On Tap: Third-ranked Minnesota State kicks off a 12-game road trip this week as the Mavericks sink their teeth into Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with a Wednesday doubleheader at Upper Iowa followed by a four-game series against Augustana in Sioux Falls. First pitch with UIU is scheduled for 12 p.m., while the Mavericks and Vikings will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Last Time on the Diamond:  The Purple and Gold swept a four-game series with Minnesota Duluth - winning all four by three runs or less - to run its winning streak to six consecutive games and move into a tie for first in the NSIC.
 
Senior righthander Jason Hoppe (Rice, Minn.) twirled his second straight complete-game and earned his first shutout of the year, while senior Stetson Olson (Renton, Wash.) clubbed a third-run long ball to carry MSU to a 3-0 win in game one last Sunday. MSU followed that with an 8-6 come-from-behind victory in game two keyed by a five-run eighth inning as sophomore Taylor Branstad (Apple Valley, Minn.) collected a game-high four RBI, including a pair in the eighth inning.
 
The Mavericks claimed a 3-1 triumph in the first affair last Monday behind a  season-high,10-strikeout performance from senior righthander T.J. Larson (Prior Lake, Minn.) as doubles by senior Parker Sullivan (Rapid City, S.D.) and junior Connor McCallum (Shoreview, Minn.) plated all three MSU tallies. In game two, MSU jumped in front, 7-1, through four innings of play keyed by a two-run double from junior Max Waletich (Fairmont, Minn.) and two-run home run by Olson. UMD fought back to tie the game at 7-7 until Olson plated the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth securing the series sweep.
 
A Look at the Peacocks: Upper Iowa stands 8-7 overall and 1-1 within the conference after a split with Bemidji State last Sunday winning 5-2 before dropping a 4-3 decision in game two. Through 12 games, the Peacocks are batting .309 as a team and averaging 6.3 runs per game. The UIU pitching staff holds a 5.79 team earned run average and has surrendered a .313 opponent batting average to date. Seniors Tyler Adams and Jose Aguirre have carried the Peacock offense thus far as they are batting .552 and .514, respectively, with two home runs each.
 
Inside the MSU-UIU Series:  The Mavericks stand 20-6 all-time against the Peacocks despite not playing UIU at all last season.
 
A Look at the Vikings: Augustana owns a 17-7 overall ledger and 7-1 mark in NSIC play to tie with MSU for first-place entering the weekend. The Vikings are riding an eight-game winning streak after sweeping Minnesota Crookston last weekend. Offensively, AC is batting .345 as a team and averaging 7.6 runs per game, while the Viking pitching staff sports a 4.14 team ERA and .246 opponent batting average. Four Vikings are currently batting over .400 and a pair of starting pitchers boast winning records with ERAs under 3.00.
 
Inside the MSU-AUGIE Series:  The Mavericks stand 50-12 all-time against the Vikings. A season ago, MSU swept a four-game series with Augustana in Mankato in which it outscored the Vikings 35-11.
 
Minnesota State History: The 2014 season marks the 74th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,599-817-7 (.661) all-time record in 2,423 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.