
- Senior Reese Gregory is coming off his first NSIC Pitcher of the Week honor this season after shutting out Dordt College in seven innings of work
- SCSU tallied a 2015 record of 54-5 overall and 31-3 in the NSIC, and went 7-0 versus the Wolves
- St. Cloud reached the NCAA Central Region Tournament however fell to Henderson State twice to knock them out of the tournament
- The Huskies are led by head coach Pat Dolan in his ninth season with the program. Dolan has notched a career record of 323-111-1
 
About Mount Marty College // Mar. 8 @ 4 p.m.
- The Lancers are 1-3 this season in a weekend of doubleheaders versus Presentation College
- Mount Marty was 30-22 a season ago and fell in the GPAC Conference Tournament
- MMC is led by head coach Andy Bernatow in his 11^th season with the program, where he has a career record of 235-249
 
About Northwestern College // Mar. 9 @ 7 p.m.
- The Red Raiders are 4-4 this season with a pair of road weekends in Missouri
- Northwestern went 25-28 a season ago, while tallying six All-GPAC performances
- NC is led by head coach Brian Wede in his ninth season at the helm, where he has a career record of 276-181 with numerous post-season appearances
 
About Malone University // Mar. 11 @ 4 p.m. // Mar. 12 @ 9 a.m.
- The Pioneers will open their season from Tucson, after going 28-23 overall in 2015
- MU lost only three seniors a season ago, and returns a number of top performers including All-GLIAC performers Hayden Mobley and Mett Wheeler
- Malone tallied two wins over the Wolves (4-3, 10-9) from Tucson in 2015 and ended their season from the GLIAC Tournament
- The Pioneers are led by head coach Tom Crank in his 12^th season with the program
 
About Valley City State // Mar. 13 @ 2:30 p.m.
- The Vikings open their season from Fremont, Nebraska against Midland University
- Valley City returns their full infield from a season ago which set numerous offensive records
- VCSU went 32-25 in 2015 with a 2-2 record from the North Star Athletic Association Tournament
- The Vikings are led by head coach Casey Olney in his tenth season with the program
 
About Dakota State // Mar. 15 @ 11:30 a.m.
- The Trojans will open their season from Mount Marty College, en route to Tucson, with a pair of games against the Lancers
- Dakota State is coming off a 15-36 record a season ago where they finished fourth overall in the NSAA
- DSU is led by head coach Scott Hortness, a Northern State alum, in his sixth season with the program
 
About Minot State // Mar. 16 @ 11 a.m. // Mar. 18 @ 9 a.m.
- The Beavers head to Tucson with a 1-7 record this season after games in both Idaho and Utah
- MSU will open the invitational versus the Wolves, in the team's lone meeting since 2014 where NSU swept the mind-week contest
- Minot State went 11-34 overall and 8-26 in the league to finish 15^th in the Northern Sun in 2015
- The Beavers are led by head coach Brock Weppler in his ninth season with the program. Weppler has tallied a career record of 111-210 while at Minot State
 
About the University of Dubuque // Mar. 17 @ 10 a.m.
- The Spartans head to Tucson after a pair of games versus Greenville College on March 4 and 5
- UD was 12-28 overall a season ago with two All-IIAC honorees in Dalton Garst and Daniel Casanova
- Dubuque is led by head coach Paul Wyczawski in his fourth season with the program, where he has tallied a record of 37-79