Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State baseball team will play their first and final home series of the season this weekend at the friendly confines of Fossum Field as they host Upper Iowa. The Wolves and Peacocks will play a doubleheader on Friday afternoon at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., followed by the series finale at 12 p.m. on Saturday afternoon when Northern will honor their nine graduating seniors.

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

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

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State enters the final series of the 2023 season with a record of 10-30 (5-24 NSIC)
• The Wolves are coming off a stretch of five games in three days, where they were victims of series sweeps against Southwest Minnesota State by scores of 9-5, 8-2, and 5-4, as well as St. Cloud State by scores of 8-2 and 11-3
• As a team Northern has hit .270 with 336 hits, 72 doubles, one triple, 38 homeruns, 184 RBI, and 209 runs scored through 40 games played
• Four NSU players are currently batting above .300 as they enter the weekend series, led by Jack Paulson (.350), Jackson Meyer (.338), Reece Ragatz (.316), and Niko Pezonella (.311)
• While Paulson leads the team with a .350 batting average, he also has recorded a team-best 49 hits and is tied with Pezonella for the team lead with 11 doubles
• As Northern's leader in slugging percentage (.684) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.064), Ragatz has also tallied the Wolves lone triple of the season and has recorded a team-best nine homeruns
• Pezonella enters the final weekend of the season as the team's leader in on-base percentage (.459) and is second in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.044) and homeruns (6)
• Austin Portner has tallied a team-leading 34 runs scored this season, having played and started in all 40 contests
• Paulson, Portner, and Connor Knecht are each riding a 3-game hit streak as they enter the weekend series
• On the base paths Karson Hesser has collected a team-high of seven stolen bases on nine attempts
• The Wolves' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 7.83, allowing 376 hits and 186 walks, while throwing 307 strikeouts; opponents have held a .297 batting average against NSU pitchers
• Michael Chevalier (4-4) and Max Otto (0-8) have been Northern State's top starting pitchers this season, recording ERAs of 4.63 and 4.97 respectively
• Otto pitched his fourth complete game of the season this past weekend and has limited opponents to a .247 batting average while striking out a team-high 74 batters; Chevalier mas made a team-high 11 starts this season while holding opponents to a .226 batting average and has thrown 64 strikeouts
• After making nine relief appearances to start the season, Cooper Tessendorf (1-1) has started on the mound in his last two appearance and has recorded an ERA of 3.57 with 22 strikeouts and held opponents to a .210 batting average
• Jack Miller has been a key relief pitcher for the Wolves with 11 appearances and a 4.15 ERA, he has held opponents to a .304 batting average and has struck out 11 batters
• Otto, Blake Ask (0-3), Tyler Boyum (0-1), and Brenden Baxter each have one save in relief this season
• The nine graduating seniors of the Northern State baseball team include Brian Baker, Kai Brisk, Taite Hensley, Niko Pezonella, Jack Paulson, Austin Portner, Gus Radel, Reece Ragatz, and Mitchell Tolk

UPPER IOWA STORYLINES

• Upper Iowa enters the final series of the regular season with a record of 18-26 (14-18 NSIC), with slight hopes of sneaking into the NSIC Baseball Tournament as one of the final two teams
• The Peacocks are coming off a 3-game sweep of Winona State this past weekend, defeating the Warriors by scores of 9-4, 9-8 (11 Inn.), and 8-7
• As a team Upper Iowa has hit .259 with 349 hits, 60 doubles, seven triples, 44 homeruns, 217 RBI, and 247 runs scored through 44 games played
• Two UIU players are currently batting above .300 as they enter the weekend series, led by Ryan Hull (.320) and Ethan Sawyer (.313)
• Bryce Hull holds the highest on-base percentage at .435, while JJ Vargas has the team's highest slugging percentage at .491, and Cal Luzmum has the team's best on-base plus slugging percentage at .875
• Sawyer has tallied a team leading 50 hits and 39 RBI this season, while also being tied with Vargas for a team-high of nine doubles
• Luzum has recorded a team-high of three triples this season and Samuel Grushkin has notched a team-best eight homeruns
• Bryce Hull has tallied a team-best 36 runs scored this season
• Grushkin is riding a team-best four game hitting streak into the weekend series
• On the base paths Ryan Hull has collected a team-high of 14 stolen bases
• The Peacocks' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 7.26, allowing 416 hits and 207 walks, while throwing 292 strikeouts; opponents have held a .301 batting average against UIU pitchers
• Keaton Parker (3-4) and Kyle Hrncir (4-5) have been Upper Iowa's top two starting pitchers, having recorded ERAs of 5.62 and 5.74 respectively
• Parker leads the team with 49 strikeouts on the season while holding opponents to a .234 batting average; Hrncir is a close second on the team with 47 strikeouts and has limited opponents to a .281 batting average
• The Peacock's top relief pitchers are Vargas (1-0) and Sam Marhefke (2-2) who have ERAs of 3.37 and 4.75 respectively
• Marhefke has thrown 36.0 innings in relief in 19 appearances and has thrown 37 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .246 batting average, he holds a team-best six saves this season
• Jeremy Ische is in his fifth season as the head baseball coach at Upper Iowa, totaling a career record of 56-124 during his time with the Peacocks

LAST MATCH-UP

• Northern State won two of three games in last season's 3-game series in Fayette, Iowa, winning the first two games by scores of 3-2 and 4-2 before falling in the series finale 16-6 (8 Inn.)
• The Peacocks lead the all-time series 22-17, however the Wolves have won five of the past nine meetings and two of the past three 3-game series