Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State baseball team is set to begin the 2022 season with three games in the Edmond First Pitch Classic. The Wolves will play Emporia State on Sunday, Central Oklahoma on Monday, and Pittsburg State on Tuesday in Edmond, Oklahoma.

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

• Live stats and live video are available at the links above

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State finished the 2021 season ninth place in the NSIC regular season standings, with a record of 15-22 (14-19 NSIC)
• NSU is picked ninth in the 2022 NSIC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, totaling 89 points from the leagues' coaches
• Spencer Sarringar and Seth Brewer were named the NSIC Players to Watch for the Wolves
• Sarringar was named to the 2021 NSIC All-Defensive Team, leading the conference with 19 pickoffs in conference play to go along with a .973 fielding percentage
• Brewer was named to the 2021 NSIC First Team All-Conference, last season he ranked third in single season history in strikeouts (82) and tenth in single season ERA (2.97) in school history
• Ramon Vega Jr., Karson Hesser, and Reece Ragatz combined for a .301 hitting percentage in 2021 with 86 hits, 23 doubles, three triples, and ten home runs
• Brian Baker, Max Otto, and Brewer, combined for a 9-8 record on the mound for the Wolves in 35 appearances and 23 games started a season ago; the Northern State ranked 16^th nationally in shutouts (4) and 42^nd nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7)
• Dean Berry enters his 12^th season as the head coach at Northern State, he holds a record of 208-254 in his time with NSU, which includes five NSIC tournament appearances

EMPORIA STATE STORYLINES

• Emporia State finished the 2021 season eighth place in the MIAA regular season standings, with a record of 17-25 (13-20 MIAA)
• The Hornets advanced to the MIAA postseason tournament in 2021 and dropped two games to national runners-up Central Missouri in a best of three quarterfinal series
• ESU is picked seventh in the 2022 MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, totaling 62 points from the leagues' coaches
• Emporia State returns All-MIAA Third team member Blake Carroll, he batted .275 in 2021 with 46 hits, six doubles, seven triples, and six home runs; he tallied 22 RBI's and 33 runs scored
• Carroll ranked second in the MIAA and third nationally in triples last season
• A season ago the Hornets ranked second in the MIAA with a .307 batting average, ESU loses their top two hitters from last season but return Sam Chaput (.335) and Chandler Bloomer (.300) who ranked third and fourth on the team in batting average
• Seth Wheeler enters his fourth season as the head coach at Emporia State with a record of 57-54 during his time at ESU

LOOKING BACK TO 2006

• Northern State and Emporia State last played in 2006, when the Hornets earned the 12-1 victory in the last game of a 4-game series
• ESU leads the all-time series 6-0

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA STORYLINES

• Central Oklahoma finished the 2021 season sixth place in the MIAA regular season standings, with a record of 25-21 (16-14 MIAA)
• The Bronchos defeated Missouri Southern two games to one in the best of three MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals, and went 1-2 in bracket play with one win over Rogers State
• UCO is picked fourth in the 2022 MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, totaling 92 points from the leagues' coaches
• Central Oklahoma returns two All-MIAA team members, Garrett Takamatsu who was named to the third team, and Beaux Bonvillain who was an honorable mention
• Takamatsu led the Bronchos with a .368 batting average in 2021, totaling 53 hits, ten doubles, three triples, and five home runs; he recorded 32 RBI's and 33 runs scored
• Takamatsu's batting average of .368 ranked eighth in the MIAA and his on base percentage of .489 ranked fourth in the conference
• Bonvillain made 16 game appearances and pitched a total of 18.1 innings, he recorded an ERA of 3.93 while totaling 30 strikeouts and six saves
• Bonvillain's six saves was tied for third most in the MIAA and tied for 18^th nationally
• John Martin enters his seventh season as the head coach at Central Oklahoma with a record of 184-108-1 during his time at UCO, he has led the program to three NCAA regional appearances
• This is the first ever meeting between Northern State and Central Oklahoma

PITTSBURG STATE STORYLINES

• Pittsburg State finished the 2021 season fourth place in the MIAA regular season standings, with a record of 30-16 (21-12 MIAA)
• The Gorillas defeated Washburn two games to one in the best of three MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals, and advanced to the tournament championship game where they lost to eventual national runners-up Central Missouri
• PSU is picked second in the 2022 MIAA Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, totaling 103 points and one first place vote from the leagues' coaches
• Pittsburg State returns seven players who earned MIAA honors last season: Dawson Pomeroy (first team), Ryan Koval (second team), Mason Hartman (third team), Aaron Gerdes (third team & Gold Glove Team), Peyton Ingalls (honorable mention), Garrett McGowan (honorable mention), and Cruz Aranda (honorable mention)
• They return their top-3 batters from a season ago, Gerdes led the Gorillas with a batting average of .346 and had an on base percentage of .429, while Aranda was second with a batting average of .321 with an on base percentage of .390, and Koval was third on the team with a .320 batting average and .386 on base percentage
• Pomeroy is the top returning relief pitcher for PSU, he appeared in 12 games and earned a record of 3-0 to go along with six saves; he held his opponents to a .094 batting average, struck out 27, and recorded an ERA of 1.37
• Pomeroy's six saves tied for third most in the MIAA and tied for 18^th nationally
• Ingalls started 12 games on the mound for Pittsburg State and appeared in 16 games, he went 7-1 in 2021 with an ERA of 4.92 and opponent batting average of .265
• Bob Fornelli enters his fourth season as head coach at Pittsburg State with a career record of 980-424, he ranks in the top-15 nationally for career wins among active NCAA Division II coaches with stops at Fort Hays State and Emporia State before taking over the head job at PSU

LOOKING BACK TO 2005

• Northern State and Pittsburg State last played each other in 2005 when the Gorillas earned a 22-7 victory
• PSU leads the all-time series 7-0