For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Baseball Players of the Week

NSIC Player of the Week
#36 Kris Ashland
(1B/C, 6-5, 235, R/R, Bloomington, Minn. / John F. Kennedy HS)
Augustana
- Hit .500 in four starts with seven hits in 14 at-bats versus UMary
- Had nine RBI, four home runs and two doubles in the four game sweep
- Had a weekend slugging percentage of 1.500 and an on-base percentage of .533
- Had a career-high five RBI in game one against U-Mary
- Hit two home runs in game one and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate
- Never hit below .500 in any game of the series

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#32 Brody Rodning
(LHP, 6-1, 180, R/L Jr., Gaylord, Minn. / Sibley East HS)
Minnesota State
- Pitched a seven-inning shutout in a 1-0 win over Minnesota Duluth at U.S. Bank Stadium on Friday
- Struck out seven batters while holding UMD to three hits, a .136 batting average and a 0.71 WHIP
- The shutout is his NSIC-leading second of the season and he lowered his ERA to 0.38 (second lowest in the NSIC)
- Leads the NSIC in hits allowed (9) and batting average against (.115) this season
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season (2/28)

 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 10-0 vs UMary W 13-1 (7) vs UMary W 6-2 vs UMary W 6-3 vs UMary	13-10, 7-1 NSIC	W5	3rd Overall
Team Notes
- The Vikings swept their first series of the season taking all four against U-Mary - Augustana is on a season best 5-game winning streak - The team hit .339 on the weekend with seven home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBI - Pitching staff had a season-low 1.50 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 30 innings
Top Performer(s)
- Kris Ashland had a career weekend for the Vikings - Ashland hit .500 with 4 home runs, 2 doubles, 7 hits and 9 RBI - Ashland had a weekend slugging percentage of 1.500 and an on base percentage of .533 - Jacob Blank continues to dominate on the mound improving his consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 26.1 - Blank pitched a complete game shutout picking up a career-high 13 strikeouts and giving up just 1 walk and 4 hits
Up Next
Tuesday, March 28 vs Upper Iowa – 1:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at Northern State – 1:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2 at Northern State – Noon & 2 p.m.

 

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 16-3 vs UMD L 6-1 vs UMD L 8-3 at WSU W 5-2 at WSU W 6-1 at WSU W 4-2 at WSU	7-13, 4-4 NSIC	W3	13th Overall
Team Notes
- Bemidji State earned its first NSIC series win after taking three games at Winona State - The Beaver pitching staff combined for 20 strikeouts over its three wins (25 innings), led by seniors Jack Stigman and Ryan Fransen with seven each - On the base paths, BSU stole eight bases in 10 attempts - BSU hit .262 from the plate with a .322 on-base % and totaled a 5.73 ERA on the mound and fielded .964
Top Performer(s)
- Senior infielder Ryan Rumpca led BSU hitting .467 from the plate with four RBI, two doubles, one triple and a .733 slugging percentage - Senior pitcher Jack Stigman earned his first win of the season after throwing 6.0 innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run allowed Sunday against WSU - Junior outfielder Scott Litchy hit two home runs Monday against Winona State, a two-run dinger in a 6-1 win and a solo shot in a 4-2 win - Senior infielder Collin Eckman hit his first home run of the season Monday against WSU - Junior pitcher Connor McNallan threw a complete game Monday in BSU’s 6-1 win - Senior Ryan Fransen went 6.0 innings with seven strikeouts for his second win of the season
Up Next
Wednesday, March 29 vs Concordia-St. Paul - 2/4 p.m. Saturday, April 1  vs Sioux Falls - 1:30/3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2  vs Sioux Falls - 12/2 p.m.

 

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 0-12 vs MINOT L 5-6 vs MINOT L 4-6 vs MINOT W 3-2 vs MINOT	10-10, 4-4 NSIC	W1	4th Overall
Team Notes
- Hit .225 (25-111) as a team while the Beavers finished the weekend at .285 (37-130) - The lead changed hands in the final three innings in each of the last three games of the series, including a go-ahead grand slam for Minot’s Michael Borst in the ninth inning of game two - The CSP pitching staff struck out 28 hitters in 32.0 innings, allowing 37 hits and 18 earned runs to finish with a 5.06 ERA
Top Performer(s)
- Kevin Woebke worked 8.0+ innings in game two, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out 10 in a no-decision - Isaac Hormann picked up hits in all four games to finish with a team-best .429 average (6-14) to go along with three runs scored and an RBI
Up Next
Wed., March 29 at Bemidji State - 1:30/3:30 p.m.

 

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 10-0 vs Augie L 13-1 (7) vs Augie L 6-2 vs Augie L 6-3 vs Augie	4-13, 0-8 NSIC	L8	15th Overall
Team Notes
- After playing on the road two straight weeks to open the Northern Sun season the Marauders host Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday and Wayne State on the weekend, the start of hosting 16 of their next 20 games - Mary pitching is in the middle of the NSIC with a team ERA of 5.36 - Three of Mary’s starting pitchers have ERA’s below 4.00: Jake Johnson (3.18), Isaac Saad (3.86) and Nicholas Stobbe (3.93) - Two Marauders are hitting over .300: SR CF Andrew Beyer (.345) and SR C Lane Huck (.316)
Top Performer(s)
- In his second collegiate start, Jr. RHP Isaac Saad allowed 6 hits, no walks, three runs (two earned) and struck out one in 6.1 innings of a 6-3 loss at Augustana on Saturday - So. Travis Stevens shined at the plate on Sunday against the Vikings, finishing 4-for-7 with a home run and two hits in each game - Marauders SR CF and leadoff hitter Andrew Beyer went 5-for-11 on the weekend with a double, a run scored, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base. He was also hit by a pitch, allowing him to reach base seven times in 13 plate appearances - Sr. C Lane Huck finished 5-for-12 in four games at Augustana, hitting a double, stealing a base and driving in two runs
Up Next
March 29 vs. Minnesota Duluth April 1-2 vs Wayne State

 

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 4-3 at USF W 9-4 at USF L 6-1 at USF W 2-0 at USF	9-11, 3-5 NSIC	W1	9th Overall
Team Notes
- Minnesota Crookston is in a tie for ninth place in the NSIC standings after the first two weekends of conference play with a 3-5 mark - The Golden Eagles hit their first two home runs of the season as Anthony Stewart and Mitchell Bornhauser powered two-run home runs over the weekend - UMC is hitting .243 as a team with 78 runs scored, 24 doubles, seven triples, two home runs and 66 RBI - They have a .318 slugging percentage and a .339 on-base percentage - The Golden Eagles have 21 stolen bases on 35 attempts this season - Minnesota Crookston has been strong on the mound this season with a 4.06 team ERA with 104 strikeouts to 62 walks - The Golden Eagles split with Sioux Falls on the weekend 2-2 - Minnesota Crookston is just one win away from reaching 10 victories for the third-consecutive season after just one victory each season during 2013 and 2014
Top Performer(s)
- Riley Thompson hit .444 over the weekend with three runs scored - Justin Yutrzenka was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in eight innings pitched with a shutout victory over Sioux Falls on Sunday - Zach Seipel picked up his third save of the year as he shut out the Cougars in one inning pitched - Parker Hanson picked up a win as he was 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 7.0 innings pitched on the weekend
Up Next
March 29 vs. Minot State – Crookston, Minn. – 1/3:30 p.m. April 1  vs. Concordia-St. Paul – Crookston, Minn. – 1/3:30 p.m. April 2  vs. Concordia-St. Paul – Crookston, Minn. – 1/3:30 p.m.

 

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 16-3 vs. BSU W 6-1 vs. BSU L 1-0 vs. MSU L 2-1 vs. MSU L 3-1 at MSU L 10-3 at MSU	8-12, 3-5 NSIC	L4	5th Overall
Team Notes
- UMD knocked off Bemidji State twice before being swept by Minnesota State - The Bulldogs racked up 16 runs in the opening game against Bemidji and held the Beavers to just four runs over the two games - The UMD pitching staff had an opponent batting average of just .250 and slugging percentage of .331 in six games - The Bulldogs held the Mavericks to just six runs scored combined in the first three games - UMD recorded 15 extra-base hits in the series
Top Performer(s)
- Drew Stewart went 6-for-15 (.400 batting average) and recorded a slugging percentage of .600 - Marcus Frederickson pitched five innings and allowed just one hit and zero runs while striking out four - Colin Baumgard pitched a complete game with just one run allowed and added six strikeouts - Rece Dietrich and Ryan Cunningham each pitched 6+ innings with just two runs allowed
Up Next
Wednesday, March 29 at U-Mary (DH) – 1:30/3:30 p.m.

 

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week – 4-0	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 1-0 vs. UMD W 2-1 vs. UMD W 3-1 vs. UMD W 10-3 vs. UMD	13-4, 8-0 NSIC	W9	1st
Team Notes
- The Mavericks swept Minnesota Duluth in a four-game NSIC series played on Friday and Sunday - Friday’s games were played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., and Sunday’s games were played at MSU Baseball Complex in Mankato, Minnesota - Minnesota State extended its overall win streak to nine games and its NSIC winning streak to eight games - Minnesota State batted .264 over the weekend while holding Minnesota Duluth to a .209 batting average - For the second consecutive week, the Maverick pitching staff went 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA - Maverick pitchers struck out 36 batters in 32 innings and recorded a 0.97 WHIP
Top Performer(s)
- Three Mavericks batted over .400 on the weekend: freshman infielder Tommy McDonald (.600), senior infielder Eric Peterson (.455) and junior infielder Luke Waldek (.429) - Senior infielder Eric Peterson scored three runs over the weekend to put his career total at 182, tying him with Kosuke Hattori (2007-10) for the second most runs scored in program history. Peterson is two runs shy of the all-time program mark of 182, held by Eric Lonquist (1999-2002) - Four Maverick starting pitchers tossed complete games over the weekend: junior Brody Rodning (7 innings), junior Dalton Roach (9 innings) and junior Nick Belzer (7 innings) - Junior Brody Rodning pitched a seven-inning complete game shutout against Minnesota Duluth on Friday, striking out seven while holding the Bulldogs to three hits, two walks and a .136 batting average - Rodning leads the NSIC with two shutouts and is second with a 0.38 ERA
Up Next
Wednesday, March 29 at Winona State (DH) – 1:30 p.m.

   

Minot State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 13-10 v DISU W 21-2 v DISU W 12-0 v CSP W 6-5 v CSP W 6-4 v CSP L 2-3 v CSP	11-4, 6-2 NSIC	L1	14th Overall
Team Notes
- Won five of six games overall and three of four NSIC games on the week - Matched 2016’s win total with a 6-5 win over Concordia-St. Paul - Scored a season-high 21 runs in a rout of NAIA Dickinson State - Batted .340 on the week with seven home runs as a team
Top Performer(s)
- Jordan Schulz batted .524 collecting 11 hits in six games including a home run, two triples, three doubles and drove in seven runs - Wyatt Schlosser finished with a .462 batting average in five games played with three doubles in his six total hits - Trevaun Smith continued a strong start to his collegiate career with seven hits including a home run and three RBI - Michael Borst had two grand slams on the week and drove in 15 runs - Dylan Roach made three appearances on the hill, going 1-0 with a save, not allowing a run in three innings -Tanner Alexander pitched five innings of one-hit ball, striking out five batters to earn a win over CSP
Up Next
Wednesday, March. 29 at Minnesota Crookston – 1/3 p.m. Saturday, April 1 vs. Winona State 12/2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2 vs. Winona State 12/2:30 p.m.

 

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week – 1-3	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 5-2 vs. UIU W 11-1 vs. UIU L 5-1 vs. UIU L 7-4 vs. UIU	8-8, 1-3 NSIC	L2	7th
Team Notes
- NSU opened conference play over the weekend going 1-3 versus Upper Iowa - The Wolves combined for 29 hits and 18 runs scored in the four games - As a team the Wolves hit .250 and notched five extra base hits with 17 RBI - Defensively they gave up five errors with a .957 fielding percentage - On the hill they tallied one win with a 4.50 team ERA and .280 opponent batting average, notching 25 strikeouts
Top Performer(s)
- Jack Schmidt led the team in the NSIC opener with a .364 average at the plate - The junior tallied four hits and two RBI in the series - Lucas Lorenz was second on the team hitting .33 with a team leading five hits - The junior notched a grand slam in the 11-1 win and tallied five RBI in the series - Thomas Sertic tallied the lone win on the hill, throwing 5.1 innings without an earned run - He also added a team second best five strikeouts and held the Peacocks to five hits
Up Next
Wednesday, Mar. 29 vs. St. Cloud State (DH) – Aberdeen, S.D. Saturday, Apr. 1 vs. Augustana (DH) – Aberdeen, S.D. Sunday, Apr. 2 vs. Augustana (DH) – Aberdeen, S.D.

 

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak
W 4-3 vs. UMC L 9-4 vs. UMC W 6-13 vs. UMC L 2-0 vs. UMC	6-11, 4-4 NSIC	L1
Team Notes
- Through 17 games, USF is hitting .303 as a team with a .389 OBP and a .442 slugging percentage - Rob Johnson leads the team in hitting at .408 with a .633 slugging percentage and .483 OBP - He also has a team-high eight steals in nine attempts - Josh Rehwaldt is hitting .353 with a team-high 14 RBI and a .471 slugging percentage - USF has stolen 33 bases in 42 attempts, doubling that of opponents, which have 17 steals - The Cougars pitching staff had a strong weekend as they reduced the team ERA by better than a run and half as they sit at 8.13 on the season
Top Performer(s)
- Zak Wallner pitched a four-hitter in a 6-1 victory as the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (6-11, 4-4 NSIC) split a doubleheader with Minnesota Crookston (9-11, 3-5 NSIC) for the second straight day at the Birdcage (Sioux Falls Stadium) - Wallner (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, tossing 79 pitches over seven innings of four-hit ball - Wallner recorded a career-high eight strikeouts and did not walk a batter over seven innings - The senior right hander was dominant all game as he allowed just an unearned run in the second inning - Dylan Gavin hit his first home run of the season in 6-1 win Sunday - He also had his first start, going five innings of one hit baseball in a no decision - He allowed no runs and recorded five strikeouts - Noah Durkin hit .462 with six hits in 13 at bats during the four-game set with UMC
Up Next
Wednesday, March 29 at Southwest Minnesota State - 1:30/3:30 p.m.

 

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
Idle	6-8, 1-3 NSIC	L2
Team Notes
- SMSU did not play last weekend - SMSU returns with six games this week, including its home opener on Tuesday - SMSU last played on March 18-19, losing three of four games to open NSIC play at Concordia-St. Paul
Top Performer(s)
- Freshman shortstop Tanner Strommen leads the team with a .326 batting average - Strommen and senior Derek Branson lead the team with 15 hits each - Sophomore Cole Petersen is 3-0 this season in three appearances with one start - Sophomore Shawn Williams has appeared in five games and is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA
Up Next
March 29 vs. Sioux Falls April 1-2 vs. Minnesota State

 

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 4-1 at WSC W 6-1 at WSC W 13-7 at WSC W 9-1 at WSC	14-6, 5-3 NSIC	W3	2nd
Team Notes
- The St. Cloud State baseball team recovered from a loss in the first game at Wayne State to win the next three outings against the Wildcats - The Huskies offense came alive to sweep the action on March 26 with SCSU winning 13-7 and 9-1 - The Huskies have won three in a row after dropping three games in a row - In game one at WSC on Mar. 26, the Huskies fell behind 1-0 in the first inning before setting the stage for the victory with two runs in the second and three runs in the third inning to gain a 5-1 lead
Top Performer(s)
- Catcher Bo Schmitz led the Huskies with eight runs on the weekend, including four in the first game of Mar. 26. He also brought in two Huskies on the weekend - Mitch Mallack also had a strong showing for the Huskies with three runs on the weekend, two of which were in the opening game Mar. 26. He had three RBI’s in game two on Mar. 26 - Mathew Meyer also contributed strongly for the Huskies, registering four runs on the weekend. He also brought in two teammates on the weekend
Up Next
March 29 at Northern State - 1:30/3:30 p.m.

 

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 5-2 vs. NSU L 11-1 vs. NSU W 5-1 vs. NSU W 7-4 vs. NSU	8-8, 4-4 NSIC	W2	11th
Team Notes
- The Peacocks traveled to Sioux Falls, S.D. to battle Northern State for four games  - The series was originally scheduled to be played in Fayette, but weather forced a change in location to Augustana University's campus over the weekend - Upper Iowa won three of four games over the weekend, batting .280 as a team, averaging 4.5 runs per game - Peacock pitchers allowed just 18 runs in four games, including allowing two or less in three of the games  - On Sunday night, Upper Iowa earned a 5-1 win before rallying from a deficit with a four-run eighth inning for their first doubleheader sweep of the Northern Sun season - The Peacocks are 4-4 to start league play in 2017
Top Performer(s)
- Zachary Cain pitched seven innings of two-run, five-hit baseball in game one on Saturday night, striking out two and walking just one - Brett Fanning tossed his second complete game of the season, allowing just one earned run on three hits while striking out three and walking one - Ryan Munoz struck out a team-best 13 batters in game four in six innings of work - Anthony Calton went 7-14 at the plate with a run batted in while scoring three runs on the weekend - Jacob Greco went 6-12 with five runs scored, and three extra base hits, including an RBI-double, a triple, and a two-run home run in game four of the series - Callahan Seehase led the Peacocks with four runs batted in on a grand slam, his first home run of the season - Colton Janssen tallied five hits in 13 at bats, and scored four runs for the Peacocks - Mitch Moser earned a win in game four, pitching two innings of scoreless ball
Up Next
Tuesday, March 28 at Augustana - 3:30/5:30 p.m.

 

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 7-5 at William Jewell W 4-1 vs SCSU L 6-1 vs SCSU L 13-7 vs SCSU L 9-1 vs SCSU	7-12, 2-6 NSIC	L3	8th Overall
Team Notes
- Wayne State was 2-3 during the week, winning 7-5 at William Jewell and 4-1 in the first game of NSIC series vs. St. Cloud State
Top Performer(s)
- Senior Bobby St. Pierre pitched complete game five-hitter with nine strikeouts in 4-1 win over St. Cloud State - Sophomore third baseman Kyle Thompson hit team-high .533 during the week, going 8 for 15 at the plate with two doubles and five runs scored - Thompson has reached base safely in 14 straight games and has six-game hit streak - Junior outfielder David Janes was 8 for 17 at the plate (.471) in five starts - Freshman outfielder Jackson Petersen hit .462 during the week going 6 for 13
Up Next
Tuesday, March 28 vs William Jewell (1-9) - 1 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at University of Mary - 12 p.m. Sunday, April 2 at University of Mary - 12 p.m.

 

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 8-3 vs BSU L 5-2 vs BSU L 6-1 vs BSU L 4-2 vs BSU	4-14, 4-4 NSIC	L3	6th Overall
Team Notes
- Held the Beavers to just 13 earned runs on the weekend - Seven extra base hits offensively - Drew two walks per contest
Top Performer(s)
- Mitchell Stalsberg did not allow an earned run in five innings, striking out ten to pick up the win - Mitchell Heid had six hits in the series, including two doubles - Derek Martin drove in a team high three runs - Jesus Cazares had five hits and two runs scored - Joe Kubera had four hits - Nathan Krause went 4-7 with three walks
Up Next
March 29 vs Minnesota State April 1-2 vs Minot State