For Immediate Release
Monday, March 16, 2026
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#20 Nate Cunningham (IF, 6-2, 195, Sr., R/R, Elkhorn, Neb. / Elkhorn North HS) – Wayne State
- Hit .600 going 9-for-15 in a three-game sweep over Minnesota Crookston
- Recorded three hits in all three games
- Hit two home runs and one triple with 11 RBIs in the series
- Went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a triple and seven RBIs in a 15-3 win (homered twice in the same inning)
- Went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in a 10-7 win
- Went 3-for-5 with an RBI in an 11-9 win
- Posted a 1.133 slugging percentage and .625 on-base percentage in the series

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#33 Justin Benjamin (RHP, 6-0, 200, Jr., R/R, Minneapolis, Minn. / Cretin-Derham Hall HS) – Concordia-St. Paul
- Appeared in two extended relief appearances with a 1-0 record and a save
- Did not allow a run, hit, walk or baserunner in 4.2 innings
- Recorded six strikeouts in 4.2 innings
- Secured a win over SMSU with 2.0 perfect innings including three strikeouts
- Worked 2.2 perfect innings for a save with three strikeouts against Malone
- Holds a 1-0 record with three saves and a 3.24 ERA in 8.1 innings on the season with 11 strikeouts and only three hits allowed for a .111 opponent average

Other Top Performances - Player
Carter McPeak – Augustana
- Hit .636 (7-for-11) in a four-game weekend against No. 9 Grand Valley State and Jamestown
- Recorded two doubles, seven RBIs, six runs and a home run
- Posted a .692 on-base percentage and 1.091 slugging percentage
- Tallied multiple hits in all three games against Jamestown
- Hit a two-run pinch hit home run in the eighth inning in his collegiate debut against Grand Valley State
- Went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in his first career start vs. Jamestown
- Entered the second Jamestown game as a pinch hitter, going 2-for-2 with a walk, double, two runs and two RBIs
- Closed the series going 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a walk
Beau Thoma – Bemidji State
- Batted .500 in 10 at-bats during the week
- Hit one home run, scored five runs and drove in two
- Posted a 1.415 OPS with a .800 slugging percentage and .615 on-base percentage
- Did not strike out in 13 plate appearances
- Drew two walks and was hit by a pitch once
#9 Gus Berger – Concordia-St. Paul
- Berger helped CSP to a 4-2 overall, 2-1 NSIC week by hitting .471/.583/1.059
- The freshman drew five walks, an HBP, a SF and was 1-1 on SB with only two strikeouts
- He recorded a 1.642 OPS with six of his eight hits going for extra bases (3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR)
- He registered five runs and eight RBIs in six games and did not commit an error all week
- Berger hit safely in all six games
- He went 2-2 with five RBIs, two runs, a triple, homer, walk and sac fly in a win over Malone
- In the SMSU series, he was a tough out, going 4-9 with two walks, an HBP, two doubles and a steal
- Leads the team with a .652 slugging percentage, 15 extra-base hits, three triples, three home runs and 23 RBIs in 21 games on the season
Kalem Haney – UMary
- Posted a .462/.500/1.000 slash line in three games
- Recorded four runs, four hits, a double and two home runs at MSU Denver
- Hit two home runs with four RBIs and two runs scored in an 11-6 win over MSU Denver
- Had a three-hit game and recorded at least one hit in all three games
Cole Yearsley – Minnesota State
- Went 8-for-15 (.533) at the plate over five games
- Hit three home runs and drove in six RBIs
- Recorded a four-hit, two-RBI game with a home run in the series finale vs. Minot State
- Helped power Minnesota State’s offense during the week
Dalton Kesti – Northern State
- Started all six games at the RussMatt Invitational
- Batted .458 with 11 hits in 24 at-bats
- Posted a .567 on-base percentage
- Scored seven runs with four RBIs and 17 total bases
- Hit two doubles and two triples
- Drew six walks and went 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts
- In a sweep vs. Minnesota Duluth recorded five hits, four runs, two RBIs, two doubles and two stolen bases
Justin Johnson – Sioux Falls
- Hit .500 (4-for-8) in two starts during the series
- Recorded five RBIs and one triple with a .750 slugging percentage
- Drove in five of Sioux Falls’ 18 runs in the four-game series
- Produced multiple hits in both games played
- Added strong defense with 14 putouts and one assist with no errors
Jared Cortez – Southwest Minnesota State
- Batted .550 (11-for-20) in five games
- Recorded two doubles, one triple and one home run
- Drove in 10 RBIs
- Collected 18 total bases and scored five runs
- Added one stolen base
- Recorded five hits including a triple and four RBIs vs. Carthage
- Added five hits in the three-game series vs. Concordia-St. Paul including a three-run home run
Max Strecker – Winona State
- Recorded five hits (.455) with four runs and two RBIs in a four-game series vs. Sioux Falls
- Went 2-for-3 with three runs, two doubles and an RBI in a game three win
- Recorded two multi-hit games in the series

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Mariano Gomez – Augustana
- Threw six innings in a victory over Jamestown
- Allowed one run on six hits
- Tied a season-high with nine strikeouts
- Helped the Vikings to a 9-2 series-opening win
Riley Czech – Bemidji State
- Pitched 2.1 innings in relief against St. Cloud State without allowing a hit, walk or run
- Struck out two batters in his outing
Sam George – Minnesota State
- Tossed 7.0 innings allowing just one run on four hits in a win over Minot State
- Struck out 10 batters without issuing a walk
- Kept Minot State off balance throughout the game
Carson Zimmel – Northern State
- Started two games at the RussMatt Invitational
- Pitched 7.2 innings with a 2.35 ERA
- Allowed two runs on seven hits
- Threw 6.2 innings allowing one run on five hits in a 5-1 win over Minnesota Duluth
- Earned a win as Northern State completed a series sweep
Jake Ammann – Sioux Falls
- Threw a complete-game shutout in a win over Winona State
- Worked 7.0 innings allowing six hits with five strikeouts and two walks
- Held Winona State to a .222 batting average
- Posted a 0.00 ERA in the outing
Ryan Bell – Southwest Minnesota State
- Tossed eight innings allowing two runs on four hits in a 4-2 win over Concordia-St. Paul
- Struck out three and walked one
- Threw 105 pitches with 65 strikes
- Earned his third straight victory
Sawyer Hoffman – Winona State
- Earned the win against Sioux Falls in an 8-5 victory
- Tossed five innings with seven strikeouts
- Allowed seven hits and two walks
- Leads Winona State with 28 strikeouts in 2026
NSIC Baseball Players of the Week
2/10/26
Player: #1 Troy Berg - Augustana
Pitcher: #36 Ryan Chamberlain – University of Mary
2/17/26
Player: #2 Jake Berkland  – Minnesota State
Pitcher: #77 Brady Baur - Sioux Falls
2/25/26
Player: #23 Jackson Fliflet  - Minnesota Crookston
Pitcher:  #24 Cody Wichmann – SMSU
3/3/26
Player: #27 Liam Moreno – St. Cloud State
Pitcher:  #10 Colton Bagshaw - Minot State
3/9/26
Player: #3 Bjorn Lind - Augustana
Pitcher: #23 Nolan McCaffery - Jamestown
3/16/26
Player: #20 Nate Cunningham – Wayne State
Pitcher: #33 Justin Benjamin – Concordia-St. Paul

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past three decades, maturing into a union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 126 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.