Aberdeen, S.D. – After having their final non-conference doubleheader canceled earlier this week, the Northern State baseball team now has their sights set on their NSIC opening series against Minnesota State. In what was originally scheduled to be a road contest, the weather has forced the teams to move the series to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Wolves and Mavericks will open the series with a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a single game starting at 5:30 a.m. on Friday.

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

• Links to watch the games and follow live stats are attached above
• Should Thursday's doubleheader not conclude before 10 p.m., the game will be halted and restarted on Friday morning at 5:30 a.m. with the single game to follow

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State enters Thursday's conference opener with a 5-6 record on the early season
• The Wolves were last in action when they split a 4-game series at McKendree on March 4^th and 5^th, winning games two (6-5) and three (3-1) but falling in games one (7-3) and four (8-1)
• As a team Northern has hit .266 with 92 hits, 22 doubles, one triple, ten homeruns, 51 RBI, and 55 runs scored through 11 games played
• Niko Pezonella leads Northern State with a .385 batting average, .885 slugging percentage, .467 on-base percentage, and 1.352 on-base plus slugging percentage; Pezonella has totaled ten hits, four doubles, three homeruns, 7 RBI, and six runs scored this season
• Jack Paulson and Austin Portner have a team-best 11 hits this season and Portner has a team-high five doubles
• Pezonella and Kai Brisk are each riding 5-game hit streaks into the conference opener, while Portner has recorded a hit in four consecutive games
• Paulson, Portner, and Jordan DeMarce each have a pair of stolen bases this season to lead the Wolves on the base paths
• The Wolves' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 6.08, allowing 87 hits and 44 walks, while throwing 90 strikeouts; opponents have held a .259 batting average against NSU pitchers
• Zach Carolin (1-0) and Michael Chevalier (2-0) lead Northern State with 2.08 and 3.18 ERA's on the mound this season
• In two starts and three appearances Carolin has held opponents to a .245 batting average while in three starts and appearances Chevalier has held opponents to a .197 batting average
• In four appearances and three starts Max Otto (0-2) leads the team with 17.2 innings pitched; Otto recorded the lone save this season for the Wolves as he struck out two McKendree batters to seal the 3-1 win over the Bearcats in game three of the series
• Chevalier and Otto lead Northern State with 23 and 21 strikeouts respectively this season

MINNESOTA STATE STORYLINES

• Minnesota State enters conference play with a record of 10-4 on the season
• The Mavericks were last in action on March 8 as they concluded their stay at the RussMatt Invitational in Florida, where they defeated Grand Valley State by a score of 3-2
• As a team Minnesota State has hit .256 with 113 hits, 20 doubles, six triples, five homeruns, 69 RBI, and 83 runs scored through 14 games
• Jackson Hauge leads Minnesota State with a .311 batting average, .600 slugging percentage, .508 on-base percentage, and 1.108 on-base plus slugging percentage; Hauge has totaled 14 hits, two doubles, four triples, one homerun, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored this season
• Ryan Wickman has recorded a team-best 17 hits and three homeruns this season
• Mikey Gottschalk holds the longest current hit streak on the team with a hit in three consecutive games; Hauge and Wickman each saw their 5-game hit streaks come to an end in their last outing against GVSU
• Wickman (6-6) and Aidan Byrne (5-5) lead MSU on the base paths with six and five stolen bases respectively
• The Mavericks' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 3.45, allowing 109 hits and 29 walks, while throwing 113 strikeouts; opponents have held a .245 batting average against MSU pitchers
• Minnesota State's primary starters on the mound have been Nathan Culley (3-0) and Dylan Gotto (3-1) who have each made four starts and appearances this season, Culley holds a 2.01 ERA while Gotto's ERA currently sits at 2.49
• Culley and Gotto also lead the MSU pitching staff in strikeouts with 28 and 23 respectively, and have held opponents to batting averages of .173 and .252 respectively
• Five different Maverick pitchers have contributed towards the team's seven saves this season; however, Jack Zigan and Aiden McGee are the only pitchers to have multiple saves with two a piece
• Matt Magers is in his 15^th season as the head baseball coach at Minnesota State, where he holds a 554-174 record with the Mavericks

LAST MATCH-UP

• Minnesota State won the first two games in last year's series in Mankato, however Northern State notched three homeruns to secure an 11-7 victory in the series finale
• The Mavericks lead the all-time series 33-6