MANKATO, Minn. - Minnesota State, winner of seven of its last eight games, will be in Sioux Falls, S.D., Tuesday for a doubleheader against Augustana before returning home to face Bemidji State in a pair of weekend doubleheaders.

A Look at the Vikings: The Augustana College Vikings own a 20-11 overall record, 15-5 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and have won seven of their last eight games having recently taken three of four against Bemidji State.  Coached by Tim Huber, the Vikings are led offensively by Derek Hansen who leads the team with 43 hits, five home runs and 26 RBI.  Hansen owns a .391 batting average, a .645 slugging percentage and a .432 on-base percentage while he is also 7-for-11 on stolen base attempts.  Second on the team with 18 RBI is David Borchardt who owns a .305 batting average while he has also connected on four home runs and eight doubles.  The team leader with six home runs is Jack Goihl who is batting .371 and is a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.  Hansen also leads the Vikings on the mound possessing a 4-3 record in seven starts.  Owner of a 1.31 earned run average, Hansen has recorded a team-best 66 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched.  Sitting 3-0 after four starts for the Vikings is Tyson Gau who has collected 14 strikeouts while allowing just three runs on 15 hits in 22.0 innings pitched.

A Look at the Beavers: The Bemidji State Beavers, owners of a 15-17 overall record (8-10 NSIC) have dropped four of their last five games and will play a doubleheader against Minnesota, Crookston on Wednesday before the Saturday/Sunday twin bill against the Mavericks.  Coached by Tim Bellew, the Beavers are led at the plate by Jaryd Marks who is batting .327 and has recorded a team-high 36 hits including nine doubles and two home runs.  Second on the team with a .305 batting average is Logan Kalis who leads the team with five home runs and has driven in 23 runs.  Leading the Beavers on the hill is Phil Bray who is 7-2 with a 3.38 ERA.  Bray has tallied a team-best 37 strikeouts while allowing 18 earned runs on 38 hits in 48.0 innings of work.  As a team, BSU has a 5.73 ERA and is allowing an opponents batting average of .307.

Last Weekend: Minnesota State went 3-1 in the NSIC this past week after taking two from Wayne State on April 11 before splitting with St. Cloud State on Saturday.  The 11th-ranked Mavericks and eighth-ranked Huskies were also scheduled for a doubleheader on Sunday but it was pushed back to Monday due to inclement weather.  However, Monday's rescheduled doublheader was also cancelled do weather and field conditions in St. Cloud and will not be rescheduled due to NSIC rules.  Junior Mike Eckhart led MSU with six hits while posting a .462 batting average and knocking in two runs.  Senior Pat Dockendorf led the Mavericks with a .556 batting average while also connecting on his fifth home run of the season and driving in four runs.  Junior right-handed pitcher Nick Sutherland earned two saves and a win last week after allowing no runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work.  MSU also received wins on the mound from sophomore Tyler Ockuly and senior Harvey Martin.  Ockuly led MSU with eight strikeouts as he allowed five hits in a complete-game shutout victory over Wayne State.  Sophomore Todd Standish was the hero in game one against Wayne Sate as the Mavericks rallied back from a 3-2 deficit in the final inning as Standish recorded the game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh.

NSIC Honors: Ockuly was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week after his efforts in a 1-0 win against Wayne State last week.  On April 11, Ockuly earned his third win of the season after allowing no runs on five hits while striking out eight batters in eight innings pitched in the victory over the Wildcats.

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