Aberdeen, S.D. – For the first time during the 2023 season the Northern State baseball team will be traveling north as they face the Beavers of Minot State in their home opener at Corbett Field. The 3-game NSIC series will get underway with a doubleheader at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, with the series finale to take place at 12 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

• Links watch the games and follow live stats are attached above

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State enters the 3-game series with a record of 10-17 (5-11 NSIC) and have won three of their last four games
• The Wolves are coming off their first series win of the season as they took two of three games against Sioux Falls last weekend; NSU opened the series with a 6-5 win in game one before USF earned a 26-17 victory in game two, Northern clinched the series win on a walk-off grand slam by Connor Knecht to secure the 12-8 win in game three
• As a team Northern has hit .275 with 234 hits, 49 doubles, one triple, 34 homeruns, 143 RBI, and 165 runs scored through 27 games played
• Reece Ragatz leads Northern with a .338 batting average, .789 slugging percentage, and 1.196 on-base plus slugging percentage, while Niko Pezonella leads the Wolves with a .460 on-base percentage
• Jack Paulson has tallied a team-leading 30 hits this season while Austin Portner and Pezonella have each notched a team-high seven doubles
• Portner also leads NSU with 28 runs scored this season
• Ragatz has recorded the Wolves' lone triple of the year and leads the team with nine homeruns and 29 RBI
• Hesser enters the weekend series on a 5-game hit streak and has recorded six multi-hit games on the season
• On the base paths Hesser and Pezonella are each a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts
• The Wolves' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 7.39, allowing 245 hits and 115 walks, while throwing 227 strikeouts; opponents have held a .284 batting average against NSU pitchers
• Max Otto (0-5) and Michael Chevalier (4-3) are Northern State's top two starting pitchers with ERAs of 4.73 and 5.22 respectively; in seven starts and nine total appearances Otto has held opponents to a .228 batting average, while in eight starts and appearances Chevalier has limited opponents to a .247 batting average
• Chevalier leads the Wolves with 54 strikeouts on the season while Otto is a close second with 53 strikeouts on the mound
• Other key relief pitchers for Northern include Jack Miller who has an ERA of 2.70 in 6.2 innings pitched and seven appearances, while Cooper Tessendorf (1-1) has recorded an ERA of 4.76 in seven appearances and 11.1 innings pitched
• Otto, Blake Ask, Tyler Boyum, and Brenden Baxter have each recorded one save on the mound for NSU

MINOT STATE STORYLINES

• Minot State enters the 3-game series with a record of 19-11 (10-8 NSIC)
• The Beavers split their mid-week doubleheader at Wayne State on Wednesday, winning game one 11-7 before falling in ten innings in game two by a score of 13-12
• As a team Minot has hit .319 with 324 hits, 59 doubles, nine triples, 56 homeruns, 233 RBI, and 252 runs scored through 30 games played
• Derek Kay has a team-best .381 batting average and Mark Ossanna has a team-high .458 on-base percentage; Gunnar Kozlowitz leads Minot State with a .748 slugging percentage and 1.189 on-base plus slugging percentage
• Kay has tallied a team-leading 45 hits, 34 RBI, and 30 runs scored
• Kozlowitz leads Minot with 12 doubles and Javier Gutierrez has notched a team-best 11 homeruns
• Kay, Brent Riddle, and Matt Malone have each recorded two triples this season for MSU
• Kozlowitz enters the weekend series on a 6-game hit streak and four consecutive multi-hit games
• On the base paths Kay leads the Beavers with 14 stolen bases this season
• The Beavers' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 5.81, allowing 228 hits and 127 walks, while throwing 251 strikeouts; opponents have held a .252 batting average against MSU pitchers
• Bryant Bagshaw (5-1) and Trevyn Badger (2-1) are Minot State's top starting pitchers with ERAs of 3.08 and 4.60 respectively; in seven starts and appearances Bagshaw has held opponents to a .201 batting average, while Badger has limited opponents to a .202 batting average in five starts and eight total appearances
• Bagshaw, Badger, and Craig Schmich have each recorded a team-leading 36 strikeouts on the mound this season
• Other key pitchers for the Beavers include Cameron Bagshaw who has recorded a 2.95 ERA in ten appearances and 18.1 innings pitched, and Dominick Parkhurst (4-0) who has notched a 5.96 ERA in four starts and six total appearances in 25.2 innings pitched; Parkhurst has tallied 25 strikeouts while Bagshaw has tallied 21 strikeouts
• Austin Loeb has recorded four saves in 11 relief appearances as Minot's closer, recording a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched; Loeb has notched 18 strikeouts and held opponents to a .244 batting average
• Sam Boisner is in his first season as the head baseball coach at Minot State, the former Northern State assistant holds a 19-11 career record with the Beavers

LAST MATCH-UP

• Northern State swept Minot State in a neutral site doubleheader in Yankton, South Dakota, last season, winning games by scores of 11-7 and 6-5 (10 innings)
• The Wolves and Beavers are tied 16-16 in the all-time series, however Northern has won three straight in the series after snapping a 7-game losing streak in 2021