On Tap: Minnesota State, the top seed in the region, will host the NCAA DII Central Region Tournament for the second straight year and faces MIAA tournament champion Missouri Southern in the final game of day one action Thursday at 7 p.m., at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato, Minn.
 
Last Time on the Diamond:  The Mavericks went 4-0 last weekend, including a 3-1 victory over Bemidji State in the title game, to clinch their second consecutive NSIC tournament championship and fourth in the past five years. With the win, MSU clinched an automatic berth in the 48-team NCAA national tournament field. It is the Mavericks eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA postseason tournament and 32nd overall, ranking only behind Florida Southern’s 39 tournament appearances. MSU is 50-51 all-time in NCAA regional play having won seven regional titles - 1971, 1979, 1980, 1986, 2010 and 2012.
 
MSU’s pitching staff was dominate from start-to-finish at last weekend’s NSIC tournament allowing only two runs in 36 innings of play. Senior Harvey Martin and junior Jason Hoppe both recorded 11 strikeouts in separate complete-game shutouts, while senior Mahlon Zimmerman did not allow a baserunner to go two-for-two in save opportunites.
 
At the plate, senior Lucas Skjefte went 5-for-15 with four RBI and a run en route to capturing NSIC Tournament MVP honors, while junior Todd Standish was 4-for-10 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored.
 
NCAA Central Region Day One Schedule:
Date       Teams                                                                                                 Time       
5/16        #3 Southern Arkansas vs. #4 Missouri Western                          12:00 p.m.
5/16        #2 Central Missouri vs. #5 St. Cloud State                                   3:30 p.m.
5/16        #1 Minnesota State vs. #6 Missouri Southern                             7:00 p.m.
 
A Look at the Lions: Missouri Southern owns a 34-20 overall record, including a 23-16 mark in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, to finish third in the league before capturing the MIAA tournament title to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Offensively, MSSU ranks eight in the MIAA in batting average (.301) and tenth in runs scored (301), while the Lion pitching staff owns the third-best ERA (4.46) and opponent batting average (.280) in the league. Head coach Bryce Darnell is in his sixth season leading the MSSU baseball program and owns a 172-143 career record.
 
A Look at the Mules: Central Missouri stands 35-11 overall and finished second in the MIAA with a 28-8 conference record. UCM earned an at-large berth into the regional tournament after dropping a best-of-three series to Pittsburgh State in the opening round of the MIAA tournament. The Mules currently rank third in the league in batting average (.335) and second in runs scored (398). On the mound, UCM is second in the league in ERA (3.98), while leading the conference in opponent batting average (.262). Skipper Tom Myers is in his sixth season leading the Mules and has a 275-73 overall record including three appearances in the NCAA DII World Series.
 
A Look at the Muleriders: Southern Arkansas enters the weekend with a 40-15 overall record and 23-7 mark in the Great American Conference where SAU earned both regular-season and postseason GAC titles. The Muleriders led the league in batting average (.319) and runs scored (425), while ranking second in ERA (3.65) and tying for sixth in opponent batting average (.278).  SAU is led by manager Steve Browning who is in his third year at the helm and owns a 113-48 overall record as the Muleriders have achieved their 13th straight 30-win season and eighth NCAA tournament appearance.
 
A Look at the Griffons: Missouri Western begins the regional tournament with a 40-10 overall record after finishing 28-5 in the MIAA to claim the regular-season title before falling to MSSU in the league’s championship game. The Griffons leads the conference in batting average (.361) and runs scored (420), while the MWSU pitching staff was first in the league in ERA (.395) and second in opponent batting average (.278). Buzz Verduzco is in his 14th season managing the Griffon baseball program having compiled a 402-305 overall record and 11 winning seasons during his tenure at MWSU.
 
A Look at the Huskies: St. Cloud State owns a 34-9 overall record and 19-3 mark in league play, which secured SCSU the regular-season NSIC title. SCSU boasts the third-highest batting average (.307) in the conference, while scoring the fourth-most runs per game (5.95). On the mound, the Huskies lead the league in ERA (2.04) and opponent batting average (.207). Manager Pat Dolan is in his sixth year with the Huskies and has taken SCSU to four straight NCAA postseason appearances.
 
Minnesota State History: The 2013 season marks the 74th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,577-812-7 (.659) all-time record in 2,396 total games. Minnesota State has five Northern Intercollegiate Conference titles (1968, 1969, 1979, 1980, 1981), 19 North Central Conference championships (1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007) and three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference crowns (2010, 2011, 2012). The program has 32 appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and six in the NCAA Division II World Series (1971, 1979, 1980, 1986, 2010, 2012) including two third-place finishes in 1980 and 2012.
 
Additionally, five Mavericks have been selected as All-Americans.

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