On Tap: No. 2 Minnesota State begins Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this weekend when it faces Southwest Minn. State in Sioux City, Iowa. The Mavericks and Mustangs will battle Friday and Saturday at 1:30 and 12 p.m., respectively, with MSU serving as the home team on Friday and SMSU taking that spot on Saturday.
 
Last Time on the Diamond:  The Purple and Gold won seven of nine contests, including six wins against members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, at the Russ Matt Invitational held in Winter Haven and Clearwater, Fla. over the last two weeks.
 
Offensively, senior Todd Standish (Brookings, S.D.) paced the Mavericks with a .464 batting average and led MSU with four doubles and 11 runs scored. Senior Stetson Olson (Renton, Wash.) hit .353 over the nine-game stretch with three extra-base hits, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. Senior Parker Sullivan (Rapid City, S.D.) hit .344 in the Sunshine State with six RBI and seven runs, while senior Mike Andries (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) batted .323 with a team-high 11 RBI and two home runs in addition to scoring six runs.
 
On the mound, senior Taylor Nawrocki (Fairmont, Minn.) went 2-0 over three appearances and one start with a 0.00 ERA and .100 opponent batting average. Senior Bryce Bellin (Kimberly, Wis.) surrendered just one earned run over 15 innings and two starts but was unable to secure a win. Senior Jason Hoppe (Rice, Minn.) earned his third and fourth victories of the year by striking out 15 across 13.1 frames with a 3.38 ERA.
 
A Look at the Mustangs: Southwest Minnesota State stands 9-7 overall after winning eight of 12 games at the Tucson Invitational last week. SMSU finished 6-2 against NSIC competition in the event despite the games not counting toward league standings. Through 16 games, the Mustangs are batting .291 as a team and are averaging 5.8 runs per game. The SMSU pitching staff holds a 4.87 earned run average and has surrendered a .290 opponent batting average thus far.
 
SMSU has six batters hitting over .300 this season led by junior Brandan Alfson (UTL, 6-1, 194, Pipestone, Minn.) who is batting .433 through nine contests with seven extra-base hits, nine runs and 11 RBI.  Senior Jon Ellis (OF, 5-10, 178, Fairmont, Minn.) is right behind hitting .395 with a team-high 13 RBI, while senior Ben Korger (SS, 5-10, 151, LaCrosse, Wis.) leads the team with 15 runs scored and nine extra-base hits. Senior Patrick Rients (1B, 6-1, 195, Jackson, Minn.) has a team-best three home runs with 11 RBI, 13 runs and a .317 batting average.
 
On the hill, junior Joe Axelson (RHP, 6-3, 200, Spring Lake Park, Minn.) stands 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 17 strikeouts across 20.0 innings in three starts and four total appearances and was recently named National Pitcher of the Week. Senior Steve Wehr (RHP, 6-4, 159, St. Anthony, Minn.) and Alfson are both 2-0 with a 3.10 and 3.52 ERA respectively. Wehr has 10 strikeouts over 20.1 innings pitched, while Alfson has registered 14 punchouts in 15.1 innings of work and added a pair of saves.
 
Minnesota State History: The 2014 season marks the 74th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,596-816-7 (.661) all-time record in 2,419 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 seven in the NCAA Division II World Series (1971, 1979, 1980, 1986, 2010, 2012, 2013) including a third-place finish in 2012 and national runner-up performance in 2013.
 
Additionally, seven Mavericks have been selected All-Americans.

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